Just like the rest of the tournament, lack of clarity surrounds the semifinals.
Written by: Civil Citizenry
Four teams are still alive in the World Lacrosse Championships, the tenth one ever. Each one has something deeper than just a trophy and a spot in the record books to play for. Civil Citizenry looks to establish itself as a nation of prestigious sporting ability. Churchma is here to avenge poor showings in its last two appearances in the WLC. Mytannion are the defending champions and seek to keep it that way till WLC XI. Allamunnic States is a former champion who reached three semifinals in a row before dropping out of the picture last time around - and now is poised to jump back into the fray as a lacrosse powerhouse.
But only one team will be victorious. And frankly, no one is exactly sure which one it will be.
Only three games are left to be played here in Sarzonia, the site of the ongoing WLC X. Both of the two semifinal match-ups are intriguing and offer little hints as to who will have a shot at the title in the finals.
Civil Citizenry is the one seed in the playoffs, coming off an 8-2 group record and a ninth win in the quarterfinals over Mossulia. They have never participated in the World Lacrosse Championships - making it all the more remarkable that they have been so successful. Attacker Winshel Cenmattere, who has made himself into a national superstar with his glorious performances in the tournament, hopes to help his team continue its magical run.
Firmly in the way of Civil Citizenry is Allamunnic States - a nation that has been very successful in the history of the World Lacrosse Championships. The team reached at least the semifinals every edition from VI to VIII, including two appearances in the finals, and one championship (WLC VII). However, they fell short of the playoff stage at WLC IX, disappointing the entire country. Now they have returned to the semis for the fourth time in the last five editions - and they don't plan to come up empty-handed. Their road to the final four hasn't been the smoothest one. A 6-4 group record was enough for the sixth seed in the playoffs, and a grueling first-round match-up against Delaclava - a successful sporting nation hoping to reach the semifinals for the first time ever. It wasn't easy by any stretch, but Allamunnic States was able to pull out the W, 17-16, despite tens of thousands of Delaclavs who had made the hajj to Sarzonia to view the match. Now they'll have to take on Civil Citizenry in a battle between the unproven upstarts and the experienced rebuilders.
On the other half of the draw is another really great game to watch. The second seed, Churchma, has been surprising in getting this far, especially with such a high seed. In two other WLC appearances, the Gators have never had a group record above .500 - and thus have never qualified for the playoffs. But this time around, a 7-3 group record garnered the second seed and an easy quarterfinal match against wildcard Silver Beach, a match that the Gators won, 16-8. Eight goals by team captain Robert Heald was more than enough for Churchma to defeat a team that had taken the Gators to overtime twice in the group stage.
Despite their dominance so far, by no means does Churchma have a berth in the finals saved. Their opponent is Mytannion - the defending champions of the World Lacrosse Championships. In their first WLC appearance, the Mytanars took a path that Civil Citizenry has followed almost to a T: won their group, claimed the one seed in the playoffs, swept the final rounds with little competition. Mytannion shocked the sport in WLC IX, but questions swirled around the team's potential performance before the tenth one began. Indeed, they did not have the best opening in the group stage, losing an early match to Civil Citizenry. They would bounce back to finish 7-3 - an impressive showing for any team, leaving aside the whole defending-champions thing. Though some said the fourth seed, Tsyland, would pose problems for Mytannion in the quarterfinals, the latter rolled to a 14-6 victory and a chance to face Churchma.
All in all, whoever we see in the finals tomorrow will be one part surprising, one part not. Any of the potential scenarios that we may see play out tonight will be intriguing, and each one has merits as to why it is the most likely of happening. Will Civil Citizenry continue defying the odds and progress to the last round? Can Allamunnic States move forward with its comeback and go for its second WLC title? Has Churchma hit a wall in its improvement - or can they defeat the critics? Was Mytannion a one-hit wonder, or are they for real?
Yesterday's Games [Quarterfinals]
(1) Civil Citizenry def. (10) Mossulia 17-13
(2) Churchma def. (8) Silver Beach 16-8
(6) Allamunnic States def. (3) Delaclava 17-16
(5) Mytannion def. (4) Tsyland 14-6
Today's Games [Semifinals]
(1) Civil Citizenry vs. (6) Allamunnic States
Franz Braddock Stadium, Woodstock, Sarzonia
(2) Churchma vs. (5) Mytannion
The Shark Tank, Wilmington, Sarzonia
Tomorrow's Games [Finals/Third Place Match]
Civil Citizenry/Allamunnic States winner vs. Churchma/Mytannion winner
Civil Citizenry/Allamunnic States loser vs. Churchma/Mytannion loser
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