AOCAF LXV: Baker Park/Vilitan Cove--Everything Thread

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 2:47 pm

FT: Aji No Moto 2–2 Pluvia and the Saxean Isles
FT: Valanora 4–1 Delaclava

We're...through? IN SECOND!?!

CONGRATULATIONS, AOCAF

YOU ALLOWED A TEAM WITH ZERO EXPECTATIONS TO FINISH 2ND IN THEIR GROUP WITH ONLY 1 WIN

KIMI-SUOMI IS HERE TO STAY, BABY!

But seriously, things seem to be getting better and better for Esko Laaksonen's side and somehow reaching the AOCAF knockouts outright, on debut no less, is certainly another good sign for this team so far.

We shall enter the knockouts with little to no expectations, but we shall fight for some respect in the region nonetheless. We shall play Gyatso-Kai, the winners of Group A, and while the Bison are expected to roll, Kimin Armeija shall defend our honour no matter what. NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

by **Geisenfried** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 8:35 pm

Trouble in Paradise, Again
Geisenfried can't overcome the combined Cove, face Dogsmouth to enter knockouts

INURA, TURORI - The chance was there for the taking - but opportunity once again slipped through their fingers. Facing the combined Vilita & Turori team at the Coliseum of the Inurahtii, Geisenfried needed only a draw to guarantee themselves a slot in the AOCAF's Round of 16. Despite a close match, however, the Geisen squad couldn't overcome the host nations of the Vilitan Cove and so are now obliged to fight a playoff duel with Dogsmouth - victors over Pacitalia and third place in Group E.

The charmingly-named Eel-Cat Things were on paper the stiffest challenge that Geisenfried was going to face - not only were they the most offensively oriented team in the group, but also the highest ranked team in the pool, the host nations and, y'know, a conglomerate of two of the strongest teams in the world, if you hadn't heard. Still, they'd fallen earlier to Qasden, showing glimpses of mortality in this AOCAF. Geisenfried could only hope they could replicate that sort of magic, but unlike Qasden, whose style is more suited to match Vilita & Turori blow for blow on offense, the Geisen mindset was set on trying to set up an immovable object to confront the unstoppable force and blunt the Eel-Cat attack.

Initial outings for the Golden Eagles seemed to hold up - unafraid to load the box to try and frustrate offensive pushes, most of the early goings remained on the Geisen side of the field, the underdog squad waiting for a chance to counter-attack. But the attacks kept on coming, and over time you could tell that they were starting to wear down the Geisen back line - each push might only have a small chance of breaking through, but after enough of them, the odds start favoring the attacker. Eventually it was not just the back line being tested either, as the netminder Juergensen was forced to push balls over the crossbar or to either side to keep the score level and his sheet clean. Ten minutes passed, then twenty, a half-hour, but Geisenfried couldn't seem to get out of their own half. It seemed like a matter of time - and sure enough a matter of time was all it was. Cuoabaza Orani’aoa would be the one to break the tie, putting a ball into the Geisen net just before the forty minute mark, and the Golden Eagles were left to stew at half at falling behind one-nil.

But even with the go ahead goal assured, things weren't getting any easier for the Golden Eagles. While not as ferocious as their original attacks to put themselves on top, Vilita & Turori were not content with keeping it at just a one-nil game, continuing the pressure after the forty-five minute mark. Even if they weren't putting a focus on keeping Geisenfried from penetrating into the backfield, their possession based strategy would be more than enough to frustrate Geisenfried's effort to make the game level and steal the point. In the end, Cuoabaza's goal would be the only one - but a decisive one, pushing the hosts into the next round to face yet another Cove team in Tropicorp while Banija's 3-0 victory against the Crystal Empire meant that Geisenfried's neighbor would secure the guaranteed 3rd place slot, while Geisenfried were shunted over to the playoff match. Should the Golden Eagles manage to overcome Dogsmouth, they'll have a rematch against northern neighbors Qasden in the quarterfinals, giving Geisenfried once more a chance for revenge.

Vilita & Turori 1 - 0 Geisenfried
Orani’aoa (39')

Eilerts Erupts
Starting pitching performance pushes Geisenfried to the top of the group

TROPICOAST, TROPICORP - The Geisen football team wasn't the only squad to have to face a team on their home turf. The Geisen baseball squad was also facing off against a host nation, for a chance to get ahead in the group and secure a knockout slot. They had on their hands the Tropicorp squad that had, up to this point held up well against the rest of the group, winning 10-4 against Milchama and 8-1 against Misrantis, only falling by the slightest of margins against Aji no Moto, losing 6-5. But despite all the offense produced by Tropicorp up to this point, it mattered very little to Moritz Eilerts, tapped to hold the Geisen mound. He'd deliver a gem of a performance, shutting the hosts out for 7 straight innings, 4 of them perfect.

But for those 4 innings, Geisenfried's own offense found itself in its own slump. The fierce pitcher's duel would only be broken in the 5th, when Willem Richter managed to knock Frederick Wetzel home to put Geisenfried up one to nil. Though he'd finally lose his perfect game in the bottom of the fifth, it seemed to be all the lead Eilerts needed. He retired the 6th in order, and only started showing signs of weakness in the 7th. Finally in the 8th, Eilerts broke and gave up the tying run, at last ending his day and the sterling show he'd provided. Despite blowing the save against Misrantis, set up man Rufus Saverio found himself on the mound and rewarded the faith by sweeping the remaining side. Despite all the effort from the pitchers, it was still a 1-1 ballgame.

But Geisenfried would find just enough juice in the final frame to make it matter. Ralf Kammerherr would lead off with a base hit before getting moved forward by Isaac Hafner and driven home by Abel Nichols, putting them back up to two-one before trusting it back to the bullpen to finish the ballgame. Lambert Blaeyer did just that, finally earning his first save of the competition by dropping the last three Tropicorp batters in order, securing the Geisenfried baseball team the top of Group C and a trip to the quarterfinals.

Geisenfried will remain in Tropicorp to play against Pluvia and the Saxean Isles, who finished behind Sarzonia and Banija in Group B. The winning quarterfinalist will go on to face the winner of Banija - Tropicorp, also in Tropicorp. Robin Bergmann will return after a rest to take the mound, and expectations surround Pluvia bringing their own ace, Dominic Lowe, back to the top of the rotation after 4 games in the group stage.

Geisenfried 2, Tropicorp 1

Code: Select all: GSF - 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 - 2 8 0 TRP - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 5 0

by **Saint Kanye** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 10:00 pm

The St. Kanye Surge national gridiron team get back on the winning track, making mincemeat of Milchama 51-7 in the AO Bowl group stages.

After a 7-7 deadlock at the end of the first quarter, the purple-clad Yeezies, well, surged through the rest of the game, scoring 44 unanswered points and returning to .500 with just a game left before the playoff stages. Despite the huge victory, St. Kanye (2-2) will still need to beat the mighty Cordian Isles (4-0) if they ever hope to find themselves in title contention, as well as hope Banija and Geisenfried, their two tormentors, both lose.

Surge quarterback R.J. Linetti posted a beastly passer rating of 151.94, lighting up their opponents for 329 yards on 26/30 attempts and four touchdowns. Running back Noah Sherman also visited the end zone a couple of times, kicker James Rasputin was perfect on his extra point and field goal attempts, and the defense also played well led by free safety Gary Bradman's three interceptions, one going all the way to the house. "Lots of positives to be taken from this match," said Jeff Delphine, the Yeezies' head coach. "This is how we need to play like against the Cordian Isles, and hopefully beyond that, not to mention in the World Bowl."

1Q STK Jeffers 16 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 7-0
Milchama had the ball first, but the stingy Kanyean defense forced them into a three and out. Despite being pinned deep into their own territory on the ensuing punt, the Surge had no problem driving down the field and drawing first blood in the game.

1Q MIL Shultz 23 pass from Kauffman (Mesika kick) Tie 7-7
Shortly after, Milchama quarterback Matt Kauffman found his main wideout Binyamin Shultz for the equalizer. This would prove to be their team's first and only scoring play though.

2Q STK M. Jackson 11 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 14-7
With his older brother and fellow fullback Nico battling a shoulder injury, Marco Jackson was forced into the starting role for the boys in purple. He would display the same catching capabilities as Nico though, putting the Surge back in the lead at the start of the second period.

2Q STK field goal Rasputin 42 STK 17-7
Milchama made a valiant effort to prevent St. Kanye from reaching the end zone, but the ever-automatic Rasputin was still able to put three points on the board

2Q STK Sherman 20 run (Rasputin kick) STK 24-7
Kauffman led his team to the red zone, but was picked off by Bradman for what would eventually be the first of three times. The Surge's star safety was pushed out at midfield, but just a couple of plays later, another "Man" would make a big play, Sherman evading several defenders (including yet another "Man", Dani Eastman) on the way to six more St. Kanye point (seven with Rasputin's XP).

3Q STK Sherman 6 run (Rasputin kick) STK 31-7
The Surge - and Sherman - started the second half with another score as Milchama bit on a fake pass in the red zone which opened up the ground attack.

3Q STK Bradman 105 interception return (Rasputin kick) STK 38-7
The two teams traded three and outs, and a great punt return for Milchama gave them great field position as well. It didn't matter though, as when Kauffman looked to score a second time, Bradman intercepted his pass right in the end zone and ran the length of the field for the pick six.

4Q STK field goal Rasputin 35 STK 41-7
Milchama's defense tightened up in the final period, but James Rasputin is James Rasputin, and three points are three points.

4Q STK Moore 37 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 44-7
Patrick Moore joined the Kanyean scoring party, leaping through the air on the catch from Linetti and jumping over a downed Eastman to run unopposed to the end zone.

4Q STK Jeffers 24 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 51-7
The game started with a score from Jeffers, and it ended the same way. With less than a minute remaining, Bradman recorded his third pick, which the Surge turned into a scoring drive to bury Milchama even further. Despite it being an ugly margin of victory, the Surge players and staff stayed humble, shaking hands with their opponents in the end and even wishing them the best in their last matchup. "The moment we get too proud and full of ourselves, is the moment we get brought to our knees," said Coach Delphine.

by **The Cordian Isles** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 12:31 am

"Hello, I'm Soren Larsen here with your local Jutland sports report.

Nothing much is happening in football with the Baptism of Fire upcoming for our national team, so we go first to rugby. In AORC sevens, the North Stars have bounced back from a rough start early, barely making the Bowl on head-to-head after a tense showdown in the final match against Aji No Moto, where the victor automatically qualified to the Bowl while the loser had to wait and see what happened in the match between Banija and Milchama. By a score of 24-14, Cordia took the victory while Aji No Moto watched as Milchama beat Banija 24-19, formally eliminating them. In the Rugby Union World Cup, the national union team have been taking a bit of a beating, losing all but one match. But that match was a good one, a 35-12 victory over StrayaRoos that could make the latter set out for revenge when the nations face off in football at the Baptism of Fire.

In the AO Bowl, the Cordian team is guaranteed first place in its group with head-to-head advantage over Banija going into a final game against Saint Kanye. The tournament has been a massive surprise for the Cordians in their first appearance in international gridiron, and bodes well for the upcoming World Bowl tournament.

In the World Cup of Hockey, the Cordians have three victories and two losses, and will be looking to make it four and two in a game against pot 1 team Cassadaigua tomorrow night. The Cordians have held their own for most of the tournament, pulling out a victory over 20th-ranked Fluvannia and keeping the game close to the finish in a 4-3 loss to Chromatika. Sitting at 3rd in the group, the Cordians will have to take points off one of the top 3 teams on the back side of the group stage if they want to make the playoffs in Quebec.

Amazingly, Cordia has also been doing quite well in the bat sports recently, baseball and cricket. The rosters for these teams have been published, but not publicized due to nobody actually visiting the Cordian Baseball Federation and T20 Cordia websites with any kind of regularity. However, the newsroom here did manage to find the lists of names and I have them here:

In baseball, the Cordians actually dropped their last two games as every single team in Group A finished 2-0-2. The team advanced on run differential and will face Delaclava in the quarterfinals. In cricket, the Cordians played very well in their first two games, but got absolutely demolished in their last and now face a lack of momentum going into the semifinals.

That's all for your nightly sports report, keep watching to see the story of one high schooler who actually followed through on his 'if x person does this, I will do y' statements and is now fourteen times dead and counting."

by **AOCAF** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 12:31 am

Play in Match:
Unity Field, Irottea, Vilita

Qasden                 2 0 0 0 2 5 0 0 1 0 10
Milchama               0 2 2 0 0 4 2 0 0 2 12

Quarter Finals: (22 Hours)

Sarzonia v. Milchama
A: Unity Field, Irottea, Vilita

The Cordian Isles v. Delaclava
B: Toys '4' All Diamond, Lopinka, Vilita

Banija v. Tropicorp
C: Tropicoast Field, Tropicoast, Tropicorp

Geisenfried v. Pluvia & The Saxean Isles
D: Tropicoast Field, Tropicoast, Tropicorp

Semi-Finals

AvB @ Toys '4' All Diamond, Lopinka, Vilita
CvD @ Tropicoast Field, Tropicoast, Tropicorp

Play in Rounds

Schima Bas 3–2 Aji No Moto
Carrollton, Coollville, Baker Park

Round of 16 Fixtures:

Valanora v. Schima Bas
State Fairgrounds Stadium, Springfield

Baker Park v. Euran Oceania Territories
Newport City Stadium

Gyatso-kai v. Kimi-Suomi
Queen Victoria Stadium, Ezriquay

Demot v. Jabal Akhdar
Sportsmen's Park, Belle Haven

World Cup 81/82/83/84

cutoff for AO Bowl MD 5 and Vilita/Turori/Tropicorp 3rd Place playoff

Group A
Delaclava 44–13 Gyatso-kai
Baker Park 11–34 Sarzonia
Busoga Islands 14–19 Turori

  Group A              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Delaclava              5   4  1  130 111 +19
2 Gyatso-kai             5   3  2  100  94  +6
3 Turori                 5   3  2  106  95 +11
4 Sarzonia               5   2  3  119  91 +28
5 Busoga Islands         5   2  3   72  78  −6
6 Baker Park             5   1  4   89 147 −58
Gyatso-kai ahead of Turori on H2H

Group B
Milchama 30–13 Geisenfried
The Cordian Isles 34–17 Saint Kanye
Schima Bas 24–38 Banija

  Group B              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 The Cordian Isles      5   5  0  142  83 +59
2 Banija                 5   4  1  171 104 +67
3 Geisenfried            5   2  3  123 161 −38
4 Saint Kanye            5   2  3  162 105 +57
5 Schima Bas             5   1  4   96 189 −93
6 Milchama               5   1  4   95 147 −52

Semi-Finals
The Cordian Isles vs Gyatso-kai at Riverside City Stadium 20:15
Delaclava vs Banija at MacIlwaine Park Stadium, St Warren 16:30

Geisenfried 1–0 Dogsmouth
@ Kiiara Park, Vilita

Round of 16
Qasden vs Geisenfried @ Lunar Park, Seraai
Vilita & Turori vs Tropicorp @ Bear Claw Stadium, Mavaloiao
Farfadillis vs Squornshelan Remnant States @ TBA
Sarzonia vs Banija @ Turoki Community Complex, Turoki City

Choose Your Own Venue!
[ - Click Here to Choose Venue for this Match - ]

by **Gyatso-kai** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 3:55 pm

╠THE WEDGE AND WHEEL╣
Gyatso-kai In The Atlantian Oceania Regionals

Written by KOSAI Torsonn

Welcome to Second Issue of the Second Edition ofThe Wedge and Wheel, ASPN’s exclusive series devoted to the Avatarian national teams as they compete in regional competitions here in Atlantian Oceania. Excitement for the National Teams here in Baker Park know no bounds, and the tournaments are in full swing.

This edition of The Wedge and Wheel is brought to you by Fisherman’s Tavern. Founded in the heart of the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se, now with local taverns throughout the Republics, you can always be sure to enjoy the finest brews and freshest meals, served quickly tableside. Come in and try our new Honey-Battered Cod; hand-battered to order and never frozen!

Fisherman’s Tavern! A REEL good place to CATCH a great time!

:: AO CUP :: Football

Thanks to a strong showing against Schima Bas in which the Bisons came back from a disastrous start that saw the Golden Crescents leading 3-1 at the half, the Bisons have secured their first ever regional Top Group Finish and are advancing out of the Qualifying Stage for only the second time in Post-Silence history. For interim head coach Wong Haru, this is a monumental achievement for a team that has spent the better part of ten campaigns struggling to achieve anything.

It says something for the team to come out of the group stage, not only at the top of the group, but having faced some of the best teams in the region. Two Top-Ten teams, with one of them having been the host of the tournament. Now granted… our first match was a sobering defeat by the host, but I think that really brought the team into focus. These shorter tournaments don’t have the same luxury as the World Cup does in which you have nineteen or twenty matches to find your stride and get the kinks worked out. In AOCAF, you get five or six games (or in the case of AO’64, three) to make it or break it.

And for this tournament, it looks like the Bisons made it.

On the topic of making it, today at a press conference regarding plans for the resumption of the Republic Premier Football League season after the World Cup, President Vhett Boba was asked about filling the position of head coach:

”Obviously, we are still keeping our arms open to (Wong Haru), but the process of interviewing different coaches both through the professional and collegiate programs in our nation, as well as abroad, is still on-going. (Wong) has made it clear that he wanted to serve as interim for at least the end of the 2021.3 Campaign, however, once play resolves in Baker Park, we will be meeting with him to discuss the matter further.

Vhett Boba, Director of the National Team & President of the ALAF

Sounds to me like if all goes well, Wong may just get the position…

The next game for the Bisons will be against Group B second-place Kimi-Suomi at the Queen Victoria Stadium in Ezriquay. The Eagle-Owls of Kimi-Suomi went 1-2-1 scoring just four goals, but we all know that the number of goals don’t matter, but rather when they are scored. For example, the Bisons managed to score ten goals in the tournament, however, we allowed our opponents to score nine… not the best in terms of goalkeeping or defense.

Something to work on going into the Round of Sixteen…

:: AO BOWL:: Gridiron

The Boarqupines did not end the group stage on a high-note, losing to Delaclava 44-13 which would see the team taken out of the top group spot and bumped down to a tie for second with Turori. Thanks to our Head-to-Head result – a 17-nil shutout to open the tournament on Matchday 01 – the Boarqupines were awarded second-place in the group and are advancing to the Semi-Finals of the AO Bowl.

Facing off against The Cordian Isles for the Semi-Finals will be a challenge for the young Boarqupines; the Cordian team has yet to be defeated, coming out of Group B with an impressive 5-0 record and a +59 Point Differential. Group A (in which Gyatso-kai had played) seemed to be a much more defensive-minded group, with teams scoring on the lower side with our largest Point Differential being Sarzonia’s +28. For comparison, Group B had three teams pull +50 or more in their Point Differentials, and even had Banija score 171 points on their way to a 4-1 record before facing off against Delaclava.

At least we didn’t have to face them, but really… does it matter?

Copyright 2021.3 Avatarian Sports Programming Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.aspn.com.gk/articles/wedandwhe/012655
© 2021 Avatarian Sports Programming Network

by **Jabal Akhdar** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 6:27 pm

(Provisional) match details.

Busoga Islands 159-5 (20 overs)
                                                      R    B   4/6
J Muga                     lbw b Masood Naqvi        24  (20)  4/-
T Onarici   c Chandrama Kayal+ b Mukhtar Mohamed      8   (9)  1/-
G Altin     NOT OUT                                  67  (45)  4/5
T Akkaya                       b Ishaaq Hameed        9  (18)  -/-
E Zaimoglu                 lbw b Ali Akbar Nizamani   5   (3)  1/-
B Erden+                   c & b Naeem Sajjadi        1   (5)  -/-
E Arat      NOT OUT                                  40  (20)  4/2
Did not bat: S Kurt, I Kinali, A Can, C Adam*
EXTRAS (5wb)                                          5

FoW: 1: 17 (Onarici, 2.6 overs); 2: 61 (Muga, 7.6 overs); 3: 80 (Akkaya, 12.4 overs); 4: 85 (Zaimoglu, 13.1 overs); 5: 86 (Erden, 14.2 overs)

                    O    M    R    W
Mukhtar Mohamed     4    0   30    1
Tajdar Reza         4    0   31    0
Ishaq Hameed        2    0   33    1
Masood Naqvi        3    0   25    1
Ali Akbar Nizamani  4    0   12    1
Naeem Sajjadi       3    0   28    1

Jabal Akhdar 161-5 (16 overs)
                                       R    B   4/6
Shakaar Rana         c Erden+ b Kurt  73  (41) 11/-
Aftab Qadiri*        c Erden+ b Can   31  (23)  4/-
Naeem Sajjadi        NOT OUT          26  (20)  3/-
Kamaaluddeen         c Erden+ b Can    0   (1)  -/-
Abdul Wahab al-Salim      lbw b Can    6   (3)  1/-
Ali Akbar Nizamani   c Erden+ b Arat  17   (9)  -/2
Chandrama Kayal+     NOT OUT           4   (1)  1/-
Did not bat: Ishaaq Hameed, Masood Naqvi, Mukhtar Mohamed, Tajdar Reza
EXTRAS (2wb, 2nb)                      4

FoW: 1: 95 (Aftab Qadiri, 8.2 overs); 2: 119 (Shakaar Rana, 11.6 overs); 3: 120 (Kamaaluddeen, 12.3 overs); 4: 126 (Abdul Wahab al-Salim, 12.6 overs); 5: 157 (Ali Akbar Nizamani, 15.5 overs)

        O    M    R    W
Kinali  3    0   38    0
Arat    4    0   44    1
Hesch   2    0   28    0
Can     4    0   35    3
Kurt    3    0   26    1

Busoga Islands innings
Powerplay: Busoga Islands 48-1, 6 overs (Muga 22, Altin 16)
G Altin: 50 in 37 balls, 3x4 4x6 (Busoga Islands 114-5)
6th wicket: 50 in 25 balls (Altin 33, Arat 17)

Jabal Akhdar innings
1st wicket: 50 in 27 balls (Shakaar Rana 29, Aftab Qadiri 19)
Powerplay: Jabal Akhdar 76-0, 6 overs (Shakaar Rana 48, Aftab Qadiri 25)
Shakaar Rana: 50 in 24 balls, 9x4 (Jabal Akhdar 82-0)

Match result: Jabal Akhdar win by 5 wickets

AP (Akhdari Press): A star is born? On the same day that the Green Falcons claimed their first ever AOCAF playoff spot with, of all things, a goalless draw, a rather more dramatic victory played out for the Green Caps, who claimed a thrilling win that boosted them into the quarter-finals of the AOT20. Shakaar Rana, playing his first game of the tournament, thrashed a brilliant, beautiful, savage 73 to chase down a 160 run target set by Busoga Islands. In a battle of Islamic Republic vs Islamic Emirate, the Green Caps knew net run rate could be a factor so threw everything into an aggressive chase until they were stalled by the introduction of the Busogan spinners.

Aftab Qadiri continued to juggle his side, dropping Ajinkya Kaasbhatta and seeking a third opening combination in as many matches. But, playing just 5 bowlers, he soon ran into problems as the Busogan batters smashed 15 of Ishaaq Hameed's first over. On a pitch offering nothing for the seamers, Qadiri cast around desperately and settled on part-timer Naeem Sajjadi's wobbly medium pace filth. Bircan Erden could not believe her luck as she lined up to smash a lame long-hop - straight back into Sajjadi's hands!

It was a pitch for the spinners. With no swing on offer, the crumbling surface was disintegrating from when Tajdar Reza took the new ball. Bowling a canny line, he frustrated the Busogan openers, and Toyka Onarici soon slashed Mukhtar Mohamed, who bowled cutters off a shortened run-up, behind to Kayal, who this time held the early catch unlike the previous two games. Jairus Muga and Gurkin Altin consolidated, but just when they were looking to break through, the Akhdari spinners entered the fray. Masood Naqvi conceded just 4 runs off his first 3 overs until taken apart by Altin in his 4th; Ali Akbar Nizamani was the standout performer, with amazing figures of 4-0-12-1, although his one wicket came on a ball that was probably sliding down leg. On the ragging surface, the Busogans could be proud of reaching 159 from 86-5, as Altin, who made a stroke-filled unbeaten 67, added 73* for the 6th wicket with Elif Arat, who punched a vital 28 off the last 2 overs.

In response, Rana became the next in the revolving door of Akhdari openers - a revolving door that may have slammed shut after his performance. Backing away and hitting through the covers, he flayed the Busogan seamers around. Cennett Adam erred in not going to spin sooner: by the time Rana and Qadiri had added 90 off the first 8 overs, the chase was essentially cooked, and the only question remained how much the run rate could be squeezed. Aybora Can bowled with flight and guile and ripped through the Akhdari middle order who insisted on playing straight on a pitch clearly not fit for shots down the ground, and Erden caught busily behind the stumps. But Rana had lopped the top and middle off the chase, and after Nizamani bashed two sixes, it was all over bar the shouting, which came as Kayal inside-edged his first ball to fine leg.

With a better sense now of their best team, the Green Caps will play Vilita and Turori at the famous Eelandii Cricket Grounds in Turori. The Green Falcons, meanwhile, somehow fumbled their way into the playoffs despite their goalless showing against the Ponies. Knowing that a draw would be enough, the team went into ultra-defensive mode, playing an extra centreback; and knowing that yellow cards elapse after the group stage*, fouled with impunity. Three Green Falcons were booked for time-wasting late in the game as the neutral crowd booed a stultifyingly negative approach; they were drowned out by the raucous cheers, however, of the tiny but intrepid band of Akhdari fans who celebrated like they had just won the World Cup when the referee blew time on a goalless draw!

The Green Falcons' campaign has seen big defensive improvements thanks to quality young centreback el-Saladin and the hard-working defensive midfield pairing of el-Basha and el-Moustafa; not starting el-Moustafa against Demot was a huge error. That thrashing aside, as the skillful Méndez scored nearly at will, the Akhdaris have kept a clean sheet for 291 consecutive minutes. On the offensive end, Akram has done a lot to replace Kannan and scored both goals, one a big-bending strike from distance against Demot, the other a more prosaic tap-in against Romsten. The big blow was the loss, early against Demot, of young winger el-Farooqi, forcing el-Burki to dust off his boots.

Football box scores:

Jabal Akhdar – 1 (0)
el-Abdul; Zaman, el-Saladin, el-Aslam (89’), el-Wahba; el-Basha; el-Farooqi (22’ el-Burki (50’)), Hakimi, el-Saidi, Akram (73’) (90+2’ al-Ali ); el-Fadel (75’ el-Moustafa )

Demot – 4 (2)
Méndez (18’, 38’, 51’), Banks (79’)

Euran Oceania Territories – 0 (0)

Jabal Akhdar – 0 (0)
el-Abdul; Zaman, al-Reza (82’), el-Aslam, el-Wahba; el-Basha, el-Moustafa; Hakimi (90+2’ el-Saidi ); el-Burki, el-Fadel, Akram (58’ al-Ali )

Jabal Akhdar – 1 (1)
el-Abdul; Zaman, el-Saladin (78’), el-Aslam, el-Wahba; el-Basha (25’), el-Moustafa (74’ el-Saidi ); Hakimi; el-Burki (62’ al-Ali ), el-Fadel (60’ al-Shaheed (90’)), Akram (31’)

Romsten – 0 (0)

Equestria – 0 (0)

Jabal Akhdar – 0 (0)
el-Abdul; Zaman (79’), el-Saladin (37’), al-Reza (90+2’), el-Aslam, Kassis (35’ el-Wahba ); el-Basha, el-Moustafa (55’) (71’ el-Saidi ); Hakimi (73’ el-Hashimi (90+1’)); el-Fadel, Akram (90’)

* OOC: "house rule", feel free to ignore if not canon

by **Valanora** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:04 pm

There was a temptation to think that the knockout fixture that the Marauders had been draw was a rather fortuitous one that would have the side simply stroll into the Quarterfinals with little to no fuss about the tie. Well, that is a fan's and media point of view, one that would be awfully dangerous for the team or the staff of the team to take, as overconfidence and a sense of entitlement can be an insidious force within an individual or team. All the good that comes with a solid bout of confidence goes away when it strays to far over the tipping point and takes one into the realm of overconfidence or perhaps even arrogance. Like that notion that a result should be expected to come about, it feeds on the worst temptations of those in power and exudes through the entire behavior, become an insidious and pervasive force through the entire personality. Left unchecked, it can completely destroy a locker room in the presence of a team sport or have a star person or athlete turn their relationships sour with the sort of behavior such a force brings out in them.

The Marauders have won their group thanks to not taking any of the matchups with their groupmates for granted, perhaps helped in large part to that uncomfortable tie against Kimi-Suomi in the second matchday that kept their attitudes in check. While the side has been quite dominant in their display, there has yet to been any signs of that tell tale arrogance that was infectious in the team during the qualifiers and some would credit with the downfall of the team in the late 60s and early 70 editions of the World Cup, when they had their qualifying streak broken. That was a time when they had been ranked second in all of the world only to not escape from the group stages for two consecutive tournaments before the peril of their qualifying streak coming to a halt that had been started in the mid 30 editions of the tournament. It stands as both a testament to the longevity of the Marauders and their clear desire and top notch standards, but also a warning for when a team because too sure of themselves and are prone to the worst outcomes coming forth because of it.

The match against Delaclava was finished off in the first half, with the Marauders up three goals to the good by the halftime whistle despite the changes that had been made to the starting lineup. Taina Vääräniemi had a brace from open play while Ralph Winter got a rare goal on a set piece, putting in a powerful header from the ball sent in from Miriam Troegner. Gideon Riemann would add a fourth goal for the squad in the fifty-seventh minute that put to bed any hope of a comeback from Delaclava, though they would get a consolation goal in the eighty-first minute, robbing the Marauders of a chance to have kept a clean sheet in the game. The win combined with the draw from Aji No MOto and Pluvia-Saxean Isles meant that despite being on their bye in the group stage and at risk of going out completely, Kimi-Suomi managed to maintain their second place position and advanced into the knockout rounds alongside the Marauders. Now the fates will tell us if the decision to rest those key players in the last match was a good decision or if it will disrupt the flow and form the team had going.

Facing the Marauders in the Round of Sixteen will be Schimi Bas, as they were able to defeat Aji No Moto in the play in game for the main knockout stages. Schima Bas finished third in Group A, but did so without recording a single victory in the group stage. Three draws was enough for the relative newcomer to the tournament, advancing ahead of Milchama in the group on the goals for tiebreaker, to get them into the play in game in the first place, with their negative one goal difference. Until their last game against Gyatso-kai, Schimi Bas would have been described as a side that found goals a bit difficult but were also somewhat difficult to crack open themselves, though the seven goal thriller that they were the short end of the stick on in that last matchday throws a lot of that perception out of the water. With the Marauders attack being the best attack in the entire tournament through the group stage, one better than Demot and two better than surprise package Qasden, it will be an interesting matchup. On paper, the game is definitely tilted in favor of the Marauders but Schimi Bas' group stage performance does suggest that they are going to be a difficult out if the Marauders are able to push past them and may yet be able to provide an upset. The Marauders defense however will be looking to keep up its good work and prevent any potential upset.

by **Delaclava** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:17 pm

Delaclava Young Stars baseball team
Atlantian Oceania Baseball Series

Manager - #10 Daniel Vardon, 43
Pitching Coach - #50 Vince Walker, 51
Infield Coach - #66 Vivek Vanjie, 35
Outfield Coach - #44 Rudy Brown, 50
Hitting Coach - #42 Frank Christian, 46
Bullpen Coach - #51 Bruce Boylan, 61
Strength/Conditioning - #90 Uriah Kelley, 31
Technical/GM - #99 Deneil Elfentanz, 45

STARTERS
(Pos: # Name, Age. Throws, Bats)
1B: #8 Michael Folk - Quinniville Conquistadors - 21, 6-1, 170. Throws L, Bats B
2B: #18 Dinesh Nandy - Mersatha Canaries - 23, 5-10, 150. Throws R, Bats R
3B: #4 Tim Rohmer - Farland Owls - 20, 6-2, 175. Throws R, Bats B
SS: #1 Rayner Vilas - Ojstiz Eagles - 22, 5-8, 140. Throws R, Bats B
LF: #3 Derek Brown - Bosmond Admirals - 21, 5-11, 175. Throws R, Bats R
CF: #19 Andrew Delmonaco - Catherina Fighting Doves - 19, 6-0, 190. Throws L, Bats L
RF: #25 Sisay Jamal - Catherina Fighting Doves - 23, 5-7, 125. Throws L, Bats R
C: #30 Dan Mogen - Breton Valley Bangers - 22, 5-11, 185. Throws R, Bats R

BENCH
C/1B: #16 Edouard Paret - Mersatha Canaries - 18, 5-8, 150. Throws R, Bats B
IF: #5 Sean Hughes - Corcorran Warriors - 23, 5-9, 175. Throws R, Bats R
IF: #9 Mikal Ross - Mersatha Canaries - 21, 5-9, 140. Throws R, Bats R
OF: #12 Rowan Flynn - Bosmond Admirals - 20, 6-2, 165. Throws R, Bats R
OF: #52 Vagner Dias - Cleopatrana BBC - 19, 6-4, 180. Throws R, Bats B

PITCHING
Ace: #7 Mats Schürmann - Carnstone Cardinals - 24, 6-2, 175. Throws R, Bats B
2nd Starter: #17 Marc Ruediger - Farland Owls - 24, 6-6, 200. Throws L, Bats L
Middle/Long/3rd: #23 Tempest Blake - Mersatha Canaries - 22, 6-0, 155. Throws R, Bats R
Middle/Long: #21 Kiril Lebedev - Breton Valley Bangers - 24, 5-11, 170. Throws L, Bats R
Short/Opener: #33 Orrin Kaar - Carnstone Cardinals - 25, 6-2, 170. Throws R, Bats L
Short: #6 Marius Schiff - Carnstone Cardinals - 21, 6-5, 215. Throws R, Bats B
Short/Closer: #2 Sergio Ferrer - Cleopatrana BBC - 23, 5-8, 140. Throws L, Bats L

Lineup: Vilas, Folk, Rohmer, Delmonaco, Brown, Mogen, (pitcher), Jamal, Nandy
DH Instructions: Dias will play DH and bat fourth, pushing Delmonaco, Brown, and Mogen down a spot each.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No, see above
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes. It should be the main three, but I’ll RP/let you know if Nestor is used either as a substitute or during the playoffs
Godmod scoring events: TG/DM me if it's particularly outlandish. Please be respectful/sportsmanlike
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but not severity
Godmod injuries to my players: Same as "godmod scoring"
Eject my players: No, that is not typical in Delaclav baseball, and managers especially do not believe in the performative ejections that so many MLB managers love
Godmod other events: Same as "godmod scoring"

by **Schima Bas** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 8:37 pm

Schima Bas finds itself in the Round of 16 by luck, single victory

What a journey for the upstart Golden Crescent squad. The tournament started with three straight draws, before losing to Gyatso-Kai 4-3. Despite this fairly unimpressive record, without a win to the team’s name in its inaugural regional tournament, until its play-in round victory against Aji No Moto, 3-2. the Golden Crescent has an opportunity to make a statement against Valanora, a team that has seemed to be the antithesis of the humble basian squad.

The Marauders have only allowed 3 goals while scoring 14 in the four group stage matches. The team holds the highest goal differential in the tournament, and are likely to crush Schima Bas just as they have the rest of the competition.

National team manager Eugenio Tio has slipped by with a fairly unimpressive record this tournament, but will likely keep his job even if the Basians succumb to Valanora in the round of 16. In a press conference scheduled after the Golden Crescent knew their next-round fate, the humble boss was adamant that he had more to prove.

“We haven’t had the tournament we wanted. We’ve brought in a lot of new players, so the cohesion we had in the Cup of Harmony is just not there,” Tio said. “I still have faith in this team, especially our defense. We’ve done great to secure draws, but the team needs to get that desire to finish games. We can’t play the opponents game, we must force them to play ours.”

Young captain Casildo Hana, who hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, apologized for his performance. “Sometimes you can’t find the back of the net. You just have to keep working and hope that magic boot returns. I want my countrymen to know I’m trying my hardest to succeed,” Hana said. The 20-year old has not scored in an international match since his 54’ goal in the matchday one draw against Busoga Islands.

A minute with the new faces of the Golden Crescent Defense
The L’embac Ourelasian Wall

Welcome to the studio lads, we’ve only got a minute so I’m going to talk quickly. Keep your responses to two words please.

Two words?

Yeah, just like that. Alright, Bourreau, What’s been the hardest part of the tournament so far?

Set pieces.

Great, love it. Second question, what have you noticed that’s different in the multiversal game as opposed to the Crown Premier League?

Much louder.

Brilliant. Ok let’s go to the left back, Orgasni Azizi. You’ve started in the national team before. What’s it like starting alongside your domestic-side teammates?

More comfortable? I don’t-

Great to hear. What’s your favorite Atlantian Oceania nation to visit on holiday?

Valanora, I like the cu-

Wow, you really don’t understand how this show works, do you? Avery Coutier, shot-stopping center back. Who’s the player you fear most on Valanora’s side?

Laborious Hawk, easy.

Who’s the player you fear most on your own side?

An angry Bisma.

Do not want to mess with those muscles either. Thanks for joining us, this has been 60 seconds with some of our new starting defenders. I’m Dick Munkle, and you’re listening to Nonsense Sports.

by **Demot** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 9:37 pm

It has been some time since the Dynamo have won all their games in the group stage, a feat that is made even more impressive in this context considering the quality of the opposition in the group as well as the strength of the tournament in which the feat was accomplished in. The AOCAF has long been heralded as the most difficult tournament to win outside of the World Cup itself when it comes to football, though the difficultly in winning the tournament has definitely taken a bit of a hit after the the Anaia breakaway from the region. Even with many of the traditional powers from the regional tournament now missing, the tournament is still a formidable one and one that it is difficult even for the best teams in the region to attempt to navigate the group stage unscathed. This is a testament to the quality and the depth of the region, that even with so many notable departures that it is still one of the most difficult tournaments to win and that even the best teams have a banana peel in their groups on the regular, with the holders of Banija making that case all the more clear this tournament.

This makes the fact that the Dynamo went a perfect four wins from their four group stage games an extremely impressive feat, made all that more impressive considering that most of this team is in the twilight of their careers and spent most of their careers as only semi-professional players. It is only within the last two years that the entire Pride League has seen its clubs enter into the professional status, which for most of this team is at the very end of their careers and unable to make the most of this new situation. However bucking the trend of age making the players worse, this veteran team has only gone and done things that were difficult even when the Dynamo were at the peak of their once former greatness, when they had made it to the Final of multiple World Cups, even if they ended up on the losing side on both occasions. For those in Banija, Vilita, and Siovanija and Teusland who took a risk and decided to invest in the Pride League and Demot in general, there has to be a certain sense of pride or satisfaction to see their return on investment and in a much quicker time frame than anyone could have hoped for.

For their group win, the Dynamo get a surprising rematch in the first knockout round, something that is usually not able to happen until the quarterfinals at the earliest and typically in the semifinals. However the unique structure of this tournament has brought the need for teams in the same group to be able to play one another in the first knockout round and thus here the Dynamo find themselves, looking to do what is difficult and defeat an opponent for a second time in the tournament. Defeating an opponent in any sport in any circumstance is difficult enough to begin with, such is the nature of competitive sports, but to attempt to do it a second time and with the circumstance being a win or go home scenario makes it an entirely more difficult occasion. The other team will have a hunger to try and get one back for having taken a loss earlier in the tournament as well as both teams looking to try and continue their presence in the contest in that hope that they can reach the Final and bring home a trophy back to their home for all of the fans to celebrate.

For the Dynamo that team will be Jabal Akhdar, the team that finished third in the group behind the Dynamo and the Expats of the Euran Oceania Territories. Jabal Akhdar only lost a single game in the group stage, that being to our Dynamo, with the loss to our team being the only game in which they conceded a goal at all, which is quite amazing considering the Dynamo put four past them. Nil all draw with the Expats and the Equestrians allowed them to edge their way into the knockouts with the win over the Romsten team who had a difficult time of it in the group. The Dyanmo will be hoping that they will be able to replicate the attacking chances that they had during the first encounter with Jabal Akhdar, as Méndez was able to go on a tear through their defense. However it is quite evident that the opposition took that heavy loss to heart and has found way to grow into the tournament and brought their defense to bear on the rest of the group to great effect, leading to a situation of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object in this rematch.

by **Geisenfried** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 9:58 pm

Straight from the Dog's Mouth
Geisenfried greets a familiar foe after securing return to knockouts

KIIARA, VILITA - It was a long and nerve-wracking game, never quite fully out of hand. But at the end of 90 minutes and change at Kiiara Park, the Golden Eagles found themselves in the winner's seat, securing themselves a spot in the final 16 and bringing Geisenfried back to the knockout round of an international football competition for the first time in quite some time. Geisen fans can only hope that it's a sign of things to come for the rest of the world as the Baptism of Fire gets under-way - meaning World Cup 90 qualifying is just around the corner.

The two teams on the pitch were matches stylistically, both favoring a more defensive style of play - so you knew going in that it wasn't going to be a high scoring affair. The stakes at play also lent themselves to both teams playing cautious and tentative, especially in the early going, neither team wanting to make the mistake that sent them home for the rest of the competition. But slowly, play opened up, as both teams realized that they couldn't just draw their way into the next round either. Still, defense ruled the day as both teams re-entered the lockers at the half without having put a solid opportunity on the board, putting emphasis in the second half on finally breaking through.

As the clock broke the hour mark and with play still level, Geri Brückner decided to swap up the offense a bit, eventually bringing on Matthias Amsel and Clement Holst for fresh legs and to bolster the team's chances. And both would end up being difference makers, with the former finding the latter through the back line in the right position to send the ball past Eliot McCauley and put the Golden Eagles ahead. Twenty minutes of vigorous defending later, adding on extra time, and Geisenfried found its way through to the next stage with the blows of the final whistle.

The victory means that for the third time in two competitions, Geisenfried will face their northern neighbors. Both matches have been close, but both have seen Qasden emerge victorious in the end - 1-0 during the Group stage of AOCAF LXIV and 2-1 earlier in the Group Stage here at AOCAF LXV. Needless to say, the Geisen squad has no desire to keep falling behind the others in the neighborhood, and a rivalry may very well be brewing. Should they triumph, they play the winner of Tropicorp and Vilita & Turori, potentially setting up yet another rematch in the quarterfinals. But they've got to get there first.

Geisenfried 1 - 0 Dogsmouth
Holst (75')

by **Vilita and Turori** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:31 pm

Coliseum of the Inurahtii, Inura, Turori :: It was a rare treat for the residents of Inura - as far away from the hustle and bustle of the Cednia-Almintora-Eelandii Megalopolis as one could be yet still be on Turori's main Island. The Vilita & Turori National team had arrived to the Coliseum of the Inurahtii with a meaningful match to play. Against Geisenfried, the Eel-Cat Things would be playing for a spot in the Round of 16 which they would guarantee with either a win or draw. Defeat to Geisenfried would relegate Vilita & Turori to a play-in match and a hectic schedule if they would even be able to advance to the Round of 16.

The match itself was another slow and methodical performance from the team who were all too aware of the risks of not taking advantage of opportunities to automatically qualify via the Group Stage as the Vilita National Team experienced during World Cup 89 Qualifying, missing out before being upset on penalty kicks in the World Cup Playoff Round. Hoping to avoid that potential pitfall in the AOCAF Regional Competition, Vilita and Turori were wary but looked to challenge the Golden Eagles early putting pressure on the defense and looking to break the match open in a goalscorers challenge. Geisenfried were up to the task, however, keeping the Vilita & Turori attackers at bay and limiting the quality of the chances that did come. For the first thirty minutes of play the two sides exchanged more in the middle of the pitch than they did in the attacking third, but that would finally change just over five minutes from the break when Cuoabaza Orani’aoa was fed through by Trezisi Rokopolis. Having gotten the go-ahead goal, however, the Eel-Cat Things were not content to sit back and were hoping to take advantage of the situation by doubling their lead before the half. The Golden Eagles would hold firm to limit the damage heading into the second half.

The Eel-Cat Things would make one change at the break with the experienced Loala Inkabu coming on in place of Sami Samii'i in hopes of re-applying the pressure in the second half. Vilita and Turori would suffocate Geisenfried in the center of the pitch and limit the Golden Eagles opportunities to equalize - ultimately holding on to a 1-0 victory and securing a place in the knockout rounds. Perhaps the most unexpected thing, however, would be the Eel-Cat Things opponent for the Round of 16 as they would be paired up against Team Tropicorp in the first meeting between the Cove rivals since AOCAF 60. On that day it was Vilita and Turori who were triumphant with a 5-2 victory over the Techies but with the Eel Cat Things putting forth a squad full of experimental lineups and an influx of players from the Vanorian League System, anything was possible at the Bear Claw Stadium in Mavaloiao.

 Vilita and Turori [1] - [0] Geisenfried
				
	GOALS:	Vilita and Turori 	:: 79' Cuoabaza Orani’aoa              		
	STATS:	Vilita and Turori 	:: Possession: 56%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 10	Geisenfried 	:: Possession: 44%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 7
	Lineup:	[GK] Derizi Amatopa, [D.] Karek Edgeli, [D.] Injyua Klizlo, [D.] Bvalis Amaanara, [ML]  Trezisi Rokopolis, [MC]  Limu Katarakhna, [MC] Lentali Purama, [MC]  Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, [MR]  Sami Samii’i, [FC] Enzoril Alabonni, [FC] Lutara Makakio			
	Bench:	[FC] Loala Inkabu, [FC] Tyoasi Klipark, [M] Naraiza Ruaplal, [M] Fyin Miateal, [U ] Clarana Refiami, [D] Inteali Koranjo, [GK] Zelkki Milake Jr.

AO BOWL UPDATE :: The Turori National Gridiron team's quest for a second AO Bowl title came to an unfortunate end on Matchday 5 of the group stage in spite of a 19-4 victory over the tournaments lowest-scoring side, Busoga Islands. With the victory Turori finished with a record of Three Wins and Two Defeats over the five game group which was the joint-second best record among all teams with Gyatso-kai. Although Turori had a better point differential over the five matches than Gyatso-kai, the uniquely named Boarqupines would advance to the Semi-Finals by virtue of their head-to-head victory over Turori by a 17-0 scoreline to kick off the group stage. The straight-to-Semi-Final format of the AO Bowl intended to limit the number of superfluous matches played under the dangerous gridiron conditions meant that Turori were not the only championship hopefuls eliminated early. World Bowl stalwarts Sarzonia and Saint Kanye would also be eliminated as the only other teams to miss out despite having a positive points differential. After the early departure, the Gridiron teams of Turori and Saint Kanye have kicked around the idea of contesting a light-hearted "Fifth Place Match" before heading back home from Baker Park, as both teams travel reservations had already accommodated for the potential of advancing all the way to the AO Bowl final, including the appropriate length hotel reservations.

by **Tropicorp** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:51 pm

Tropicorp Finish Group Stage Unbeaten

Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast, Tropicorp :: For the fourth consecutive game at the AOCAF LXV competition the Team Tropicorp Techies survived for 90 minutes and did not lose. After opening the tournament with back-to-back victories over Mlima Kijani and the Crystal Empire, Tropicorp picked up back to back draws with favored sides Banija and Sarzonia to secure a guaranteed spot in the Round of 16 as Group F runner-up.

Tropicorp's path to competing with some of the best nations in the region including the recruitment of foreign players employed by Tropicorp FC in the Vilitan Stellar Division to supplement the teams roster as well as strategic use of the National Cocoabo Squad trained up at Cocoabo Park in the old Cocoabo Preservation Zone.

While the 3-3 draw against defending AOCAF champions Banija was certainly the shining moment of the tournament thus far for Team Tropicorp, the goalless draw with former World Cup Champion Sarzonia was important in proving that Tropicorp's earlier draw with Banija was no fluke. Team Tropicorp would advance to the knockout round as one of just two teams to conclude the Group Stage unbeaten but not atop their group. It would result in a return to the knockout rounds for Team Tropicorp who would be drawn against what was perhaps the biggest foe of all, the Vilita and Turori Eel-Cat Things. While the two teams have previously met in the Group Phase of the AOCAF competition, the AOCAF LXV Round of 16 matchup between Team Tropicorp an Vilita and Turori would be one of the first ever elimination or knockout round matches between the two sides where at the end of the day one team would advance and the other would go home. Of course, whichever team would be eliminated at the end of the ninety... or 120 minutes... wouldn't have far to go. The Round of 16 matchup between Vilita and Turori and Team Tropicorp would take place at the Bear Claw Stadium in Mavaloiao, Vilita - the same venue which was earlier the site of Team Tropicorp's historic 3-3 draw with Banija.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

© Sporting Times Daily 2021
BP slip-up proves costly
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Editor

A funny thing happened on the way to the top of the Group A table for the Commonwealth National Team, as the offense was unable to get out of neutral gear for the second straight match in a 1-1 stalemate against Milchama at the BBP Stadium.

The result allowed Gyatso-kai to jump ahead of the Bees into the number 3 spot in the Baker Park half of the AOCAF 65 draw, bumping the hosts down to fourth spot and a date in the Round of 16 with the Euran Oceania Territories at the Newport City Stadium; Valanora and surprise package Demot finished with perfect records in the group stage to set up a knockout stage lineup that will have the Marauders facing debutantes Schima Bas, which defeated Aji No Moto in the extra elimination playoff while the Dynamo will battle Jabal Akhdar; and the final matchup sees the Bisons of Gyatso-kai against Kimi-Suomi at the Queen Victoria Stadium, where the lower ranked nation played twice in Group B, while the Bisons made Salisbury Stadium their fortress following their matchday 1 defeat against BP.

The draw also means the two highest ranked sides remaining will potentially meet in the quarterfinal rather than the semis; while form has held truer in the Vilitan Cove, seeing the holders Banija facing Sarzonia for the second time to determine which nation will advance to last eight, along with an intramural affair between the combined Eel-Cat side from Vilita & Turori against the Techies from Tropicorp, those are not even the two most interesting pairings considering the border war between Qasden & Geisenfried plus the wildest of wild card matchups featuring Farfadillis & Squornshelous.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

© Sporting Times Daily 2021
Baker Park still looking strong in AORC, Cricket(!?!)
by Brad Pettiford, General Reporter

The Commonwealth has featured prominently in the consciousness of Atlantian Oceania sports fans as the 65th AOCAF Cup, the 2nd AO Rugby Sevens Championship and the AO Bowl have been taking place across the country simultaneously. In addition, a team organized independently of the main governing sport bodies has been participating in the inaugural edition of the AO Twenty20 Cricket Championships in Vilita & Turori.

The PFD Champion Shirley Dragons were submitted as the nation's representative for the AOBowl, but were eliminated following the group stage with only a single win out of five games, although a strong showing in a losing effort against two-times World Bowl Champions Delaclava and the sole victory over Busoga showed the professional version of the sport isn't as far behind the rest of the region as might be expected.

In Middletown, the defending champions have reached the semi-final following a 5-0 pool performance and are on a collision course with the Busoga Islands, who will face Pluvia & the Saxean Isles in their final four encounter, while BP will square off against Mlima Kijami.

The biggest shock has come from the cricket pitch, as Baker Park have advanced to the knockout round where they will face the Busogans in a playoff to advance to the semi-final. Having defeated the hosts and Banija while only falling to Pool A's top team The Cordian Isles, the side have exceeded expectations and will return to Commonwealth with the promise of a potential support organization to be explored.

by **Qasden** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 11:13 pm

Carved Through a Road of Revenge
By Tomathan Hammerland

Do you have any idea how hard it is to go about your peaceful, company-paid vacation when your boss keeps nagging you to report something so I can have a paycheck? I thought the whole point of coming to Vilita and getting access to all Qasden AOCAF matches was for me to not have to work. You know what, out of spite, I'll do one covering all the AO events going on right now. Where's the recent-most results for all these things, anyways?

Let me see...wait...no...my nihilism...

Believe it or not, but much like the last AOCAF, there's a whole bundle of other sideshows to fancy a football-starved fanatic. Why, how can you forget about sports like, uh, football (the one with the brown egg thing)? Or how about rugby, which is just the last one but somehow less safe? Or get this, the inaugural regional contest featuring...T20? The hell is T20? Just call it cricket like a normal nutcase, you entomophobic swine. A lot of exciting options, I know, especially considering that none of these sports tend to last very long in the attention spans of most Qads. But despite now having a non-QAFA official as PM, a handful of organizations decided to necromance themselves back to life for one more chance to die in combat properly. Folks like the BaseVans, and RugVans, and the, uh, WicketVans? The ones that don't get to see light unless someone nudges the brick blocking the grate to the outside. Unearthed and with little to no idea how to play or score, these mindless zombie teams somehow have undergone performances near par to that of the Vans themselves; which is to say, the entire country is freaking the hell out from Qasden suddenly being good in sports.

Let's knock down the frames. In addition to AOCAF 65, 4 regional contests were also organized: the AOBS (baseball), AORC (rugby sevens), AO Bowl (gridiron), and AOT20 (cricket). Most of these sort of existed previously, the only completely new one being the cricket contest. As you'd expect, it became the dream of many Qasdonians to watch their fellow countrymen fail miserably in sports we don't have experience in. So in came delegations for every contest (bar AO Bowl, because professionals have standards. More importantly, that's a lotta people to pay for). I don't feel like fulling and carefully elaborating on the various adventures forseen in these mini tournaments, but it does go to show that the multiverse around us simply sucks at these sports as much as we do. Take a look at the AOBS, featuring an unsettling successful Buddy McClark and a rag tag team of professional baseball-stars. No one in their right mind would take this team seriously. I mean, sure, we got some firepower in the forms of Jeff Bitches and A Tub of Folgers, but do you really expect greatness outta someone named Lawson Laurence or Johnny Badgers? Unrealistic, at best. Similarly unnerving is the group stage in which they first played in, ending with every damn team there getting gridlocked at 2-2 records by the end of play. As run difference would be the definitive tie-breaker, the BaseVans were allowed progression to a one-game playoff in order to gain entrance to the actual knockouts. The match at Unity Field in Vilita would determine who's ass was riper for the impending whoopin' from Sarzonia, but the small glimpse of victory seemed enough for the folks of both Qasden and Milchama delegations. The shock wore off pretty quick, however, and the hearts of the whole 12 Qad baseball fans began to sear in pain as a 10th-inning go-ahead victory pushed our neighbors to the south ahead of us, 12-10. That's fine, baseball's dumb anyways; I prefer my millionaires to kick the ball, not throw it.

Rugby was also a sport present, being held in Baker Park. While I'd like to congratulate them on repeating the same record as the baseball bozos, I have no idea what any of their names are, so I'm just gonna call them all Doug. Doug played pretty mediocre all tournament long, really holding back the strong potential coming out of Doug and Doug. If it weren't for Doug botching up the last stretch, maybe Qasdoug could've advanced to the Doug! 2-2, featuring impressive wins over Vilita and Oontaz and equally impressive losses to Mlima Kijami and Busoga Islands. Thanks to that H2H ratio, the RugVans slipped on the goose stool'd slide to the cup, earning a 2nd seed title in the much less glamorous Bowl knockouts. To win this gilded holder of soups and cereals, Qasden will need to first defeat the Cordian Isles, not long after needing to deal with the winner between Milchama and Vilita. Still salty about losing the wine, but hey, spaghetti's spaghetti.

Also there's T20, a sport we know nothing about, entered last second to prevent a single-group tournament, and still won outright with a bye into the semis. Thanks to having one less worry than the other two, AOT20 allowed us to stay in the yellow with a 2-1 record, somehow being better than the other two 2-1's in the group. I have absolutely no idea who we're playing next, but the quarterfinals (third-finals?) feature Jabal Akhdar vs. Vilita and Turori, as well as Baker Park vs. Busoga. Suffice to say, totally a piece of cake.

There's one I'm forgetting, though, that feels a LOT more grandiose than all those other ones. Did it have to do with the handegg? What did those weirdos call it again, football? Wait...football...AOCAF!

Group stages are done, and boy howdy, did Darsten and Xandreas show up. Placed in a precarious Group D, the Vans (under new management) were instantly thrown into the fire with a duel against fellow felines, Vilita & Turori. Aside from the host nations sharing a star-studded roster featuring literal World Cup champions are their team, it was a completely even match. The crowd in Lonngeylin seemed a little skewed towards our adversaries at first, but I'm sure they'll warm up to us eventually. After all, thanks to a stunning game winner from Jaylyn Bone, they're gonna have to get used to being behind us for the rest of this phase. I don't know what drugs Marlene hyped herself up on (maybe it's all those rubber chickens finally getting to her), but in Game 1 of the AOCAF, in front of a teal and brown-infested stadium, Qasden did what they apparently can do best and defeat Vilita and Turori for like the 2nd or 3rd time in 3 tournaments. 4-3, not very glamtastic for the defense, but c'mon, we beat the regional powerhouse, you expect there to be no kind of party after that? Well there wasn't, actually, cuz 1. Borin Gname is our Prime Minister and 2. We still had an incoming threat in Geisenfried. Yeah, remember those guys from last cycle, the ones we share a hefty, mountainous border to our southwest, giving way to a large Qad-Geisen population in Fyre and Destiny? Well they're back and a little on the vengeance side, seeing their debut in 65 as a chance to get back at us for last time, if there was an actual grudge outside my cleverly exacerbated narrative. Like V&T, this match was a close watch, the colors filling Tivali Ring looking like a revolution vomited in the stands. 2-1 would be the score of that one, another dub for these new, offense-friendly Blue-Reds. The scariest part? They were wearing their unlucky calico kits.

Following a break, the Vans returned to face the Cordian Isles, a down-on-their-luck up-and-coming debut team looking to get another one on Qasden to stave off an early ticket to Charon's Riverboat adventure. As I mentioned at the start of my vacay, a good handful of players and staff have the faint, mental scars from the recent-most Mike Sarzo Memorial Trophy, in which the X-Squad (managed by Ryan Xandreas) was picked off in quarterfinals by these newfangled lads in lapis. In another tense game that kept academic-watching Qads on their feet in anxiety, the Vans again prevailed, narrowly 1-0ing TCI in what seemed like a pivotal game for both teams. Cordia, out of coins to play, was out of the tourney. Though in consolation, their tokens for the hot new Baptism of Fire were calling for them rather instantly.

Not really understanding how or why, the Vans now stood 3-0, guaranteed a spot in the Round of 16 against whoever fate decided would be funny to have a crossover with again. For now, one more opponent stood in Darsten's way to an achievement unheard of in QAFA history, an undefeated group stage finish resting in the quarrels with Oontaz. The Sultanate is another familiar face, we played them back in 62, but given they were dead on arrival at Marine World Park in Crosaibi, they had nothing to lose...nothing to hold back. Like the chaos before, Oontazniks and Qads were overwhelmed with entertainment through the annihilation of each other's defense programs. A total goal-fest, you'd call it, ending 5-4 in favor of the dashing Qasden. In such a rage of fire, the last burning embers brought about a historical significance. The Vans had not only won their group, but went undefeated. 4-0, I don't think that's ever even happened for us in the 13-14 AOCAFs we've put ourselves through. With a simple refresh of the ol' manager roles, Qasden now found themselves atop the Vilitan half of the bracket, orphaned and alone, waiting for their eventual challenger in the Octos. The road to victory is something we've found ourselves crawling through in previous iterations, but this one seems littered with deja vu to the Jenna Raven Cup. One featuring a dose of revenge. The Octofinal the Vans are destined to play will feature a rematch against our Golden Eagle friends in Geisenfried, fresh off a quick stay in purgatory. If purgatory were Kiiara Park, that is.

Despite losing their last group match to the Eel-Cat Things, Geisenfried lucked out as the third-place finisher of the group, soundly advancing over Oontaz and Cordia. While there probably some sighs of relief, it soon turned into voluptuous groans when they were revealed to have been drawn for the pre-16 playoff match. Thanks to those nerds in Banija, the Golden Eagles needed to make their way through Dogsmouth in order to properly see the Round of 16. It was a nerve-wracking endeavor, but Geisenfried pulled out with the win; albeit, a blood-thinning 1-0 win. This delightfully sets up the 3rd match between neighbors since the start of AOCAF 64, forcing the two of us to make up or make out or whatever the hell Marlene wants. The date is due in Seraai's Lunar Park, where one lovesick star squad may find themselves heartbroken at the end of the night.

Can Icarus Darsten and the Vans continue to assert their inane dominance in this tournament? Will Die Steinadler be able to exact 2 games worth of revenge against Qasden in the biggest do-or-die match of their modern history? Good word I'm tired, but I have tickets to this thing and I have zero recollection when the Icestronauts usually play, but stay tuned, stay updated, and stay alert for the next report, whenever I feel like doing one again live at AOCAF 65!

by **AOCAF** » Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:05 am

Round of 16 Fixtures:

Valanora 2–2 Schima Bas (3–2 AET)
State Fairgrounds Stadium, Springfield

Baker Park 1–0 Euran Oceania Terr
Newport City Stadium

Gyatso-kai 2-2 Kimi-Suomi (4–2 AET)
Queen Victoria Stadium, Ezriquay

Demot 1-0 Jabal Akhdar
Sportsmen's Park, Belle Haven

Quarter Final Fixtures:

Valanora v. Baker Park
Rogers Stadium, Endborough

Gyatso-kai v. Demot
Collins Park, Oceana

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Round of 16 results

Vilita & Turori 0–1 Tropicorp
Qasden 3–2 Geisenfried
Farfadillis 1–2 Squornshelan Remnant States
Sarzonia 3–3 Banija (3–3 AET) (4–2 pen.)

Quarterfinals
Qasden vs Tropicorp @ Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast
Sarzonia vs Squornshelan Remnant States @ Kionao Minor Field, Kionao, Turori

by **AOCAF** » Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:32 am

Sarzonia               0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  3
Milchama               1 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 X  5


Cordian Isles          0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  4
Delaclava              0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 3  7


Banija                 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2  4
Tropicorp              0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2


Geisenfried            0 1 1 1 0 0 0 3 3  9
Pluvia-Saxean Isles    2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Semi Finals: (~48 Hours)

Milchama v. Delaclava
B: Unity Field, Irottea, Vilita

Banija v. Geisenfried
Tropicoast Field, Tropicoast, Tropicorp

3PPO/Final: Toys '4' All Diamond, Lopinka, Vilita

Jabal Akhdar 180/5 (19.4 overs)
Vilita and Turori 178/6 (20 overs)


Baker Park 154/5 (20 overs)
Busoga Islands 141/5 (20 overs)

Semi Finals: (~48 Hours)
Cordian Isles v. Jabal Akhdar
Jolly Bird House, Jlinal, Vilita

Qasden v. Baker Park
Yeaddin Cricket Club, Yeaddin, Vilita

by **Delaclava** » Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:58 pm

Stealing First

The baseball Phoenixes are, once again, doing their best work out of the spotlight

If a team wins a game, and no one is there to watch it, does it count?

Let's be honest, no one cares about baseball.

And that's especially true here in Delaclava. I'd say maybe a few dozen people who aren't the players or their mothers actually care about the sport year-round. And I'm the only one who writes about it on a regular, committed basis. Does that make me feel lonely? You bet it does. Does living in a studio apartment with a freezer full of meals for one also make me feel lonely? What do you think?

It's a shame, because I really think I could be a good boyfriend to someone if they'd let me. No, I'm getting sidetracked again. Or maybe I'm just seeing if anyone's paying attention? No? What I meant was... it's a shame more people don't watch our national team, because the few dozen of us have witnessed some truly special moments despite the relative youth and disarray of the program.

We made our re-debut at WBC49 just a few short years ago, when I was a high schooler with a trash stache of which I was incredibly proud, and all the hopes and dreams in the world. Ah, those days. And we shocked the world by winning our group. (Well, kind of. Thanks for your unstable assholery, F*** R********. Mwah!) Unfortunately, most of the nation didn't hop along for the ride until the round of 16, and all they saw was the lost series to Sarzonia, the absence of our team at all at WBC50, and a truly pathetic WBC51. Anyone who'd been told that this team might have something special tuned out within about three innings and they didn't tune back in since.

Well, at least until WBC52. On the way to Chromatika, the Phoenixes had markedly improved, but their 16-14 record was still so mediocre that no one believed they were still in the tournament with a 25 seed. So when slugger Ben Dawson and ace Bedin Egozhevy had the games of their lives to beat five-time champs Super-Llamaland 5-3, the ratings were even lower than they'd been throughout the group stage. The good news: a few more people turned on their TVs to see the Phoenixes manage to pull out the series in five games. Their reward? A round of 16 series, against Sarzonia, and my Margaret, they were even worse than the last time.

But hey, at least we've gotten the nation to a level of awareness that there's a national team that plays the world championship. And that they're the worst team in the subregion. But it shouldn't be shocking that no one's been tuning into the Atlantian Oceania Baseball Series. It's the first time the Phoenixes have entered the regional tournament, and they've set a young team, with all of the field players 23 or under and the pitchers no older than 25, managed by Daniel Vardon, the wayward son of the real national team's manager Brent. And here's what you may have missed from their efforts in Vilita:

Facing the home team in Lopinka, the Phoenixes entered the bottom of the ninth down 5-3, and put up such a flurry of offense that the scoreboard operators couldn't quite keep up. Rayner Vilas' two-run double should have made it 6-5, the public display showed 5-5 and somehow no one was any the wiser. It was only after the umpires signed the scorecards and turned them into the tournament officials that anyone realized that Andrew Delmonaco's grand slam was entirely superfluous. Still, the books will show a 10-5 victory until the end of time.
Needing a win to advance out of Group A, the bats lit up again for a 10-6 victory over Qasden, on the back of two home runs and five RBI's from third baseman and young Germanic Adonis Tim Rohmer. (Honestly, even if you don't care about baseball, you will enjoy watching Tim Rohmer running around in baseball pants. Trust me.) In a chaotic group where all five teams finished 2-2, the run differential from that game ensured that Delaclava advanced directly to the quarterfinals.
(I can say this with impunity, since no one will read it, but if the Vilita game had been scored correctly, Vilita would have advanced and not Delaclava. AO refs, am I right? Woo!)
In the quarterfinals, the Phoenixes looked to avenge a loss to the Cordian Isles. After 7 1/2 innings, it was 4-1 for the Cords (that's probably not their nickname) and it wasn't looking good. Then, Rohmer made it 4-2 with a solo shot (he, I mean his swing, is beautiful). The ninth inning brought up the worst part of the order... so imagine our collective surprise when Dinesh Nandy slapped a ball into the left-field corner, and catcher Dan Mogen and reliever Sergio Ferrer huffed and puffed and made it around the basepath to tie the game. We made it all the way to the 12th inning until Vilas and Rohmer made it on base, and Delmonaco generated all the power he could from those meaty haunches (seriously, ladies and gents. Baseball pants. Get this on your schedules) to jack the ball over the right field fence for the victory.

Now, it's the semis, and for once, we don't have to win a five-game series over the Stars to advance. We just have to win one time against Milchama.

So please, tune in, because this tournament has been an unexpected and delightful whirlwind that has very nearly made me feel something other than chronic numbness.

Or don't, since you might jinx it if too many people watch. Let the few dozen of us watch the boys in red and gold win something, and I'll be sure to tell you all about it!

by **Sarzonia** » Tue Dec 14, 2021 2:56 pm

Anytime you get a matchup between a Sarzonian national team and Banija's regardless of sport, there's always a chance the contest you're going to watch will end up being considered an instant classic.

It's not always the case. After all, Banija delivered an epic beatdown of the Stars in the group stage of World Bowl XLII which happened after both teams already clinched their spots in Buffalostan for the knockout rounds. Sarzonia's hoopsters delivered a 99-73 demolition of Banija in the semifinals of the Gold Coast Basketball Tournament, delivering a rare blemish to the current most dominant basketball team in the multiverse. But by and large, a Sarzonia-Banija matchup usually promises great theatre.

The battle between the Stars and the Kadongo Kamu in the Round of 16 of the 65th Atlantian Oceania Cup of Association Football provided no shortage of drama. From Pamela Scott's daring offensive substitutions in the second half with her team down by two goals with 10 minutes remaining and a miracle comeback that forced extra time to Jake Campos lining up the first penalty opposite Kadongo Kamu goalkeeper Hebron Yienya, the battle between these two fierce sporting rivals lived up to every expectation.

Stars manager Nathan Hanifer paced the sidelines, ignoring the calls of assistant managers Eric Dent and Brady Reynolds to "sit the fuck down," as he watched Campos lining up his shot. He then jogged, fired, and banged it into the middle of the goal as Yienya guessed to his right. 1-0 Sarzonia.

Banijan striker Okaka Akungu then looked out at Sarzonian goalkeeper Carlton Sandt to eye his shot and hopefully pick up a clue as to Sandt's tendencies. The two players eyed each other, hoping to gain the advantage. Akungu then took his shot, Sandt guessed correctly, but the ball caromed off his glove and into the back of the net just under the crossbar to draw the penalty round level at 1-1. That would mean Holly Cambrio would be up next, and she decided she wouldn't use the allotted time, deciding not to overthink things and hopefully catch Yienya unaware. She quickly jogged up and fired ... well high of the goal. Abel Wesoloski-Okafor then took his shot against Sandt and he fired just wide of the goal, keeping the score level at 1-1 after two rounds.

Round 3 pitted Sarzonia forward Nick Raiden, who'd come on for a hobbled midfielder Ernie Mabree after the latter scored the third goal to give Sarzonia a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead at the 78th minute of play. He consciously gave a look like he would fire his shot to his left as he so often did. He was aware that Yienya was familiar with his tendencies and expected him to have watched film. So then when he fired the shot to his right, he got exactly what he wanted: Yienya diving to his right as Raiden's shot fired where the keeper wasn't. 2-1 Sarzonia. Next up for the Kadongo Kamu was midfielder Omar Kah, who decided he wanted to distract Sandt by winking at him. Sandt saw it but paid the tactic no mind. Still, Kah's shot to his left was so solid that it didn't matter what transpired before the shot. That made the score level at 2-2 after three rounds.

Then it was the fourth round, and it was team captain Clayton Wilson who lined up his shot against Yienya. He sold the fake to his left and then lifted a cheeky shot to his right and Yienya could only helplessly look on as the ball bounded into the back of the net to give Sarzonia a 3-2 lead. Then it was Sandt's turn to step in against Kadongo Kamu captain Sarjo Danso. Danso fired the shot in the middle, expecting Sandt to dive to either his left or his right, but Sandt said later he saw something in Danso's stance that told him that was his intent. Either way, the score would be 3-2 Sarzonia after the fourth round.

Lining up for Sarzonia as the fifth round of penalties began would be midfielder Jaxon Hennepin, a man who hadn't been in this position before. He breathed in slowly and exhaled as he looked out at Yienya. He decided he'd fire his shot to his left and he didn't care if Yienya could pick up on that. Yienya could, but Hennepin's shot was so powerful and so accurate that it didn't matter. The Stars got their fourth goal in the penalty round, and it didn't matter whom Scott had lined up for Banija's fifth round, as it wouldn't be needed. Sarzonia earned the victory, sending Scott home and sending Hanifer and the Stars onto the next round against Squornshelan Remnant States in another contest involving a dash of geopolitical intrigue. Relations between the Imperium and Sarzonia were famously frosty as Stars defender Charlie King was infamously caught making intemperate remarks about the Imperium and its relations with the Remnant States, but with the Imperium essentially collapsed, that meant relations between the Republic and the Incorporated States had yet to gel.

Regardless of the status of the Remnant States' relations with Sarzonia, though, one thing was clear. They would face each other on the pitch of battle rather than on the battlefield. And there was much left to decide.

But for one night, the Stars would celebrate a win over a major rival. And Nathan Hanifer would have one more parting shot for the Royal Banijan Soccer Association after it opted not to hire him.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

The AO Bowl and the AO Rugby Sevens might have driven you to drink, but last call in the Commonwealth is 3 am. Plan your ride home accordingly.

Delaclava 22–12 Banija
The Cordian Isles 24–41 Gyatso-kai

Championship (~48 hours)
Deleclava vs Gyatso-kai @ Jacob F Gleason Field, Belle Haven. 19:45

Cup Semi-Finals
Baker Park 22–14 Mlima Kijami
Busoga Islands 19–33 Pluvia & Saxean Isles

Cup Final
Baker Park vs Pluvia & the Saxean Isles

Bowl Semi-Finals
Qasden 19–26 The Cordian Isles
Milchama 12–26 Vilita

Bowl Final
The Cordian Isles vs Vilita

Playoff for the Linus Inniscragthie Memorial Plate
Sultinate of Oontaz vs Banija
Aji No Moto vs Sultinate of Oontaz
Banija vs Aji No Moto

All scored ~48 hours

by **Pluvia and the Saxean Isles** » Wed Dec 15, 2021 5:24 am

Pluvia and the Saxean Isles rugby sevens team head coach Jamie Wilson looked over his team with pride. They had just taken down the Busoga Islands team in the Atlantian Oceania Rugby Championship Cup semifinals, 33-19. Busoga had been a tough opponent, scoring first and generally looking like they were going to scamper right past the Eagles. But Wilson's team had soon righted the ship and the score was tied, 14-14, at the half. In the second half, a missed tackle led to a try, and the floodgates opened from there, with the Eagles easily putting home two more scores, even if they had missed that one conversion. Busoga had gotten one back in the late stages, but it didn't matter. The Eagles were well clear and headed to the final, with a chance to take home the whole thing.

The hosts, Baker Park, had slipped past Mlima Kijani, 22-14, in the other semifinal. They would be a tough team to beat for sure. They'd steamrolled through the group stage, winning all five of their games, easily outpacing all other teams, and averaging four tries per contest. Going into the last matchday, the Eagles had had a chance to finish first in their group, but Baker Park had downed them, 28-19. It was a close, back-and-forth game, but the hosts were just too much in the end, making game-saving tackles when it mattered most. Now they needed to get revenge. The football team had flamed out in the group stage, while the baseball team couldn't get it done in their own semifinal. This was the last chance at a little glory for the nation, and it was the rugby sevens team that was going to get it done against the hosts themselves.

Wilson saw Toby Morgentaler, the reliable scrum half and captain. He'd been the starting point for so many attacks. When they trailed late against the Cordian Isles, he'd rallied the team and then made that beautiful pass to Lane McDonald, who'd scored the game-winning try. He saw fly half Sam Morrison, whose kicking hadn't always been spot on, but he had made the conversions when they counted, and was a threat on the attack himself. Angus McLean, the wing. He'd gotten loose for two tries in the second half against the Busoga Islands, and had been the catalyst in wins over Aji no Moto and Banija. He saw Ben Turnbull, Nathan Kirk, and Denny Mason, his three thick-headed, veteran, forwards. They'd been so valuable in support roles. Sure, sevens was really a back-line game, but they'd starred on defense and you still needed to keep possession on offense. These three were the perfect combination of muscle and speed to get things done. They were going to do it. "All right, listen up, boys..."

by **Delaclava** » Wed Dec 15, 2021 12:15 pm

Forward Lateral

A new generation of Delaclav gridiron is already owning Banija - and soon, everyone else

With two consecutive bronze medals and recent wins over Banija and Sarzonia (multiple times each) as well as Ko-oren, Newmanistan, Allamunnic States, and Saint Kanye, the present of Delaclava football is bright.

The future is somehow even brighter.

While most teams opted to send teams closely resembling their A squad, Frank Newman's team is a blend of recently emerging stars (quarterback Michael Willis, wide receiver Andre Michel, and nose tackle Prince Rose to name a few), rising pro rookies and sophomores (running back Calvin Gerty and safety Luke Mussett), and even a handful of collegiate prospects (safety Elias Zafrani and linebacker Antal Martin). For that first category of players, it's an opportunity to get valuable reps and show their leadership capabilities; for the others, it's a chance to put themselves next in line for a storied program chasing a third World Bowl title.

With too-close-for-comfort victories over Baker Park and Turori and an embarrassing shutout loss to Busoga Islands, the crew didn't gel immediately and there were plenty of nerves to go around. But the new-look Phoenixes found their form first by outlasting a hard-charging Sarzonia 33-30 on the back of three passing touchdowns from Willis, including the game winner to Charlie Coffin. Then, it was on to take an undeserved group lead away from Gyatso-kai, stomping the pretenders down with a 44-13 win with plenty of playing time to go around for the likes of Novick University's star quarterback Dominic Wenham.

The real test: a semifinal against Banija, largely the same squad that split games with the Phoenixes in the qualifying for World Bowl 42, quarterbacked by widely yet wrongly proclaimed superstar Ifeatu Chineze and also including running back Kuenda Sello and downfield threats Chinweuba Jelan and Lamin Kah.

The result: not a single touchdown for Choo-sneezy and Sellout and the whole gang, and a 134 yard, two touchdown day for Gerty. The score, 22-12, was only close thanks to the big leg of Komani Achaje. A 4-for-4 day with two kicks beyond 50 is a performance of a career. It's a shame no one had the skills or championship mettle to help him out.

Asked about their performance after the game, defensive captain Mussett, who just finished up his rookie year with the Beliri Blades out of Novick State, commented on his team's strong performance in their toughest test to date: "We've gotten a few games under our belt, we know what about this team works now. We weren't feeling the pressure at all. It was a normal game for us."

But that's normal at all. 22- and 23-year olds don't completely shut down collegiate world champions, professional and world veterans, in just their sixth international game, not when they don't have all that NSCF and World Bowl experience. Unless, of course, the NSCF is vastly overrated and even DUSA football is far more competitive? The proof of the pudding is in the taste, and the pudding has only been getting sweeter lately.

The win over Banija is crucial for the Phoenixes as they move forward into the upcoming World Bowl. Sure, finishing with the AO Bowl title would be better, an upset loss to Gyatso-kai in the rematch unfortunate. But at worst, the Phoenixes have come out best among the potential contenders - notably Saint Kanye, Banija, and Sarzonia - who graced the AO Bowl with their presence (defending champions Ranoria ducked us, but it is what it is). At best, the Phoenixes take another dominant victory over the Boarqupines, establish absolute supremacy over the region, and install themselves as the World Bowl favorite, at home, with the current form to show it.

In all likelihood, the 43rd World Bowl is coming back to Delaclava. Get your tickets now, because you won't want to miss it.

AOCAF LXV: Baker Park/Vilitan Cove--Everything Thread

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

The Wedge & Wheel : AO Third Edition

AOCAF LXV :: 1st Knockout Rounds

AOBS / AOT20 - Quarter Finals

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