Why the champion will be probably be a first-timer.
Written by: Civil Citizenry
The World Lacrosse Championships X began with a cloud of uncertainty. Four of seven past WLC winners had entered. One of them had won three times, non-consecutively. Another had shocked the lacrosse world by going all the way in its first tournament appearance. A third hadn't won since the very first edition long ago. The last one had defeated two of the other three in its journey to the title. In short, any predictions made before the opening of WLC X were taken with several grains of salt.
The unsureness that has created much hoopla in Sarzonia - where the final rounds of the tournament are being played - lived up to its hype. Civil Citizenry, a relatively new country participating in its first World Lacrosse Championship, won its first eight games in the group stage, at which point it had already clinched the number one seed for the knockout stage. Indeed, the team's astounding run included a shocking 17-10 upset over Mytannion, the defending champions, off a seven-goal run in the game's final minutes. Though the team dropped its last two games - one of them to Mytannion - that was mainly due to the team's coach, Tim Rastegenera, resting key starters like Winshel Cenmattere (a contender for tournament most valuable player). Civil Citizenry, whose team is officially dubbed the Stick Mouflons, will take on the tenth and lowest seed, Mossulia, in the quarterfinals. The latter finished second in its group, with a negative goal differential, oddly. Last night, Mossulia upset seventh seed Vulshain in the wildcard round to advance and face Civil Citizenry.
The winner of that match will play the victor of the Tsyland-Mytannion game. Tsyland is the four seed, despite having a worse record than the defending champs. Not much is known about this team; this is their first appearance in a WLC. Tsyland topped its group with a mere 6-4 record and a neutral goal differential - not exactly the epitome of confidence viewers should have. They will be forced to battle Mytannion, who has looked strong in recent games despite dropping three. (Keep in mind that Mytannion also went 7-3 in the group stage of WLC IX - and they went on to claim the title.)
The bottom half of the quarterfinals features two great games. Delaclava, the third seed and a group champion, is matched against former WLC champions Allamunnic States. The team has been a recent powerhouse, reaching the semifinals in each of the last three editions. Allamunnic States was impressive in claiming six wins amidst a very tough group (four of six teams qualified for the knockout rounds). Delaclava is a powerful nation sports-wise - but they're not typically associated with prestigious lacrosse. Still, their 6-4 record belies fear-imposing skill that will certainly challenge Allamunnic States. A major factor in this match should be the fans: tens of thousands of Delaclavs have purchased tickets, so many that the game was actually moved to the famed Mike Sarzo Stadium in Sarzonia.
Second seed Churchma figures to advance to the semifinals with a win tonight. Their opponents: Silver Beach. The eighth seed was another wildcard winner, having narrowly defeated Mangolana by a score of 12-11. Team Captain Leslie McFellon led his team to a 6-4 group record; it remains to be seen if their defensive style of play can continue to hold up against a powerful Churchma squad. The Gators of Churchma are in the playoffs for the first time in three attempts, thanks to the recent efforts of second-year Head Coach Bob Ponder. The Gators are also defensive-minded, but they actually gave up more points in the group stage than Silver Beach, while scoring nineteen points more. Their seven wins were enough to claim the second seed - but is it enough to get all the way to the finals? Recent play aside, Churchma is relatively unproven, especially in the playoffs; and if they were to face a well-groomed team like Allamunnic States, then throw the seedings out the window.
Yesterday's Games [Wildcard Round]
(10) Mossulia def. (7) Vulshain 13-9
(8) Silver Beach def. (9) Mangolana 12-11
Today's Games [Quarterfinals]
(1) Civil Citizenry vs. (10) Mossulia
Franz Braddock Stadium, Woodstock, Sarzonia
(4) Tsyland vs. (5) Mytannion
The Shark Tank, Wilmington, Sarzonia
(3) Delaclava vs. (6) Allamunnic States
Mike Sarzo Stadium, Nicksia, Sarzonia
(2) Churchma vs. (8) Silver Beach
Portland Lacrosse Centre, Portland, Sarzonia
Tomorrow's Games [Semifinals]
Civil Citizenry/Mossulia winner vs. Tsyland/Mytannion winner
Delaclava/Allamunnic States winner vs. Churchma/Silver Beach winner
Sunday's Games [Finals]
TBD vs. TBD
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