(Note: V-League 30 will determine the qualifiers for the 40th UICA Championships and related International Cycle)
SECOND HALF SUMMARY
V-League: 30th Season Tropical Trophy
The Tropical Trophy was contested earlier by Jungle Strike FC and the Turoki Tide, a detailed report available in this previous Newswire
The Tropical Trophy was contested earlier by Jungle Strike FC and the Turoki Tide, a detailed report available in this previous Newswire
The Mid-Season Summary and Table is available in this previous Newswire. Junlge Strike FC (30p) held a 4 point lead on the Turoki Tide (26p) with Kiiarana (25p) and Mliona-Lpaka Turori (25p) within close range. At the bottom of the table, winless Morata Valley (3p) and Kiiara-Torra (11p) occupied the relegation zone.
THROUGH MATCHDAY 16:
The Tide suffered yet another shock result as play resumed, being held to a draw with Morata Valley who picked up their 4th point of the season in the process. Kiiarana was victorious over Mliona-Lpaka allowing them to leapfrog the Tide to second place in the table, 3 points behind Strike. But Strike's 2-0 victory over the Yeaddin Owls on Matchday 15 allowed them to open the lead back up to 5 points as the rest of the top 4 all drew.
2nd and 3rd placed Kiiarana and Turoki Tide squared off on matchday 16 knowing that realistically one of them had to win to have a chance at keeping pace with Strike. Unfortunately, neither side wanted to be the one to lose and the match ended in a goalless draw while Strike disposed of Mliona-Lpaka 3-0 to open the lead to 7 points.
THROUGH MATCHDAY 20:
Strike continued their march toward the title with a confident 2-0 victory over Arcticala Inlet while the Turoki Tide's magic run seemed to be heading offshore as Cednia Beach washed them away to move into second place. Indeed, the Tide were well and truly out of the title hunt as Strike came into town on Matchday 18 getting revenge for the Tide's early season victory with a 2-0 triumph that not only knocked the Tide out of the title race, but put them in danger of missing out on a Champions League place as they fell into the grasp of the Electricians.
Things only continued to get worse for the Tide who had incredibly failed to win since the seasons half-way point and had fallen from title challengers to being indanger of not only missing out on the most prestigious of UICA competitions, but of even not being the best team in Turoki as they fell 17 points off the lead and just two points above Turoki United after a Lorenzo Borromeo double clinched Kionao Locals 3-0 win over the Tide on Matchday 19. Morata Valley finally recorded their first victory of the season over Kiiara-Torra but still found themselves 11 points adrift of safety and simply awaiting the formality of relegation.
If anyone was going to catch Strike, 3rd Placed Kiiarana City would have to stop the locomotive run at home on Matchday 20. It was not to be, however, goals from Yves Gadois and Aniara Jiurjai clinched yet another victory for unstoppable Strike who were well ahead of the previous seasons pace, 10 points clear of Cednia Beach with 6 games to play. The Turoki Tide remained winless in the second half of the season with a 1-1 draw in the crucial derby against Turoki United while Arcticala Inlet kept pace with their 2-1 victory over Makosile that saw a rare goal from Mangolana's JD Fuller in a losing effort.
THE STRETCH RUN:
The final nail in the coffin came on Matchday 21 as second place Cednia Beach, trailing by 10 points going into the match, travelled to the Lonngeylin Coliseum as one last team having one last chance to break the momentum of the leaders. It was not to be, however, as Strike scratched out their 17th win of the season to take a 13 point lead over the Coconuts with just 15 points to play for. The real focus would now turn to the coveted UICA champions league places, with Turorian side Mliona-Lpaka sitting 5th, could they make a run to take honestly the second Turorian-earned champions league place away from either Kiiarana City or Arcticala Inlet before seasons end.
As if it was a joke played on the rest of the league by the schedule maker, Strike hosted Morata Valley on Matchday 22 in a match that would inevitably make official on both ends of the table what had been painfully obvious to all since the seasons midway point. Strike were Champions and Morata Valley were going to finish bottom. The 3-0 drubbing was certainly expected as the Venom won their 8th straight league match to clinch the title in front of their home fans and send Morata Valley packing to the Declasse after a 4-season stay in the top flight where they failed to crack the top half of the table, losing over half of their games and nearly becoming the second team (Mavaloiao, Season 17) to finish a Stellar Division season without a victory. The battle to finish in the top 4 was heating up, however, as Kiiarana was held to a draw by Turoki United allowing Mliona-Lpaka to close within 4 points. The Turoki Tide finally recorded their first win of the second half of the season, a 3-1 result over relegation threatened. Kiiara-Torra
Mliona-Lpaka's dreams of Champions League competition were soured with a shock defeat to relegated Morata Valley on Matchday 23, leaving the Turorian side 7 points out of 4th with 3 games to play. At the other end of the table, Kiiara-Torra got a crucial win over Colonial Sile to set up an engaging fight to avoid the drop with four teams level on 22 points heading into the final stretch.
The top 4 sealed their places in the UICA Champions League on Matchday 24 as Arcticala Inlet did the dirty work defeating Mliona-Lpaka 2-1 through yet another Camthalio Ringeril goal. The battle for second was still fierce, however, Kiiarana temporarily jumping into the spot after winning the Kiiara derby after Cednia Beach was held to a draw against Makosile. At the bottom of the table, Kionao Locals recorded a crucial victory over relegated Morata Valley to pull clear of the pack.
On the penultimate matchday, Kiiarana kept its hold on the runner-up spot with a 2-0 win over relegation threatened Turoki Isle and Cednia Beach kept pace with a 3-0 win over equally threatened Kiiara-Torra setting up a final matchday duel for the honors of bridesmaid. At the other end of the table, the Yeaddin Owls victory over Colonial Sile steered them all but clear of the relegation zone while Kionao Locals were officially safe after their 1-1 draw with Turoki United. At the top of the table, Strike's magnificent winning run came to an end in a 1-1 draw with Makosile. The draw left Strike on 62 points with one match to play, tying their best league performance ever.
THE DECISIVE FINISH:
Inevitably, the top 4 all took care of business on the final matchday, and the relegation battlers were all defeated leaving the final table unchanged from the penultimate matchday. Bottom of the table Morata Valley took a final 'momentum' victory with them to the Declasse, their 3rd of the season, while Turoki Isle were relegated just as quickly as they had returned. At the top of the table Strike FC turned a slow start into a record season riding a 20 match unbeaten streak to a club-record 21 Victories and their 10th Stellar Division title, placing them just 2 shy of the Yeaddin Owls previous untouchable total of 12.
Kiiarana also recorded by far their best Stellar Division performance in history, earning a place in the UICA Champions League for their efforts with 51 points proving that sometimes, money isn't always the answer. Kiiarana had stocked up on players for Season 29 only to see a mediocre 6th place finish. The chemistry was right in Season 30 after offloading many players to the Turoki Tide who let a strong start slip away, missing out on the Champions League after finishing in 5th place.
Strike's Yves Gadois took the top goalscorer award
PRE-SEASON STORY LINES REVISITED:
++ THE RISE OF THE TIDE? - The Turoki Tide looked to be making good on the promise of being title challengers again at the midway point staying with a few points of the leaders, but it all fell apart in the second half of the season as the Tide went 10 matches without a win to drop out of the Champions League places. After the high of winning their first major silverware in the Tropical Trophy, the season will undoubtedbly be seen as a failure for the Tide who will return to the Globe Cup and regroup for another shot in Season 31.
++ KIIARANA SUCCESS? - After having to cut ties with some of their star players after a dissapointing Season 29 campaign, the remaining Kiiarana players performed solidly throughout the season and allowed Kiiarana City to edge out perennial challengers Arcticala Inlet and Cednia Beach for the runner-up position. The financial boost provided from their high placement has allowed Kiiarana to re-sign many of the players they had to depart with following Season 29; bolstering their chance in their first UICA Champions League appearance. The runner-up finish was the best for the club, bettering the 3rd place finishes achieved by the club under the reigns of Simeon Di Bradini.
++ THE OWLS MISS OUT ON INTERNATIONAL PLAY? - After missing out by one place on the UICA Globe Cup during Season 29 and not receiving an invitation to the Trofeo De Principe, the Owls were looking to respond with a strong season finishing in the International Places. However, the Owls spent much of the season fighting relegation, and once again finished as the first team that missed out on the UICA Globe Cup spots, finishing two points behind the Kionao Locals.
Champion: Jungle Strike FC (Vilita) [10th Stellar Division Championship]
Runner Up: Kiiarana City (Vilita) [Best Stellar Division Finish]
STELLAR DIVISION GP W D L GF-A PTS
1 Strike 26 2 2 3 51-7 65
2 Kiiarana 26 14 9 3 31-12 51
3 Cednia Beach 26 14 8 4 28-15 50
4 Arcticala Inlet 26 14 7 5 43-33 49
5 Turoki Tide 26 9 11 6 31-28 38
6 Mliona-Lpaka 26 10 6 10 25-33 36
7 Turoki 26 8 10 8 22-23 34
8 Colonial 26 10 2 14 23-24 32
9 Makosile 26 8 8 10 19-20 32
10 Kionao Locals 26 7 6 13 28-29 27
11 Yeaddin Owls 26 6 7 13 23-34 25
12 Kiiara-Torra 26 6 4 16 24-39 22
13 Turoki Isle 26 4 10 12 15-32 22
14 Morata Valley 26 3 6 7 18-42 15
. .
Champions Cup :: Globe Cup :: RELEGATED
The Mid-Season Summary is available in this previous Newswire. Lonngeylin Coast held a 6 point lead atop the table over reigning UICA Series 'B' Champions Cup winners Kionao Turori Locals. Mavaloiao FC and Irottea FC were 1 point behind the locals while Inland Peaks and Eastal Lunar trailed the promotion places by 3 points. Rammsissil occupied the bottom of the table without a victory while Nusira Lionta, FC Almintora and Alikki-Corra were level on points battling to avoid the final expulsion slot.
THROUGH MATCHDAY 18:
The Top of the Table Clash on Matchday 17 saw leaders Marine Coast United fall to Nusira Lionta, dropping United to second and allowing Eastal Lunar and Inland Peaks to close within 1 point of the promotion zone, the top 4 holding a 4 point gap between themselves and the middle of the pack. Crosaibi Locals and Riailia Village, the two sides invited to the Declasse at the beginning of the Season, were struggling to keep pace occupying the relegation zone.
THROUGH MATCHDAY 20:
After following Nusira Lionta and Marine Coast United for much of the season in the promotion battle, Eastal Lunar and Inland Peaks pushed their way to the top of the table with Delain Colgan scoring the winning goal for Peaks against Marine Coast United and Eastal Lunar riding a five match winning streak.
THE PROMOTION BATTLE:
Nusira Lionta were not about to give up, however, taking a 1-0 victory over Inland Peaks to move back to the top of the table with 4 games to play. Marine Coast continued a poor run of form that saw them drop 6 points from the relegation zone but cross-town rivals Crosaibi Locals fared better, crawling out of the relegation zone on goal differential as once promising Mavaloiao hit a true rut in form.
With 4 Games to play, the contestants:
1. Nusira Lionta - 42 Points
2. Eastal Lunar - 42 Points
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3. Inland Peaks - 37 Points
4. Jlinal Cove - 37 Points
5. Marine Coast - 36 Points
Eastal Lunar had the chance to clinch promotion on Matchday 24 but Marine Coast United had other ideas as they ran out 2-0 winners. The other half of Crosaibi couldn't do anything to stop Nusira Lionta clinching a return to the top flight for the third time but always as runners up, Nusira Lionta were still searching for their first Declasse title. Crosaibi and Riailia Village were level bottom on 20 points trying to catch Tivali United on 23 points with just 2 games to play.
With 2 Games to play, the contestants:
1. Nusira Lionta - 48 Points
2. Eastal Lunar - 45 Points
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3. Jlinal Cove - 41 Points
4. Marine Coast - 40 Points
5. Inland Peaks - 39 Points
Nusira Lionta were indeed confirmed as champions after Eastal Lunar's shock defeat to Mavaloiao saw them fall to just 1 point clear of Jlinal Cove, who recorded a crushing 3-0 victory over Crosaibi Locals to all but condemn the locals to relegation at the first attempt with just one match to play.
With 1 Game to play, 3 teams were left to battle for 2 spots in the Stellar Division:
1. Nusira Lionta - 49 Points (Champions)
2. Eastal Lunar - 45 Points
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3. Jlinal Cove - 44 Points
4. Inland Peaks - 42 Points
THE FINAL MATCHDAY:
It would have been far more exciting if Eastal Lunar had not lost on the previous matchday, as they hosted newly crowned champions Nusira Lionta in a 1 v. 2 matchup on the final day of play that would ultimate determine whether Eastal Lunar was playing in the Stellar or Declasse division for Season 31. Things quickly got bad for Eastal Lunar as the Champions took a 2-0 lead into half time, a result that would condemn Eastal Lunar to another season in the Declasse on goal differential if the Jlinal Cove v Lopinka match was a draw. At the other end of the table, Riailia Village needed a victory to escape the drop as it would be either them or Tivali United joining the Crosaibi Locals in a return to the ranks of the non-leaguers.
Champion: Nusira Lionta (Vilita) [Promoted to Stellar Division for Next Season]
Runner Up: Jlinal Cove (Vilita) [Promoted to Stellar Division for Next Season]
DECLASSE DIVISION GP W D L GF-A PTS
1 Nusira Lionta 26 15 7 4 23-8 52
2 Jlinal Cove 26 13 6 7 18-10 45
3 Eastal Lunar 26 14 3 9 23-18 45
4 Inland Peaks 26 11 9 6 16-8 42
5 Marine Coast 26 10 11 5 25-16 41
6 Lonngeylin Coast 26 11 5 10 18-15 38
7 Lopinka 26 10 7 9 16-13 37
8 FC Almintora 26 9 9 8 13-12 36
9 Tivali City 26 7 10 9 14-22 31
10 Mavaloiao 26 9 3 14 20-26 30
11 Irottea 26 4 14 8 8-14 26
12 Tivali 26 5 8 13 17-23 23
13 Crosaibi Locals 26 5 8 13 9-21 23
14 Riailia Village 26 4 10 12 5-19 22
. .
Vilitan Cup Group Stage:
Non-League Cittea United topped Group 1 to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time since Season 10, joined by Stellar Division side Turoki Isle who crushed Non-Leaguers Mavaloiao City 5-1 on the final matchday. It wasn't half as surprising as group 2, however, where both league clubs, Mliona-Lpaka and Irottea, failed to advance, scoring their only points against each other at Irottea Unity Field. Non-Leaguers Corra Rovers ran the table to advance to the knockout stage for the second consecutive season and start putting their name in the minds of the League Selection committee for the following season. They would be joined by Turorian side Cedniavella looking to impress not only for a place back in the League, but also to claim one of Turori's UICA spots in either the Globe or SBCC Cups if they could finish highest of the Turorian teams in the competition.
Eastal Lunar fell 0-2 to Non-League Jlinal Wanders on the final matchday in group 3 to find themselves eliminated along with the Orbital Kickers despite the strong play of Kytlerian Arthur Moon who netted twice in the opening two matches. Stellar Division side Turoki United topped the group. In Group 4, reigning champions Strike FC had no trouble running the table with FC Almintora advanced on a tiebreaker over Inland Rovers. In group 5, former league side Alikki-Corra topped the group after upsetting Stellar Division newcomers Kionao Locals who finished bottom of the group despite just a -1 goal differential. Cup debutants Sokattack Mliona from Turori also advanced over Declasse side Lopinka.
The Stellar Division side did as expected in Group 6 with Kiiara-Torra topping the group while Non-Leaguers Laiotia AFC advanced courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Declasse side Jlinal Cove. League sides Colonial Sile and Inland Peaks had no trouble advancing in Group 7, with Colonial crushing Declasse newcomers Riailia Village by a 4-0 scoreline to send the Village packing. The Crosaibi Locals would have plenty of time to concentrate on survival in their first ever season in the Declasse after being eliminated from group 8 along with Tivali City by Turorian Megateam Cednia Beach AFC and non-league side Kikanla Toau.
The biggest victory of the round belonged to Makosile who destroyed Turoki rivals Mavaloiao by a 5-0 scoreline at the Bear Claw Stadium with Morata Valley joining Makosile in the next round.
Group 10 was a monster of a group, pitting former Stellar Division champions Marine Coast United up against current High Flyers Arcticala Inlet, and perhaps, a dominant team of the future, the Turoki Tide looking to steal the spoils. Non-League Terrarokka was left for dead finishing bottom of this monster group. All eyes would be on the final matchup between Arcticala Inlet and the Turoki Tide. After claiming the Tropical Trophy from reigning champions Strike FC, a victory over the Electricians would cement the Tide as the early favorites for the Stellar Division title. A statement match by the Electricians would seemingly leave the forecasters with nothing but confusion as to who the favorites are. In an incredible turn of events, the match looked to be headed for a goalless draw when Turoki Tide goalkeeper Hooizo Nuakoi was sent off for a clumsy challenge on Erathore forward Camthalio Ringeril. Ringeril converted the spot kick to give Arcticala Inlet the victory and top spot in the group with the Tide advancing anyway thanks to their 1-0 victory over Marine Coast.
The final group saw a bit of redemption for Kiiarana City. After spending big during Season 29 to make a title push, the club had to sell heading into Season 30 and the Yeaddin Owls were ready to poach taking 2 of the Kiiarana players. However, it was Kiiarana who got the best of the Owls, topping the group including a statement 3-0 win over their new rivals, who also advanced to the knockout round.
Vilitan Cup Round 2:
Round 2 of the cup featured 6 Non-League sides and 6 League sides with only one all-non-league matchup with Jlinal Wanderers hosting Cedniavella Turori. Sokattack Mliona, making their Cup debut, would have their work cut out for them as they squared off against Stellar Division high flyers Turoki Tide in the fight to earn one of Turori's UICA places for being the highest progressing Turorian side in the Cup. Just across town, FC Almintora were also playing against Turoki Isle. Incredibly, Sokattack Mliona scored first at the Turoki Community Complex and took a 1-0 lead into the half in front of a virtually non-existant crowd for the seemingly easy cup match for the Tide. The Tide got their act together in the second half to win 2-1 on a late Loala Kigoouao penalty, ending Sokattack's cup run. However, the 2-1 result was more impressive than Cedniavella's 0-2 defeat at the hands of Jlinal giving the UICA selection something to think about. The Yeaddin Owls season went from bad to worse as they ere upended by Laiotia AFC while Inland Peaks were also scalped by Corra Rovers. FC Almintora and Morata Valley would also advance to the Round of 16.
Vilitan Cup Round of 16:
5 Non League sides remained in the Round of 16, with Jlinal Wanderers once again drawing the only all-non-league matchup against Cittea United. The big match, however, saw another chapter in the ongoing Arcticala v. Cednia; Aranora Jaded v. Jaqe Planst rivalry. The Electricians ran out 2-1 winners thereby once again eliminating all Turorian teams from the competition with Colonial Sile's extra time victory over FC Almintora. Makosile, Cittea United and Alikki-Corra all needed extra time to progress while Strike FC ran out 3-0 winners over non-league Corra Rovers and the Turoki Tide were victorious over non-leaguers Laiotia AFC.
Vilitan Cup Quarter-Finals: (Two Legs)
All eyes were on the Electricians v. the Venom in the Quarter Final and the 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Lonngeylin Coliseum lived up to all the hype. The Electricians returned to Arcticala Electrical Stadium with visions of Cup glory but defending champions Strike were not about to give up that crown just yet, running out 2-1 winners on the day with goals coming from Tiika Diirotora and Yves Gadois, allowing Strike to advance 3-2 on aggregate.
Jungle Strike FC (Stellar) 3-2 Arcticala Inlet (Stellar)
After narrowly escaping with late victories over Non-League foes Sokattack Mliona and Laiotia AFC in the two previous knockout rounds, the two-legged quarter final was the end of the line for the Turoki Tide who fell to Non-League Cittea United losing 1-0 in the second leg in Cittea. Some will say that having drawn Non-League opposition in every round, it was only a matter of time before one of them got the best of the Tide, but more realistically, it has to be looked at as a golden opportunity wasted by the team that looked to be on the verge of becoming a dominant force in the V-League at the start of the season.
Cittea United (Non-League) 1-0 Turoki Tide (Stellar)
Former League side Alikki-Corra nearly got the best of Colonial Sile, conceding a late goal at the Crossroads Stadium allowing Colonial to draw level on the night and advance 2-1 on aggregate to improve upon their impressive Quarter Final run from Season 29.
Colonial Sile (Stellar) 2-1 Alikki-Corra (Non-League)
In the last Quarter-Final matchup, Season 23 Cup champions Makosile dropped the first leg 0-1 at the Turoki Community Complex before shuffling home to Track Venture Field where they returned the favor leading 1-0 after 90 minutes to force extra time. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Turoki United dug deep to score a winner deep into the extra session to advance to the Semi Final for the first time since Season 21.
Turoki United (Stellar) 2-1 Makosile (Stellar) [AET]
Vilitan Cup Semi-Finals: (Two Legs)
After going down 3-1 at home to Stellar Division side Colonial Sile, Non-Leaguers Cittea had it all to do at Colonial Field if they were to become just the second non-league side to make it all the way to the final. Cittea pulled a goal back at the half to make a tense finale but Colonial Sile held on to advance to the Vilitan Cup Final for the first time in club history.
Colonial Sile 3-2 Cittea United (Non-League)
In the other semi-final, defending champions Strike took the opening leg 1-0 at the Lonngeylin Coliseum before heading to the Turoki Community Complex to decide who would join Colonial in the Cup Final. Try as they might, Turoki United could not break through and the match finished 1-0 on aggregate to the defending champions, denying Turoki their first Cup Final appearance, and denying the first cup final between two teams from Turoki.
Jungle Strike FC 1-0 Turoki United (Stellar)
Vilitan Cup Final:
The fans packed into the Tivali Ring Stadium in Alikki-Corra for a cup final that was certain to re-write the record books. Strike, defending champions of the cup, were looking for their 8th Vilitan Cup title which would break their tie with Season 29 runners-up Yeaddin for the most in the history of the competition. On the other end, the challengers, Colonial Sile, who had a middle of the table run in the Stellar Division, finishing 8th, looking for their first Cup title in club history, and first major silverware outside of their two declasse championships.
The match started off tensely as Colonial did well to hold off the Strike pressure until the matches first opportunity around 20 minutes in. The venom started to find their way into the Colonial penalty area earning a series of consecutive corner kicks that eventually led to the games first goal. It was the fourth corner kick of the sequence that was played short to Lawaai who chipped the ball towards Yves Gadois who headed down at the goalkeeper. The shot was palmed away but fell right to the feet of Vilita National Team defender Miiara Makose who fired home emphatically to open the scoring and give Strike the lead going into half time.
As play resumed, Strike continued the pressure and doubled their lead through Retiso Buran, seemingly putting the game out of reach for an overpowered Colonial side. Sile had their best chance of the match just before the hour mark but after being served the chance on a golden platter, it went flying into row Z, all but ending any hopes of a comeback as Strike now stood alone with their 8th Vilitan Cup victory.
It was the 5th time out of their 8 Cup titles that Strike also won the Stellar Division the same season for the double including their last 3 titles, Season 27, 29 and 30 all being double trophy seasons.
Jungle Strike FC 2-0 Colonial Sile
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Stellar Division Champions: Jungle Strike FC (Vilita)
Declasse Division Champions: Nusira Lionta (Vilita)
Vilitan Cup Champions: Jungle Strike FC (Vilita)
Tropical Trophy Champions: Turoki Tide (Vilita)
Declasse Division Champions: Nusira Lionta (Vilita)
Vilitan Cup Champions: Jungle Strike FC (Vilita)
Tropical Trophy Champions: Turoki Tide (Vilita)
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UICA Qualifiers, Full Individual Player Statistics and Transfer Information will be presented in a subsequent Newswire.
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Past Seasons, Format and Background Information on the Vilitan League is available in the Vilitan League Thread
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