Dryads Outshoot ASMV, Advance to Face Pacitalia Once More
KAZATLAN GREENE in Lamoni - For the third consecutive AOCAF tournament, Myrtannia played in the Round of 16, and the atmosphere in the stadium was understandably tense. Would this be the sort of Ro16 performance we saw in the magical AOCAF XIV run, when the Dryads knocked off Vilita 3-0? Or would it be a dissapointment like AOCAF XV, when the Dryads fell 1-5 against Nedalia? Would we see something entirely different from either of those? All these questions and more ran through the minds of the countless members of the Dryads Army, gathered at Kazatlan Greene to cheer on the Orange and Blue.
Every foreign news service predicted that Myrtannia, winners of the Group D championship, would send the Nyriads home early, but one can never be sure in AOCAF. ASMV was ranked higher, but had stumbled around the group stage before qualifying. Myrtannia, underranked as it is, soared through Group D to finish on top, above four teams ranked higher than it. Its attacking philosophy had much to do with the newfound success.
On the pitch, Myrtannia didn't seem to feel the pressure at all, the players joking dearing warmups and signing the occasional autograph. During the national anthem presentations, the Dryads and their supporters sang loudly and proudly to 'Stand Strong, United Isles', and the latter cheered racously at its conclusion. The multitude of Sun Bursts visible in the crowd was nearly blinding at times.
Once the action got underway, Myrtannia came out swinging, plucking the ball from the Nyriads early to press the attack. In a matter of seemingly seconds, the Dryads charged down the field and got into position to score. Dania Figary passed it off to Roz Gabino, who strangely found herself wide open. Not one to let such an opportunity go to waste, Gabino booted it into the goal, putting Myrtannia up early 1-0. As with every Dryads goal, the Dryads Army went wild.
"That goal just happened so quickly that I didn't realize the full magnitude of it until I looked up at the scoreboard," Gabino explained later.
There was no time for celebration, however, as ASMV proved they wouldn't go down without a fight. The Nryiads played the position game against Myrtannia as well as anyone else in this AOCAF, and found just enough space to score later in the first half. Raisa Pyun took the honor of scoring the Nryiads' first goal of the match, scooting it past Flo Krabel. The score stood tied at 1-1.
Just before the half, it seemed we'd go in tied at a goal a pop, but the Nryiads somehow found a way into the Dryads' back third again. Tamar Ristaino performed a questionable tackle against Yasmine Lipori, who was awarded a penalty kick because the foul took place inside the penalty box. Lipori responded by putting one past Krabel to lift ASMV to a 1-2 lead at the break. Myrtannia went to the lockers silently, seemingly shocked by the turn of events.
"They got lucky, that's all. We'll come back and take this one for all the soldiers in the Dryads Army, and all the folks back in the States," coach Gabino told reporters before heading into the half, "We aren't going home this early, that's for darn sure. One more half to play, boys.. a lot can happen in 45 minutes."
Coach Gabino ended up being right on the dot with the latter part of her statement. Myrtannia came out from the break with a vengeance and a new focus on the attack. Once again, they pushed the Nyriads back at every opportunity, and got a few early shots on goal that nearly went in. The play of keeper Mitsuko Chinen kept the Nyriads in the match, as she rejected several very well aimed shots. But with the Dryads charging, it was only a matter of time before somehow, some way, the Dryads would break through.
Finally, nearing the end of regulation, they did. ASMV seemed to be tiring at last, and Myrtannia took full advantage of a lapse in defense to finally strike back. Roz took the ball from Jayme Edgehill, and put the Nyriads in a compromising position by passing it ahead to a waiting Sabra Nang. Nang faked to draw out Chinen, then passed it to September Rollock, who shot it into the net for the equaliser. Myrtannia back in it with the score knotted at 2-2, the remaining minutes of regulation were spent trying to set up another big strike. Nothing came of these efforts, and for the first time ever, Myrtannia headed to Extra Time.
There, it was all Dryads, as they once again stole the ball from ASMV after kickoff, then pressed the attack aggressively. Five forwards into the Nyriads' half of the field and something was bound to happen. That something was team captain Dania Figary, who cut through the ASMV defense to score early in the first half of ET. With the score now 3-2, the Dryads needed only to hold on defensively to win, but they wanted an insurance policy.
In a Herculean effort, Figary added another goal in the first half of ET, then a third in the second. All in all, Figary scored a hat trick in Extra Time, becoming the second Myrtannian ever and the first since Massetti in AOCAF XIII to score a hat trick. She became the first Dryad to accomplish the feat in a knockout round game.
In almost a mirror image of the Lamonian celebrations after victory over The Lowland Clans, the Dryads stormed the field, mobbing Figary, all smiling. The Dryads Army roared out an ovation louder than any it'd ever given, and an impromptu Acapella rendition of 'Stand Strong, United Isles' broke out in the stands. This was followed by the Dryads Army-written tune of 'The Dryads Keep Rolling Along', and much more cheering.
"It's amazing to get back to the Quarts. Now that ASMV's out of the way, we have even tougher matches ahead. This next one'll be our toughest yet, but we're confident that if we work hard and play hard, we have as good a chance as anyone left standing in the field," Figary said after the match, "Pacitalia are a tremendous side, and Neu Amerika almost slowed them down. We always have good matches against them, and hopefully this time we can reverse our luck against them."
As Figary said, Myrtannia's Quarterfinal match is against its perrenial boogeymen, the Blue Foxes of Pacitalia. The Pacitalians strolled through their group en route to a 5-0 record, then survived a scare at the hands of the Socialist Union to return to the Round of 8. Myrtannia has never defeated Pacitalia, losing every outing (AOCAF XIII: MYR 0-5 PAC, AOCAF XIV Third Place Match: MYR 1-2 PAC, AOCAF XV: MYR 0-2 PAC). However, that and the higher ranking of Pacitalia don't frighten Myrtannia, who have experience as giant slayers. The Dryads have now defeated four teams with higher regional rankings than themselves (Krytenia, TLC, Milchama, and ASMV), and don't look to be slowing down on account of Pacitalia.
Expect a close fought offensive match that could be decided by one goal, or perhaps even in penalties. Myrtannia has publically declared its intention to practice fervorishly for the match, to the point that no media representatives will be allowed to sit in on the practice. It will be their first closed practice of the whole AOCAF. This is a growing rivalry in the AOCAF, albeit a friendly one, more so now that Deeann Massetti is no longer on the Dryads roster.
"They're an excellent team, but so are we," said coach Gabino, "We'll do whatever we can to reach the Semis, but so will they. It's going to be a war out there."
And here are the next batch of predictions from the drunk sportswriters of the Halosen News-Times:
Starblaydia v Bettia
The Purple Peril advanced with a close win over stumbling Krytenia, while Bettia survived a close encounter with Demot. This will be a close match between the winners of the last two AOCAF cups, and one slight lapse in judgement by a single player could turn the tide. Our line: The champs advance. STB 0 - 1 BET
Pacitalia v Myrtannia
Perhaps the second-best match of a Quarterfinals filled with great matches. Pacitalia have nothing but wins, and Myrtannia's only non-win was a draw with Vilita/Turori on Day 1. Despite the extra time needed to finish off ASMV, we feel the Dryads will shake off the Boogeyman and finally push through. Our line: MYR 3 - 3 PAC (MYR wins in Penalties, 3-2).
Lamoni v Oliverry
Both sides needed extra time to beat off their opponents, and will be looking to avoid that same fate in the Quarts. Lamoni have the higher ranking, the better side, and the homefield advantage. Our line: The Hawks are back and they mean business. LAM 2 - 0 OLI
Vilita/Turori v Hypocria
After that first draw against the Dryads, the Eel-Cat things have been a force to reckon with. They easily dispatched the Mice 3-1 and look to return to the Semis, but they face another former champion in Hypocria. The Hyppos upset high-riding Nedalia, and could well pull out another big win here. Our line: Hyppos just barely edge the Founder. VIL 3 - 4 HYP (AET).
The final score from Kazatlan Greene:
Myrtannia 2 - 2 ASMV (5-2 AET)
(Gabino 3', Rollock 85', Figary 94', 102' & 110') (Pyun 32', Lipori 45') |
