World Lacrosse Championships 39- Everything (FINAL Posted)

[Ranoria]

Reunion With Delaclava Suddenly Holds Big Implications After Ranoria Fails to Buck The Odds Against Taxonomic Kingdoms

After a game that saw a lot of hitting - ineffective hitting - Ranoria lost their first round against the Hermit Crabs, who overall played a much more polished game.

"Really good group of crabs," said defenseman Viggo Grayson, "We really came in with a plan to play physical and knock them out of their shells, but they never lost their cool or even lashed out at us. We took our lumps, can't win 'em all."

Indeed - head coach Valentino Samuel failed to predict the Hermit Crabs' natural resistance to contact, instead gambling that his team could surprise them with it. He was wrong. They didn't care. Ranoria still played a close game, rallying with 4 unanswered goals in the final 9 minutes, but it wasn't enough to bring this one back. And with the loss, a rematch against Deleclava suddenly looms as a potential must-win.

The Phoenixes got their first mark in the "W" column against Abanhfleft - a team that's been bleeding hard since the start of WLC 38. With the Krauts falling and the Phoenixes rising from the ashes of a near-certain lost season (see what we did there?), the rematch between the two next week has the potential to flip the script of group 3. Ranoria was only able to defeat Deleclava by 2 in a game that needed overtime to decide a victor last time, meaning that any stronger margin of victory would immedietely throw our Krauts to third in the group, out of the playoff picture for the first time this tournament. With the Taxonomic Kingdoms - clearly - showing no signs of slowing down that'd be nothing short of a disaster.

However, this time it will be the Phoenixes - with their domestic lacrosse-borne disputes - who have to buck a trend. The Krauts have only ever lost one lacrosse game at Smith Field in Richardson, Ranoria, and that was in the second matchday of WLC 38 against Sarzonia. You know, the team that won the whole damn thing against a squad that hadn't gotten a proper chance to gel yet?

With that in mind, the group stage finale will also take place there, with Grayson and company having a chance to take their revenge on the Hermit Krabs for ending their unbeaten run.

Ranoria's fallen in their first match with true playoff implications now...will they do so again next week?

[Cassadaigua]

Group 1
Kriegiersien 5–11 Baker Park
StrayaRoos 7–5 Melbergia

* Group 1                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Baker Park                 4   4  0   60  25 +35   12 Q
2 Kriegiersien               4   2  2   39  47  −8    6
3 Melbergia                  4   1  3   40  41  −1    3
4 StrayaRoos                 4   1  3   23  49 −26    3

Group 2
Hannasea 3–10 Bollonich
The Cordian Isles 4–5 Sarzonia

* Group 2                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                   4   4  0   53  23 +30   12
2 The Cordian Isles          4   2  2   34  37  −3    6
3 Bollonich                  4   2  2   50  30 +20    6
4 Hannasea                   4   0  4   21  68 −47    0

Group 3
Ranoria 14–7 Delaclava
Abanhfleft 10–8 Taxonomic Kingdoms

* Group 3                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Taxonomic Kingdoms         4   3  1   45  39  +6    9
2 Ranoria                    4   3  1   48  38 +10    9
3 Delaclava                  4   1  3   45  54  −9    3
4 Abanhfleft                 4   1  3   37  44  −7    3

Group 4
Banija 12–9 Tropicorp
Pius Desurongcrandis 4–10 Cassadaigua

* Group 4                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Banija                     4   4  0   50  39 +11   12 Q
2 Cassadaigua                4   3  1   51  33 +18    9
3 Tropicorp                  4   1  3   47  47   0    3
4 Pius Desurongcrandis       4   0  4   33  62 −29    0

Group 5
Quebec and Shingoryeo 10–4 Arengard
HUElavia 13–8 Natanians and Nosts

* Group 5                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                   4   4  0   49  24 +25   12 Q
2 Arengard                   4   2  2   35  42  −7    6
3 Natanians and Nosts        4   1  3   37  46  −9    3
4 Quebec and Shingoryeo      4   1  3   39  48  −9    3

[StrayaRoos]

StrayaRoos 7-5 Melburgia
StrayaRoos Scorers:Yuga Kiuba 6,23,45,50 Yuran Kiuba 53 Yuro Kiuba 55 Yuka Kiuba 59
Melburgia Scorers:Norman 12,14,19,30,Doyle 48
Quarter By Quarter
STR 1-2 MEL
STR 1-2 MEL
STR 1-0 MEL
STR 4-1 MEL
Player of the Match:Yuga Kiuba (STR)

SLF.Com Match report
The blender scored goal No.13 for the Tournament to open up the Game Norman then Retaliated with 2 before Quarter Time
Then Norman Scored another one making it 3-1 to the Visitors after that Yuga Scored making it 3-2 followed by Norman's 4th of the Game before half Making it 4-2 in the 3rd Quarter StrayaRoos had the Kiuba's Start being penalised with no more than 12 fouls (6 of which came from Yuga)in the 3rd Quarter that saw the Eagles take advantage of the Chaos with Yuga scoring his 3rd making it 4-3 then the Kiubas went On offence and Yuga,Yuran,Yuro and Yuka scoring goals while Dirk Doyle Scored For Melburgia.
Yuga Kiuba-The New Roosian Legend?
Since 2019 Yuga Kiuba has been at the Pinnacle of Roosian Lacrosse with 2 SLL titles and 3 STR6s Winners medals for the Pale Archers with over 100 pro Games amassed already at just 15 (80 SLL,30 STR6s,4 SLF) And has already bruised 30 Opponents Because of his Rough Play

[Delaclava]

Rock Paper Scissors

Phoenixes come back to the reality that they will usually lose to better teams

In Abanhfleft, the Delaclava national team showed its future. In Ranoria, they showed its present.

An impressive 16-14 road win over the Amazons might have convinced the Delaclava faithful that the team was turning things around. From all the reports of infighting and discord, to coming together for tight contests in Kalinin, to shocking the world with a defeat of a top-five team who has won this tournament six times, you might have thought that the team would continue to go upward, that an improved version of the Phoenixes could handle the inexperienced Krauts and maybe steal another win against a top team, and suddenly find themselves in the playoffs of the World Lacrosse Championship for the first time in the modern era.

But progress is rarely one-directional, and one brilliant game does not change that the Phoenixes are what they are. They are young and talented, but individually green and collectively incohesive. They're not a playoff team right now - and frankly, it's not a bad thing that the Phoenixes won't get fooled into that notion yet. The 14-7 loss to Ranoria made that perfectly clear.

Credit where it's due, first, to the Krauts. They've punched far above their own weight - a win over Abanhfleft in this tournament isn't what it used to be, but it's not meaningless. They showed composure in letting a lead slip against the Phoenixes and surviving in overtime. And they learned their lessons and improved from the first meeting to the second. They are, in many ways, the team that Delaclava is not - physically strong, skilled, possessing great chemistry and an effective gameplan, and the ability to protect their own turf. So far, seven-time champions Sarzonia are the only team to win a game in Ranoria - and the team that is now 3-13 dating back to WLC37 was not going to be the ones to buck that trend.

And credit to the Phoenixes themselves, who have not seemed to buy into any of the perceptions of what they should or shouldn't be. Somehow, they have figured out how to co-exist and play competitively against quality opponents. In the past two games, they have been the picture of focus and optimistic, continuing to fight even when things were looking bleak.

"We never thought we couldn't win, or at least not until very late," defender Jake Lilly said after the game. "We had a kind of belief in each other that I know we didn't have at the start of training camp. We're a better team than Day 1 regardless of what the scoreboard says."

We believe him, too. But while that team morale is essential, it's not a panacea for the myriad problems this team faces. This is still their first tournament together as a unit, with most of the typical core absent. Their offensive gameplan largely relies on the individual creativity of Grigor Padun, and that's not a hard puzzle to solve in the same way a multi-faceted attack is. Most of the starters either haven't hit their prime yet or are seeing it in the rearview mirror.

It's going to take years more of trust in the entire Delaclav lacrosse system before the Phoenixes reach a highly competitive form. Sure, they aren't eliminated yet - not if they beat Taxonomic Kingdoms and Abanhfleft, and the Hermit Crabs also lose to Ranoria.

But it's time to recognize this tournament for what it is, and nothing more: a good start.

[Natanians and Nosts]

Coach:Frans Gheorghe Silva


Starters:

# Name-position
1 Marcus Probus Lênin-goalkeeper
3 João Ronaldus Fostar-deffence
4 Mihai Carolus Priscus-deffence
5 Mihai Márcus Priscus-deffence
13 Mihai Ion Dmitrievitch-deffence
7 José Túpac Tupsiak-midfield
8 Carolus Ioanis Cherokee-midfield
10 Ion Álvarus Tibiriçá-midfield
9 Gabriel Martin Moura-attacker
11 Bruno Caeso North-attacker

*Captain's name is in blue


Bench:

# Name-position
12 Victor Júnio Constantinescu-goalkeeper
2 Carolus Públius Ubillinski-deffence
14 Nacto Notoário Pompílio-deffence
6 Ion Victor César-midfield
15 Cláudio Júlio Pompeu-midfield
21 Pierrr Cláudius North-attacker
22 João Victor Ospina-goalkeeper
23 Caio Júnio Bijelo-attacker

If my opponent RPs first,one may:
Choose my scorers:Y
Suspend my players:Y (only one per match,not the captain or goalkeeper)
Kill my players:N

[Ranoria]

After A Good Rumble, Krauts Complete Sweep of Delaclava in Second Face Off

Despite Reoul Schmidt, our primary scorer, tripping when he had a chance to make the opening score and turning the ball over, Ranoria pulled it out in the end, and it was mostly at the end. Despite what the scoreboard will tell, you, this was a tightly competitive game, and the biggest lead Ranoria took was three until they got near the end of the contest. The end was where Reoul Schmidt and the offense grilled the opposition for five unanswered goals to go from a 9-7 lead to the 14-7 final tally.

When questioned about how the margin of error increased, Jack Switzer scoffed. "Same thing I tell everyone. Really, it be funny when I kick these dummies. I tell 'em they don't wanna tussle. Because when I'm coming at 'em, they're gonna drop. Always bet they'll stumble when I hit them."

Now, if that made sense to any of you, be our guest to translate, but we're pretty sure he was just trying to emphasize his physical style of play. Alot of the time in contact sports like these, it's about drive and power more than anything else, and staying hungrier than the competition.

These Krauts? Well they look ready to devour whoever steps in front of them.

"We can't get stopped in the group stage," said Viggo Grayson at a postgame press conference, "We've gotta put in the work, put in the hours, and take what's ours. And what's hours? Another crack at Baker Park. We beat them, we change the game, and when we ask 'what's our name?' Whole world's gonna answer for us."

The team does seem enthusiastic about taking on Baker Park, one of the premier squads in this championship - but that team is currently undefeated with the third best defense and by far the best offence in this edition of the World Lacrosse Championships. It's gonna take more than second in the group to make anyone look twice at that matchup - even if they do bring up some drama at the end of the group stage to take the top slot there.

Anyway, that's a wrap. Go Krauts!

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Elk Lacrosse moves to 4-0, clinch playoff spot
by Jeff Wallace, Sports Desk
The Western Observer

Vegan Swamp Stadium, Zombiestan--The second stop on the WLC 39 Group 1 Tour for the Baker Park National Lacrosse Team brought up the return fixture against 8th ranked Kriegiersien, an 11-5 BP victory in front of 7,727 spectators who witnessed a hard fought--but clean & fair--contest without the sideshow antics that have detracted from the action on the field in other group games.

Shannon Fries, in her first tournament as National Team Head Coach, looked to spread playing time throughout the squad more than had been the case in StrayaRoos while still appreciating the danger that the hosts presented on the basis of their ranking and results since the opening game at Ludlow Road in Endborough.

Guy Hirn (2), Shadow Heart (1) and Nestor (2) had the only success from the 26 total shots Mackenzie Parker faced in the Elk goal, while Danielle Grimaldi (4), Alex Nelson (2), Ben Appleman (3), Ellie Mendevlovich (1) and Grace Greene (1) found the back of the net as part of an onslaught that saw 51 shots attempted by the white clad visitors.

Fries was in more of an expressive frame of mind in the post match interview than she'd previously been during the first half of the qualifying phase.

"We're doing OK all things being equal, am I right about that? (laughter) Make no mistake, we didn't come here with an idea that this would be a walk in the park, but we did keep in mind that we had buffer...a margin for error if the result went against us. We wanted to give some of our top line people fewer minutes here in anticipation of getting through to the knockouts."

Asked to comment on reports in overseas media that rate Baker Park as the strongest side in the tournament at the midway point, the 33 year old who is the first former WLC era player to lead the team was cautiously dubious.
"(Sarzonia) are entered this time, right? There's an adage that goes 'form is fleeting, class is permanent'. As long as they are still in, they are the strongest team."

[Melbergia]

Johan Walsh was in a terrible mood as he returned to the underground car park. Seven. They had scored seven. The unranked outsiders, the team Melbergia had already beaten once. All of those weekday evening training sessions in the inclement weather felt like an utter waste of time.

As he walked, Walsh felt a momentary flash of confusion as he realised he had walked past his car. Doubling back, he unlocked it using the keyfob and slumped down into the driver's seat. For a moment he just sat there, staring at the concrete wall opposite. It was then that he remembered there were some chocolate biscuits tucked away in the boot. That might cheer him up. Leaving the key in the ignition he went to retrieve the snacks, closing the door behind him. As he did so however, he heard the click of the car's central locking system. Confusion again. He attempted to re-open the door but it would not open. He released his grip, then tried again. And again. And then tried pulling on it as if trying to free a frozen door on a frosty morning in Portvestir, to no avail. He frantically went round to the other side of the car, attempting to open all other doors. Concluding that he was irreversibly locked out for now, he slammed a fist down on the roof of the vehicle. He felt like crying.

[Banija]

The Lacrosse Division of the Olympic Committee is "a mess"- why the AOLCs had to be cancelled and the IDLO was delayed again

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- Like the vast majority of sports in Banija, the Olympic Committee of Banija(OCB) exercises direct control over the governance of professional lacrosse in Banija. This is true for all sports besides soccer(ran by the Royal Banijan Soccer Association), and ice hockey(ran by the Banijan Hockey Federation). The Olympic Committee divides itself into divisions, which then act as the functional governance bodies for each sport- you have the lacrosse division, the Gridiron football division, the Baseball division, etc... There are divisions for basically every single sport you can think of. This is why, besides soccer tournaments, the Olympic Committee is the official host organization for most sporting events that Banija hosts- including the ongoing 53rd World Baseball Classic, which are presently being held on Banija's shores.

So before the 39th World Lacrosse Championships, the Olympic Committee were tasked with hosting the Atlantian Oceania Lacrosse Classic. The regional lacrosse tournament. Started simply as the Moravica Lacrosse Invitational as the brainchild of the OCB, just a four team tournament that was a pre-cursor to the WLCs, it is now a fully-fledged regional championship. It is consistently an 8-12 team tournament these days, and it has been hosted all across Atlantian Oceania- from Qasden, to Baker Park, to Sarzonia. Banija hosted the last edition as part of the AOlympics, when Milchama, who sits directly on the other side of Banija's eastern neighbor Geisenfried, downed Banija in the championship game to take the regional title home. Milchama would have been next in line to host the tournament, but when they declined, the OCB could not.

So the OCB went about preparing to host the tournament. While, of course, not a huge tournament, it is the start of the cycle for lacrosse. It is credited with helping improve regional performances at the WLCs, as the teams have an extra competition, shortly before the world championships, to help the team gel and help work out kinks in their rosters. But then, came that embarrassing press release. "The Olympic Commitee of Banija, due to internal problems, has to announce, effective immediately, the cancellation of this year's Atlantian Oceania Lacrosse Classic. We sincerely apologize, and we will write to other lacrosse bodies across the region with explanation of the reasoning." And despite serious criticism in the press, that was the extent of what they would say. They were said to have privately communicated to the region's other lacrosse bodies about the reasoning, but the general public was kept in the dark.

Why did they have to withdraw? It is, of course, not ideal for a nation that takes its hosting reputation very seriously. But some further investigation from Banija's premier sports journalism entity show paralysis within the Lacrosse Division that prevented the tournament from taking place in the first place. The problems were, of course, the result of increasing friction within the Lacrosse Division, between league figures(from the Banijan Lacrosse League), and the figures who run the national team. Of course, Olympic Committee regulations from the overarching committee generally govern league-NT relations, since both, for most sports, are under the OCB's authority. This ensures that Banijan NTs don't have problems garnering releases for world championships, Olympic events, Commonwealth events, regional events, and qualifying tournaments for competitions under all four umbrellas, at the senior level.

But what they do not govern, is use of stadiums. And as in most countries, stadiums are generally controlled by the clubs, rather than players. Different sources blame it on different things. "The BLL is being completely unreasonable. Not allowing use of stadiums for a regional competition. Utterly and completely ridiculous." Said one source that was affiliated with the NT. League sources, who also stayed anonymous, put the division on blast. "The Lacrosse Division offered to host the tournament, without consulting with us. They've got to be more responsible- the leagues are important entities in and of themselves. Just because we don't have the global reach of, say, the Shango-Fogoa Premier League, doesn't mean our league interests can and should be ignored. We simply had to stand up- ensure that they respect our league, and ensure that NTs don't take priority at the expense of the leagues in this nation."

And that seems to be the reasoning. The Banijan Lacrosse League refusing to allow the use of its stadiums. And then the Olympic Committee's refusal to look for another solution- while soccer stadia and gridiron stadia could easily be reconfigured, there are a multitude of reasons that they would use BLL stadia. It looks like as if the standoff would surely be resolved- and then suddenly, just like that, the OCB had to take the extraordinary task of cancelling the tournament. Relations between the Banijan Lacrosse League and the NT since then are 'poisoned', and many sources say that if player releases were not governed by the OCB as a whole, it would have been questionable whether or not they would have granted player releases for WLC 39 at all.

We'll see if this has any long-term consequences for the governance of lacrosse in this country.

[Sarzonia]

For Sarzonian national lacrosse team manager Jordan Helms, unlike Nils Skoglund, his counterpart in Cordia, Helms isn't bothered by close results during the group stage.

He watched Sarzonia rally from a one-goal deficit with 1:19 remaining, starting with a tying goal from attack Colin Grassley and the match-winning goal from fellow attack Nick Loewen with just four ticks remaining on the clock to allow Sarzonia to escape Jutland City Stadium with a 5-4 victory. The result improves the Stars to 4-0 and leaves Sarzonia on the brink of qualifying for the knockout rounds. They are currently the only undefeated team remaining who have not yet punched their tickets to Cassadaigua.

"I want to see this team be able to handle close matches," Helms said of his team's second one-goal victory, one that stretched their consecutive WLC match win streak to 23 games. "I want us to face adversity and know we could be one play away from an early exit."

While the likes of Grassley and Loewen are usually the headliners for Sarzonia, this time it was goalkeeper Matt Henning who stood out. He made 14 saves and consistently positioned himself to challenge the North Star attack. Still, Sarzonia were trailing by one goal with time winding down and the faceoff battle between Sarzonian starting faceoff specialist Noah Ryanson and Cordia's Torstein Aasland was dead even at four wins apiece. It was up to the Sarzonia defence to force a turnover and they did just that by clogging the lanes in front of Henning to force a shot clock violation with 1:58 left. That gave midfielder Gio Guardio an idea to try to use Grassley as a decoy and fire a shot at Cordian goalie Tore Volden with his attention focused on Grassley. The shot fired in and Volden somehow was able to turn it aside, but Grassley was there for the rebound and the putback.

The goal energised the Sarzonian supporters in attendance at Jutland City Stadium, and they and the Sarzonian players bench were the only ones among the 45,000-plus in the venue making noise. Now it was up to Ryanson to win the draw, which he did, then passed it to Grassley. Now it was Grassley who decided to draw the attention of the defenders to him so he could find an open Sarzonian recipient of a pass. He managed to draw the extra attention he sought, then fired a rocket to Loewen. Loewen caught the pass and fired it in one motion, beating Volden just under the goalkeeper's crosse for the match-winning tally. The last-second goal silenced the North Stars supporters once again while the Stars supporters burst into a loud, long ovation. Now it was up to Ryanson once again to win the draw, which he did, and then Guardio scooped up the ball and fired it high into the Cordian air as the final whistle sounded and Sarzonia prevailed.

Sure, it wasn't the convincing beatdown delivered to unranked Hannasea, who fell to 0-4 with their 10-3 loss to Bollonich. But with Sarzonia getting set for their final group stage match at Franz Braddock Stadium in Woodstock against Bollonich, the opportunity was there to officially clinch a spot in the knockout rounds, hopefully without playing a play-in round match. And if there's one thing Helms has learned over the years, it's that you gladly take your wins whether they're pretty or not.

As for the decision by the Olympic Committee of Banija to cancel the Atlantian Oceania Lacrosse Classic when Milchama declined to host the tournament, Helms did not hide his disappointment.

"We value that tournament as preparation for the WLC," he said. "Even if it served me no other purpose than to remind everyone that we haven't won 23 consecutive matches overall, the regional tournament includes many of our traditional rivals. How often do you get to face the likes of Banija, Delaclava or Baker Park in a regional competition? Those are some of the biggest powers in this sport. If you don't feel ready to play after that tournament, you're never going to be ready."

[Abanhfleft]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independent sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Lacrosse Lamentations
with Aisling Keane

I suppose the fact that we have a double round robin format for the 39th World Lacrosse Championships is a blessing in disguise, but is it really? It would seem that our Amazons have finally turned a corner when it comes to this particular WLC with that win over the Taxonomic Kingdoms, but could it be a case of too little, too late? Because even if Abanhfleft wins the next two games on the trot, the best record we could hope to achieve is 3-3, and in most circumstances, it just wouldn't be enough to get us out of the groups. I don't see a lot of scenarios where the Amazons can sneak their way out of this group given the hole that they've dug themselves into, but then again, stranger things have happened. The only trouble is that often those stranger things don't unfold in favor of Abanhfleft.

The Hermit Crabs of the Taxonomic Kingdoms may have gotten one over us at the start of this tournament but on this occasion, we got one right back at them. It wasn't easy. I mean, it never is against these ginormous crabs, but for once it did feel like the girls were actually determined to win this particular game. I mean, it was understandable. We came so close to winning against Delaclava only to collapse right at the end. Well, that was typical Abanhfleft as of late, wasn't it? Get off to a hot start and then start flagging in the middle before watching it all slip away in the final moment. Yeah, if there was any one moment where it could be said that Abanhfleft lost their shot at winning a record-equalling seventh World Lacrosse Championship, this is it. This is when any hope of salvaging a 4-2 campaign after two straight losses went right down the drain. At least it would probably go down among the classic matches of the WLC in the future. Not a lot of Fleftic fans would probably want to watch it, but for Delaclavan fans and neutrals, it could probably become a must-watch, maybe even the match that introduces other folks to lacrosse. Of course there are other matches I would pick as recommended viewing, but let's not bother ourselves with that just yet.

Now on to the second match between the Hermit Crabs and the Amazons. If I could only use two words to describe this particular game, it would be "tight," and "close." Neither team really had much of an advantage throughout all four quarters, and while for three of those quarters the Crabs always led Abanhfleft, the lead was never larger than two. I would even dare say that the Amazons were now properly fired up by how close they had come to salvaging this campaign with that potential win over Delaclava, and since they weren't able to win against the Phoenixes, they would have to find that win someplace else. And find it they did, against the Hermit Crabs. Jenelle Eure, participating in what could potentially be her final World Lacrosse Championships, dug deep into the reserves that had seen her through to multiple championships in both the WLC and the Lacrosse League of Abanhfleft (LLA) and put on one more brave performance to steer this floundering ship to a channel that would hopefully lead to a seventh world championship. And we also had Reagan Lucero picking up where Eure left off and orchestrating the Amazons' attack in the final quarter to turn a 7-7 deadlock into a 10-8 victory in our favor. It would honestly be a shame when Jenelle finally calls it quits on this sport, but with the legacy that she's built for herself and for her teams, both club and international, it's fair to say that she finally deserves that rest. In any case, we should all appreciate her skills and athleticism while she's still active, and even then, at 33, she's actually not showing any signs of slowing down. And even if she is, she's got a few choices to whom she can pass on the torch, most notably the aforementioned Miss Reagan Lucero.

We've still two games left to play though, one of them against the bone-breakers of Ranoria and the final one against the heartbreakers of Delaclava. Optimist and positivist eyes will see these two games as two more chances to steady this ship and get our campaign for a seventh world title back on track, while the pessimists and realists (which are not always mutually exclusive) would prefer to claim that these two remaining games are two chances for the Amazons to throw away that dream of a seventh lax title. And honestly, I don't even know whose side I'm on now. But if there's one thing that I'm sure of, it's that a lot of prayers will be going out for the health of our players' bodies. Remember, up next for them is Ranoria, and we already know how physical those beasts of theirs can be. This campaign might well have just turned into a war of attrition as well. And I don't think I can bear to watch any of it at all. But I must, for that is the sole purpose of the contents of this blog: to provide an extremely biased view on lacrosse matches involving the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. It's not much (since my cousin Graham O'Doherty don't pay any of his cousins at all) but at least it's still honest work. Can't say the same for some of the other lasses I know. You all know exactly what I'm talking about.

[The Cordian Isles]

Post-Match Press Conference

Reporter 1: Nils, was today a good or bad match, in your opinion?

NS: We kept the score within one goal, playing the literal best team in the world. What happened at the end... that was a tough pill to swallow, and that memory will be pretty bitter. By normal standards, this would have been a good match. But by the standard we set today, it was a bad one.

Reporter 2: Nils, what are your thoughts on the cancellation of the AOLC?

NS: I was excited to get a bit of extra playing time in, and it's unfortunate that it didn't work out.

Reporter 2: And the reasoning behind it?

NS: I'm sure the Banijans can sort that out among themselves.

Reporter 3: Tore, you allowed just five goals today. How do you feel?

TV: Pissed.

Reporter 3: Is that all?

TV: It would have been a lot easier to watch the last minute and a half of the match than drag me here and question me about how I feel after that.

Niklas Aasen and Torstein Aasland responded in kind. It wasn't a very insightful press conference.

[Cassadaigua]

Group 1
StrayaRoos 5–8 Kriegiersien
Melbergia 8–11 Baker Park

* Group 1                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Baker Park                 5   5  0   71  33 +38   15 Q
2 Kriegiersien               5   3  2   47  52  −5    9 Q
3 Melbergia                  5   1  4   48  52  −4    3
4 StrayaRoos                 5   1  4   28  57 −29    3

Group 2
The Cordian Isles 13–7 Hannasea
Sarzonia 7–7 Bollonich (10–9 OT)

* Group 2                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                   5   5  0   63  32 +31   15 Q
2 The Cordian Isles          5   3  2   47  44  +3    9
3 Bollonich                  5   2  3   59  40 +19    6
4 Hannasea                   5   0  5   28  81 −53    0

Group 3
Abanhfleft 8–7 Ranoria
Taxonomic Kingdoms 12–20 Delaclava

* Group 3                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Taxonomic Kingdoms         5   3  2   57  59  −2    9
2 Ranoria                    5   3  2   55  46  +9    9
3 Delaclava                  5   2  3   65  66  −1    6
4 Abanhfleft                 5   2  3   45  51  −6    6

Group 4
Pius Desurongcrandis 8–10 Banija
Cassadaigua 5–4 Tropicorp

* Group 4                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Banija                     5   5  0   60  47 +13   15 Q
2 Cassadaigua                5   4  1   56  37 +19   12 Q
3 Tropicorp                  5   1  4   51  52  −1    3
4 Pius Desurongcrandis       5   0  5   41  72 −31    0

Group 5
HUElavia 18–13 Quebec and Shingoryeo
Natanians and Nosts 13–3 Arengard

* Group 5                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                   5   5  0   67  37 +30   15 Q
2 Natanians and Nosts        5   2  3   50  49  +1    6
3 Arengard                   5   2  3   38  55 −17    6
4 Quebec and Shingoryeo      5   1  4   52  66 −14    3

Remember: Tomorrow night is the off day for the New Year's Holiday. There will be a scorination on the evening of New Year's Day

[StrayaRoos]

StrayaRoos 5-8 Kriegiersien
StrayaRoos Scorers:Yuga Kiuba 13,24,55 Jake Reaqej 44 Yuro Kiuba 59
Kriegiersien Scorers:Hirn 5,26,48,60 Sceletor 9,37,42,53
Quarter By Quarter
STR 1-2 KRI
STR 1-1 KRI
STR 1-2 KRI
STR 2-3 KRI

Yuga Kiuba had another (Relatively) Clean Day but it Had the Team Knocked out of WLC39 In the Group phase With Yuga on an Unbelievable 19 Goals in 5 Games and announced He will Return for WLC40

[The Cordian Isles]

The Cordian All-Star

---

WLC: Final Day Possibilities and Predictions!

... because our Power Rankings went sooooo well, we decided to up the ante. Today, we'll be looking at all the different possibilities for knockout qualifications, and predicting the matches as we go.

Group 1
Melbergia v. Kriegiersen
Prediction: Kriegiersen
Kriegiersen's only losses have been to Baker Park, and there's no reason to think that won't continue.

Baker Park v. StrayaRoos
Prediction: Baker Park
It would be an incredible upset for StrayaRoos to defeat Baker Park, in Baker Park no less. The Elks should cruise through this one pretty easily.

Qualifying:
Baker Park and Kriegiersen have already qualified. They're only playing for honor and seeding now.

Group 2
Hannasea v. Sarzonia
Prediction: Sarzonia
As much as we'd like to say Hannasea here, there's almost no chance. Sarzonia has had close games with Cordia and Bollonich but had no trouble in dispatching Hannasea at home. They might have a bit more trouble this time around, but it should be an easy win overall.

Bollonich v. The Cordian Isles
Prediction: Bollonich
Part of this is that we don't want to jinx it, for sure. But Bollonich has played Sarzonia very close twice and certainly could defeat Cordia here, at home. This match's score alone will determine both teams' qualification or non-qualification to the knockouts.

Qualifying:
Cordia currently holds the head-to-head and head-to-head goal differential advantage, having beaten Bollonich by three on the third matchday. This means they can afford a loss by up to two to Bollonich and still qualify. A victory would advance them to the knockouts automatically. Sarzonia has already qualified and Hannasea has been eliminated.
Prediction: Cordia to the knockouts
No real reason, other than that Cordia knows exactly what they need to do and that can be hard to overcome.

Group 3
Ranoria v. Taxonomic Kingdoms
Prediction: Ranoria
The first upset prediction! Taxonomic Kingdoms has not quite played their rank and is coming off an eight-goal home loss to Delaclava. Ranoria, at home, has a very good chance to pull off the upset.

Delaclava v. Abanhfleft
Prediction: Abanhfleft
Abanhfleft has come back with a vengeance since dropping their first three matches, and is not out of the competition. Delaclava's been good, but the former champions should be able to take the win and give themselves a shot at qualification.

Qualifying:
The victor of Ranoria-Taxonomic Kingdoms automatically advances. From there, things get a bit mucky. The Delaclava-Abanhfleft victor will be equal on points with the Ranoria-Taxonomic Kingdoms loser, meaning tiebreakers will be in play for this one. Delaclava holds the head-to-head over Taxonomic Kingdoms with a +5 H2H goal differential, but drops the tiebreaker against Ranoria, having lost twice to that team. Abanhfleft also loses the head-to-head against Ranoria with a -4 H2H GD, but ties with Taxonomic Kingdoms on both head-to-head tiebreakers, so the next is goal differential. The Kingdoms have the advantage there, but if they lose and Abanhfleft wins, there's no telling what that stat could end up being. Also, Ranoria having the head-to-head advantages over both Abanhfleft and Delaclava means that... Ranoria has actually already qualified for the knockouts! Congratulations to them.
To summarize:
Delaclava over Abanhfleft: Delaclava advances if Kingdoms lose, is eliminated if Ranoria loses.
Abanhfleft over Delaclava: Abanhfleft may advance on GD if Kingdoms lose, is eliminated if Ranoria loses.
Taxonomic Kingdoms: Must win to guarantee advance, if they lose and Delaclava wins, they're eliminated. If they lose and Abanhfleft wins, it goes to GD.
Ranoria is in.
Prediction: Abanhfleft joins Ranoria in the knockouts.
We have faith that the defending champions will pull it out, either by winning by enough goals or by the Kingdoms losing by enough.

Group 4
Banija v. Cassadaigua
Prediction: Cassadaigua
This one is a toss-up, but we think that the Dagans will want this more than the Banijans and will end up taking the win.

Tropicorp v. Pius Desurongcrandis
Prediction: Tropicorp
Tropicorp's had a rough go of it, but they beat the living daylights out of Pius Desurongcrandis the last time they met. We think they'll win again, especially now playing at home.

Qualification:
Banija and Cassadaigua have already qualified, this final day will only affect seeding.

Group 5
Quebec and Shingoryeo v. Natanians and Nosts
Prediction: Natanians and Nosts
They're coming off a 13-3 destruction of Arengard, and we think they'll take the momentum and the win.

Arengard v. HUElavia
Prediction: HUElavia
Arengard will be hungry for the win, but going up against the world's fifth-ranked nation... it's just plain unlikely.

Qualification:
Natanians and Nosts have the H2H GD over Arengard, so a win or an Arengard loss will be enough to advance. Arengard needs a win and a Natanians and Nosts loss. HUElavia is qualified and Quebec has been eliminated.
Prediction: Natanians and Nosts join HUElavia in the knockouts.
If an Arengard win is very unlikely on its own, a win and a loss for Natanians and Nosts are even more so.

That's all for possibilities and predictions, so here are the matches to watch as the WLC group stage comes to a close:
Bollonich v. Cordia
Ranoria v. Taxonomic Kingdoms
Delaclava v. Abanhfleft
Banija v. Cassadaigua
Quebec and Shingoryeo v. Natanians and Nosts
Arengard v. HUElavia

[Abanhfleft]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independent sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Lacrosse Lamentations
with Aisling Keane

How in the world is it possible that the Amazons may still have a chance of actually salvaging this whole tournament into something good? This is literally a scenario that not even the most positive of Fleftic lax fans would have or even could have dreamed of! From starting off the 39th World Lacrosse Championships 0-for-3, the Amazons now might just have a chance to sneak into the playoffs should things fall their way! How is this even possible? How did we find ourselves in this situation? And what in the world do we need to do to actually get out of here and move on to the playoffs instead of booking another early flight back home from Cassadaigua? Do we really actually have a chance or are we just deluding ourselves once again?

We managed to survive our return match against the Hermit Crabs of the Taxonomic Kingdoms, but those giant crabs were nothing compared to the dread that we Fleftic fans were feeling when we knew that we had to go up against Ranoria next. We already know of their reputation for being ruthless and no-nonsense players who just straight up wouldn’t take no for an answer. I could make some sort of joke about consent here but that would be completely crass and tasteless, so I will refrain and continue on with my lamentations for lacrosse. Anyway, Abanhfleft versus Ranoria, part two. Like the last time that we met these bruisers, Ranoria didn’t give our lasses (and lads) a lot of time to concentrate on the task at hand, which was scoring more goals than their opponents. However, it would seem that the Ranorians had a little too much fun kicking us around the last time because they actually spent more of their time doing that (kicking us around) instead of doing what they were actually supposed to do (score more goals than us). That may have played a role in the Amazons winning what was now probably a grudge match, but the win didn’t come easily, that was for sure.

Reagan Lucero, who barely survived the first meeting with Ranoria with both legs intact, took on the mantle of team leader in the quote-unquote "absence" of Jenelle Eure. Oh, don't get me wrong, Jenelle was still out there playing, but it wasn't for a very long time. She was also receiving a lot of attention from our Ranorian opponents which essentially marked her out of the Amazons' offense, thus why Reagan had to take the reins herself and steer this flagging campaign of ours away from the rocky shore of elimination for at least one more game. Reagan didn't score a lot of goals in this second meeting with Ranoria, but she was more involved in the passing side of things. She was basically the person assisting everyone else into scoring for the Amazons. And yes, it wasn't a lot of assists, I'll admit, but they all added up in the grand scheme of things. Look, the whole game was just not a very conducive environment for goals to be scored. Everyone was just busy body-checking each other ice hockey style. Lots of buggers got their penalty minutes on, although all of them combined still probably doesn't beat the "record" of that young hothead from StrayaRoos, Yuji Kaiba or whatever his name really is. But Reagan Lucero did score the two fourth quarter goals that sealed the win in favor of Abanhfleft. A box score of 2-2, 1-1, 3-3, and 2-1 doesn't really say a lot about the game itself, but trust me, a lot of things definitely happened there. The fact that the Amazons won might actually be the most surprising one there is though.

And now we have one more game to play, against the Phoenixes of Delaclava. They already beat us before, and in possibly the most heartbreaking way possible. Will they be able to repeat that feat and ensure Abanhfleft's early disqualification from the WLC playoffs, or can the Amazons pull off one more magic trick and perform the greatest of all escapes? A lot of things still need to happen for such a scenario to unfold, such as Ranoria winning over the Taxonomic Kingdoms at the same time as an Abanhfleft win over Delaclava to secure passage to the next round (or was it the other way around?) Either way, the next game could very well be the most important one for these women (and men!) And it's not even a bloody WLC final to boot. This WLC really has thrown a lot of spanners into the works these past few days, hasn't it?

[Banija]

"Winner-Take-All"- Battle in Herzegovina City between Banija and Casssadaigua to determine winner of group

HERZEGOVINA CITY, MORAVICA REGION- Banija's lacrosse team is 5-0. You can say what you want- but undefeated after five games, is undefeated after five games. That's one way to look at things for this national team. On the other hand, this team is probably the most uninspiring 5-0 team of the entire tournament. For a team ranked #2 in the world, having placed in three consecutive tournaments, and sitting pretty at 5-0, they have not looked the part. "You are what your record says you are- and our record says we are 5-0. Not perfect, but undefeated." Budaye said in a press conference before the Cassadaigua match. "We've got a huge game, winner-take-all. It's going to be a fantastic atmosphere in Herzegovina City, giving the Cassadagans the taste of a true road game, in a truly hostile environment, before they return to the friendly confines of their home stadiums for the knockout stages."

With the top group runner-up also getting a first round bye, Banija has clinched a first round bye at the tournament and a trip directly to the quarterfinals. However, of course, there are plenty of benefits to winning the group. "It's all about who you play in the next round, and when you play them." Allen Budaye, the Head Coach, said. "If we lose this game and we're the #6 seed, we're going to be paired with the #3 overall seed. That's likely to be HUElavia, who has been utterly dominant on the offensive end. They've scored 67 goals through five matches. Or, of course, we could get Baker Park, who have also looked like the class of international lacrosse over the past few weeks. Or, of course, Sarzonia- and we don't need to mention how good they are." But if Banija wins the game, they can avoid all three undefeated group leaders in the first round. Banija would almost assuredly be the #4 seed, which would place the team in a matchup with either the Taxonomic Kingdoms, or a tantalizing one with Ranoria.

What are the keys to the matchup? "Well, most unfortunately, we've been defined by slow starts at this tournament so far." Head Coach Allen Budaye. "Eventually, those kind of games are going to doom us- we can't keep having comeback win after comeback win. It is an unsustainable way to win games at the highest levels. So what we need to do, is stay focused, and get off to quite a blitzing start here in Herzegovina City." He said that to ensure that the team can do that, they would focus on bringing energy, especially from the field. They shouldn't need to 'feel their way' into a game as much, considering the team has already played Cassadaigua. If the coaches and players can figure out how to take an early lead, they can do what past teams have done so well for so many years- getting into a lead, and then simply squeezing the life out of a game with quality defending and solid possession.

He said that he had great respect for the Cassadagan legend across the field from him. "I've seen what Jessica Crockett can do on a lacrosse field, and my heavens, she's one of the best I've ever seen." Budaye said. "She's shown that she can coach- we had one hell of a tactical matchup last time around in Cassadaigua. Even though she's on the road now, I expect her to bring tactical wrinkles. She wants to win the group, she knows that there will be pressure to succeed on home soil. But she's gonna have to win a road game to do it. I expect her to pull out all the stops to try and win this game, and the mental battles will be key here. Not only between myself and her- but how quickly our players can dissect tactics, keeping effective communication from the bench to the turf. There's got to be excellence all the way across the board in the mental aspect of the game, to beat a team coached by Crockett. They will come out differently, and come out with high energy, and I will, alongside 33,000 passionate Banijans, ensure that our team can match them as we attempt to go 6-0."

[Sarzonia]

Time was running out for Sarzonia and its 23-match winning streak looked to be in jeopardy.

The Stars were down by one goal with 38 seconds remaining, but then faceoff specialist Noah Ryanson scooped up a draw and sprinted toward Bandits goalkeeper Salvador Tritten. He fired a bounce shot that slipped through Tritten's legs and into the goal to even the score.

Then the Bandits looked again like they would bring Sarzonia's streak to an ignominious end when they scored twice to open overtime period. That's when Colin Grassley and Nick Loewen decided they would not allow Sarzonia to lose. Grassley scored first, cutting the Bollonichian lead to one goal with a minute remaining. Loewen drew the score level 22 seconds later, then it was Grassley once again as the clock showed just two seconds remaining.

All that was left was a faceoff win for Ryanson, but that even didn't matter as the Bandits couldn't get a shot on Stars goalie Matt Henning in the time left. Sarzonia prevailed 10-9 in overtime, improving to 5-0 in this abbreviated group stage, winning their 24th consecutive match in WLC play, and clinching the group title.

They would have one meaningless away contest against already eliminated Hannasea before the trip to Cassadaigua. That match will give manager Jordan Helms an opportunity to play his depth players. It will also give Sarzonia a chance to play with slightly less intensity.

Doesn't mean they will, though.

"We didn't get where we are by not playing focused," Henning said. "We don't take our foot off the petrol."

[Cassadaigua]

Crockett’s #11 Retired,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Prior to Cassadaigua’s game against Tropicorp in Concord Heights, a historic ceremony took place as long time attacker Jessica Crockett saw her #11 retired from national team play. It would become the first number retired from a Cassadagan national team in a sport other than soccer. That seems a little unusual, since the baseball team would have had many great candidates for the honor, but that sport, like others, have opted to keep issuing the same jersey numbers out to new players after superstars retire. This has led some to speculate many different things, such as whether or not we will start seeing it in other sports. No one would argue that Crockett is not deserving, as she participated in numerous editions of the World Lacrosse Championships and is now the head coach of the team.

Prior members of the team were on hand for the ceremony, and this even included Sarah Cortez, the former coach that Jessica did not always have a great relationship with. She was given a golden lacrosse stick by CLASS in addition to the honor. “I want to thank everyone for this tremendous honor,” Crockett said during her ceremony speech, “I devoted my life to the sport and obviously that is still the case right now. Thank you all, now, let’s play!” In a defensive battle, Cassadaigua prevailed over Tropicorp, 5-4. Courtney Schulz scored the eventual game winning goal with 7:20 left in the fourth quarter. At the time, it gave Cassadaigua a 5-3 lead. “There was not much that came easy today,” Schulz said, “but we grinded this one out. You have to win this type of match, and we obviously did.” Cassadaigua clinched a playoff spot, and will conclude their group stage schedule against Banija.

[Delaclava]

Rock Paper Scissors

We don't know what the Phoenixes will do, so let's just shut up and watch

This is the part of the program where we are forced to eat our words.

Shortly after we published a piece titled "Phoenixes come back to the reality that they will usually lose to better teams", the Delaclava national lacrosse team reminded us there has been nothing usual about them, or the year or so they've had, earning their second top-10 win on the road with a 20-12 smashing of #6 Taxonomic Kingdoms, remarkably keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Let's look at some of the criticisms we levied in that writing:

Their offensive gameplan largely relies on the individual creativity of Grigor Padun, and that's not a hard puzzle to solve in the same way a multi-faceted attack is.

Sure, Padun was again the focal point of the offense, scoring eight goals, but the usual starters of Michael Querrey and Galen Wright really were responsible for a lot of the passing and off-the-ball motion, and debutants David Gaborov and Patrice Vidal made their presence felt in a big way, adding three goals each. Besides, with some of the pretty moves Padun was making, the Hermit Crab defenses was having a hard time enough against him alone. Against the entirety of the offense, they were shell shocked.

After the Phoenixes lost to Ranoria for the second time, we praised the Krauts accordingly:

...they learned their lessons and improved from the first meeting to the second. They are, in many ways, the team that Delaclava is not - physically strong, skilled, possessing great chemistry and an effective gameplan...

Well then, how about the Phoenixes did? Rematches are supposed to favor the better teams. A top-ranked team like Taxonomic Kingdoms should be able to learn their lessons about an unknown quantity and make the second game easier. What instead? The guys figured out how to stay out of the claws of the defense, how to work their way through the hard exterior of the likes of Coenobita purpureus and Birgus latro. Not everyone's physical gifts are the same, but the Phoenixes have great speed, agility, and finesse, and they figured out how to put it all together, leaving the Taxonomic Kingdoms team crab-walking just trying to keep up. Credit to Lachlan Morris and the whole staff for what they were able to figure out in such a short time.

They are young and talented, but individually green and collectively incohesive.

Well, they looked pretty damn cohesive tonight. They had the fewest turnovers of the tournament so far, were communicating smoothly, constantly supportive - and played a complete sixty minutes for the win. Who cares if they're green - they've got to earn their stripes sometime. Why not now?

And, finally:

Most of the starters either haven't hit their prime yet or are seeing it in the rearview mirror.

You can't judge a guy's prime ahead of time; you can only see it in hindsight. Sure, maybe we thought Vidal and Brian Vandevelde and Otis Keller weren't ready for the big show yet, or that Ben Rosen and Frankie Joseph had nothing good left in their legs. Every game that these guys step on the field and put on a show, we can only reassess what we thought we knew.

We wondered if:

an improved version of the Phoenixes could... maybe steal another win against a top team, and suddenly find themselves in the playoffs of the World Lacrosse Championship for the first time in the modern era.

Well, here we are. By the chalk, they've "stolen" two big wins. If they take a third against Abanhfleft, and Ranoria also defeats the Hermit Crabs, the Phoenixes will indeed, against the odds, reach the knockouts. They'll be getting the best of Amazons, who also may sneak into Cassadaigua with a win. But Delaclava gets to do it in Catherina this time. It's all of a privilege, a unique challenge, and a rite of passage for a Delaclav national team.

We don't know how they'll do, and at this point, we don't care to guess. But we're sure not going to miss it.

[Cassadaigua]

Matchday 6:

Group 1
Kriegiersien 9–9 Melbergia (11–9 OT)
Baker Park 13–1 StrayaRoos

* Group 1                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Baker Park                 6   6  0   84  34 +50   18
2 Kriegiersien               6   4  2   58  61  −3   12
3 Melbergia                  6   1  5   57  63  −6    3
4 StrayaRoos                 6   1  5   29  70 −41    3

Group 2
Hannasea 6–18 Sarzonia
Bollonich 5–12 The Cordian Isles

* Group 2                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                   6   6  0   81  38 +43   18
2 The Cordian Isles          6   4  2   59  49 +10   12
3 Bollonich                  6   2  4   64  52 +12    6
4 Hannasea                   6   0  6   34  99 −65    0

Group 3
Ranoria 15–3 Taxonomic Kingdoms
Delaclava 9–10 Abanhfleft

* Group 3                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ranoria                    6   4  2   70  49 +21   12
2 Abanhfleft                 6   3  3   55  60  −5    9
3 Taxonomic Kingdoms         6   3  3   60  74 −14    9
4 Delaclava                  6   2  4   74  76  −2    6

Abanhfleft over Taxonomic Kingdoms on Overall GD. H2H tied 1-1, and H2H GD was even.

Group 4
Banija 12–7 Cassadaigua
Tropicorp 10–10 Pius Desurongcrandis (12–11 OT)

* Group 4                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Banija                     6   6  0   72  54 +18   18
2 Cassadaigua                6   4  2   63  49 +14   12
3 Tropicorp                  6   2  4   63  63   0    6
4 Pius Desurongcrandis       6   0  6   52  84 −32    0

Group 5
Quebec and Shingoryeo 7–17 Natanians and Nosts
Arengard 4–6 HUElavia

* Group 5                  Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                   6   6  0   73  41 +32   18
2 Natanians and Nosts        6   3  3   67  56 +11    9
3 Arengard                   6   2  4   42  61 −19    6
4 Quebec and Shingoryeo      6   1  5   59  83 −24    3

Preliminary Round Bye, Seeds 1-6: (1) Baker Park, (2) Sarzonia, (3) HUElavia, (4) Banija, (5) Ranoria, (6) Cassadaigua.
Quarterfinal opponents are TBD for Baker Park and Sarzonia, however HUElavia vs Cassadaigua (@ Dagan Airways Stadium, Concord Heights) and Banija vs Ranoria (@ Cocoa-bo Stadium, Starksville) are locked in. Baker Park will play at Five Star Mobile Stadium, Brattleboro; and Sarzonia will play at Peak'n'Break Stadium, Grande Mountain

Preliminary Round Games:
(7) The Cordian Isles vs (10) Abanhfleft @ Qusmair Stadium, New Lakeland
(8) Kriegiersien vs (9) Natanians and Nosts @ Cassgo Stadium, Victoriaville

Note: Sunday is an offday. The preliminary round is Monday with quarterfinals Tuesday.

[Hannasea]

Posted on the In Brief section of the GS SuperSports+ website.

Hannasean national team visit children's hospital

The Hannasean national team have visited the Pearl City Children's Hospital. "It just so desperately sad, seeing the hopelessness in their eyes," said Byron, aged 6.

[Ranoria]

Battle-Tested Krauts Shock The World! (Or at least anyone who's watching) Can The Underdogs Do It Again Against Banija?

With a Group 3 championship on the line, Ranoria welcomed the Taxonomic Kingdoms' Hermit Crabs to Smith Field in the nation's capitol with open arms. They'd suffered a stinging defeat to an anatomically unique foe earlier in the season, but they were ready now with an adjusted gameplan.

That gameplan, really, was just to not play their usual physical style.

Against Hermit Crabs who didn't even notice their hits enough to shrug them off, trying to literally knock them off their game was useless. So instead defenders Viggo Grayson, Sam Frodin, Miranda Blanchett, and Orlando Rhys-Davies put together their best WLC performance to date, leading the charge to hold the visiting squad to just three points on crimson turf that's become an omen of doom to any visiting team.

"We put together a great gameplan and stuck with it," said the star of this team, Viggo Grayson, "It was a tough week of preparation, but we're happy to have put it together. On the to the playoffs." Ranoria has of course clinched those, but notably they are the only winner of any group to not go undefeated.

It should be noted that every other Group Winner of WLC 39 finished the group stage undefeated. Banija, Baker Park, and Sarzonia all went largely unchallenged with 6-0 marks and look to be the favorites going in, while Ranoria sits at 4-2, a significant mark down from those top teams. Twi.ttur had something to say about that, of course.

@Vick_Hamilton_Reporter WLC 39 Group Winners. Lol the Krauts #Overrated

When asked about his teams' record as compared to the championship favorites, Grayson seemed unfazed.

"Those unbeaten teams haven't had to overcome any adversity. We took Delaclava to overtime in our first game against them, and won. Came back from a stinging defeat against the Hermit Crabs to maul them in our group stage finale. We're battle-tested, and when it comes down to who wants it more, we've got that on anyone."

With the win, Ranoria moves to 3-0 at home on the season, and has an excellent point differential there, scoring 38 goals and conceding only 14 at Smith Field, coming in the form of 3 from the Taxonomic Kingdoms, 4 from Abahnfleft, and the 7 from Delaclava's Phoenixes being the most any team scored in Richardson this season. Viggo's crew have been dominant there, but away...not so much.

On the road, the Krauts went 1-2. Their offense took a bit of a dip, scoring 32 goals away from home against 38 at home, but the defense went from shutdown to porous, allowing more than twice over the goals they did at home with 37 concessions on the road. The two road losses, largely a result of our defense, hurt but a fortunate (and perhaps lucky) sweep of Delaclava still let us finish the season with a group-winning 4-2 record. The performance in the group stage has earned these Krauts their second straight postseason berth, coming in the form of a quarterfinal date with Banija's illustrious squad. Banija is the major rival for Ranoria in gridiron, though they tend to outshine our homeland in most other arenas by a good margin. A win here would give us the leg up on them in at least one other category.

But that will be no easy task. The Banijan squad is the second ranked in the world, with a 102-40 overall record in the WLC and a 6-0 mark in this regular season, and have had a host of successes in their history, earning silver medals in the 21st, 34th, and 38th editions to go along with bronze finishes in the 22nd, 25th, 31st, 36th, and 37th renditions. However, they have never managed to push through, take that next step, and finally win it all. This season, they're certainly on the right track, but our Krauts will be looking to spoil their bid to overtake the Sarzonian dynasty with a first round upset. Hey, we've pulled it off before! You'll recall the 15-10 victory over Abahnfleft in our first trip to the WLC, and taking Baker Park's decorated team down to the wire in an 11-10 loss in the second round.

We know our squad can play, and we know they want another shot at that aforementioned Baker Park team sooner rather than later.

So for now, the girls and boys in red will prepare to do battle with the Banijan National team, with only victory on their minds. Can they pull it off? Probably not, but we'll root for our loveable upstarts all the same!

[The Cordian Isles]

The Bollonischians left the field, looking defeated. Nickerson Field was quiet. Under the lights and the night sky, the home team had been soundly dealt with by the invaders. The Cordians opened with a barrage, five goals in the first quarter and eight by the half, and there was no coming back from down 8-2. The worst part for the Bollonischians was that with a win, they likely would have advanced. But by the end of the first quarter, the team's shoulders were slumped and little cheering could be heard, even when they did score. In contrast, the Cordians played energetic, physical lacrosse for the full match.

Nils was proud. His team had faced two crucial matches against a similar-ranked team and come out on top both times, only losing in the group stage to the first-ranked Sarzonians. Now they were headed to the knockouts for the second time in two competitions. He high-fived each of his players as they headed to the locker room. He gave them a bit of time to settle down and talk before walking in himself.

"Alright, listen up. Great game, we're in the knockouts now. We'll be flying to Cassadaigua in about a week. We don't know who we'll be playing yet, but it'll be stiff competition. Practices will be every day, and they'll be hard, because today isn't the final goal, nor is it the end of the road for us. We want to be a threat, we want to scare some of these big teams, and we want nothing less than to win this tournament. We can do it, too. Play like you did today, and we can definitely do it."

---

Nobody slept until late that night; it was lucky their flight back to Cordia was at noon. They were all glued to the TV in the hotel lobby, having changed the channel to show lacrosse. It was Abanhfleft against Delaclava, a match that went down to the wire, with Abanhfleft the victors in the end. The standings and potential bracket matchups were shown in the post-match coverage... and it was then that the Cordians realized that there was a very good chance they'd end up playing Abanhfleft in the playoff round. It was just short of certain, really.

The next morning brought the confirmation and set Niklas Aasen laughing when he was told. The others looked at him, confused. He looked at Nils.

"Well, coach, time to scare some of those big teams."

Nobody else found this very funny.

---

Nils' pregame speech was short and to the point. "Win or lose, we've played well this tournament. Let's get 'em." The team gathered in the center of the room. Selma Lier stood in the middle. Today she went with the classic team chant: "I believe". And right then, they believed it. Every player could count on every other player to show up and work their hardest that day, no matter the stage or the opponent. Many of the players on this team had now been together for fourteen matches on the biggest stage in lacrosse. Not many compared to the leagues, but at that level of competition, bonds and trust formed quickly, or else the team would likely fall apart.

They stood there together for a while, and before long it was time to play.

The team filed out of the locker room, through the tunnel, and onto the field. The fans cheered, filling the stadium with noise as the opposing sides walked out of their tunnels. They went through the pregame formalities and each team took to its sideline. The starters got into position. Torstein Aasland took a deep breath and lined up against his Fleftic opposite for the faceoff. The whistle sounded, they went for the ball, and the battle began.

[Abanhfleft]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independent sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Lacrosse Lamentations
with Aisling Keane

It’s not possible. It shouldn’t be possible. There’s no way on God’s green earth that this should have been possible. Abanhfleft doesn’t pull off miracles. Abanhfleft doesn’t do great escapes. We just don’t do it. We either dominate a tournament so much that everyone else is just swept up along with the wave, or we crash and burn in the most spectacular way possible. That was supposed to be the ending of our campaign in the 39th World Lacrosse Championships, crashing and burning and bowing out of the group stage after losing our first three games in the thing. But somehow, somehow, we have made it through to the playoffs, and I’m still trying to piece together how we actually did it. But we did it. The bloody Amazons actually did it. They turned the tables on the very same Delaclava team that had once put their entire campaign in jeopardy and beat the Phoenixes, thus denying the other team the chance to advance to the playoffs at our expense.

There was no denying that a lot of things, and I do mean a lot, had to go our way before we could even consider booking that trip to Cassadaigua. Not only did the Amazons have to win against Delaclava, Ranoria also had to beat the Taxonomic Kingdoms to help us through. And Ranoria had to really stomp on those Hermit Crabs if we wanted to go through. Well, they held up their end of the bargain, so now it was time for us to uphold ours. The brutality of this particular campaign had taken its toll on the Amazons captain Jenelle Eure, and she was becoming more of a bit player in this story. The spotlight was settling more and more on Reagan Lucero, who was beginning to feel more and more comfortable in this new leadership role she had assumed upon herself. And with reinforcements from the bench such as Dennis Koizumi and Vanessa Kim pulling their weight and backing up Lucero, it was now getting harder and harder to not believe that these particular bunch of Amazons could pull off the impossible and turn a campaign that had started with three consecutive losses 360 degrees and sneak into the playoffs. But they did.

Not to say that it was easy though; no sir, it wasn't. Delaclava really made us fight for every single goal that the Amazons scored, and they always kept themselves within arm's reach. They didn't let themselves get blown out of the water like what happened a few WLCs ago, and for that they have earned my respect. It's one thing to accept that there was a chance that you could lose this game, and another thing entirely to keep fighting and ensure as much as possible that the chance doesn't come to pass. Well, obviously it didn't work, since the Amazons are the ones going through and the Phoenixes are the ones staying at home, but the fight that they showed was very much commendable. I can only hope that the Amazons show similar resolve and determination when the cards slowly begin to stack against them.

And indeed, the odds are still stacked against the Amazons because they've still to go through a preliminary playoff round before they can go through to the quarterfinals along with another team. The team we are going up against this time is the Cordian Isles. They're relative newcomers to the world of sport at large, but in lacrosse they've already made waves seeing as they're now the 16th best lacrosse-playing nation in the multiverse according to the World Lacrosse Championships rankings. How accurate reality is from the rankings, I do not know. But the Cordians are certainly a capable and powerful bunch whom you really don't want to mess with. It's gonna take another titanic performance from the Amazons, like the one they did against Delaclava to set up this national team's surprise entry into the playoffs of the 39th WLC, but the Cordians are a completely new and different kettle of fish. They're not going to make it any easier than it ever was before. If we beat the Cordian Isles, it might well be the greatest game these people have ever played.