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Aocaf V Rp Thread

Posted: Dec 7 2004, 09:51 AM

Stars boot Druids from AOCAF, 2-0

It's not very often that the Sarzonian national team can send a team home from the tournament literally, but that's what happened when the Stars defeated Druida 2-0 in the fourth match of the AOCAF tournament behind five saves by goalkeeper Marco Taglianetti and goals by Kevin Wilson and Josh Bentley. Druids manager Simon Greaves sent the team home after Sarzonia's 2-0 win, saying the team was a disgrace.

"It was important for us to bounce back from the loss to Starblaydia," Coach Bryson Juergens said. "We needed to come out and play well and we did that."

The Stars (3-0-1, nine points) made their impact shortly before and after first half injury time ended. Bentley, serving as playmaking midfielder on this Stars team, took a wall pass from fellow midfielder and team captain Loren Butler and sent a dangerous cross in on Rainbows' goalkeeper Trefor Tilling. He mistimed his leap for the cross, but Wilson, the team's young forward, did not. He cooly smacked a header into the back of the net 43 minutes in for the 1-0 lead the team took into the half.

"That was a bad goal," Tilling said just before he boarded the team bus on the way back to Druida. "I should have done better with that ball."

Bentley struck for the Stars shortly after the second half kickoff after Butler stole the ball from forward Trefor Cwm and dribbled into the offensive end of the pitch. Bentley deked his way into position and slammed home Butler's cross for a 2-0 lead 49 minutes in. Sarzonia dominated possession afterwards and Taglianetti was up to the few Druids challenges he faced.

The magic number for advancing to the knockout stages for the fifth consecutive AOCAF is now one point, so a Stars win or draw or a Big Pimento loss in any of the two remaining matches would send the Stars through. Juergens is cautioning his team to expect "an all out assault" from the Futility Kings.

"Big Pimento is always going to be a dangerous team," Juergens said. "And they'll be especially dangerous with a chance at the knockout stage in the balance."

This post has been edited by Sarzonia on Dec 7 2004, 09:52 AM

Sarzonia

It's all about the Navy.

Posts: 577

Posted: Dec 7 2004, 05:41 PM

Lamoni 0 - Aquiliana 0

In a remarkable defensive game of soccer, the Hawks ended up in a scoreless tie with Aquiliana.

Coach Sergeyevich had something to say: "Our boys did a much better job against Aquiliana this time around. In our last match, we didn't really look knockout capable. This time, we came prepared for a hard fought game, and it helped us considerably. We hope to have wins against Vilita and Chacor, and make it to the knockouts."

The tie brings interesting results as far as the knockout stages are concerned. Both Lamoni and Aquiliana can advance in the following manners:

1. One side wins their next two games
2. One side wins or ties one game with the other losing both games
3. One side ties both games, and the other side loses both, or ties once
4. In the event that both teams finish with identical records without Lamoni surpassing the Aquiliana lead in GD, Aquiliana advances

As you can see, both teams have every reason to want to advance to the knockouts. It's just a matter of which team wants it more. We would hope that that team would be the Hawks.

Lamoni - 0
Aquiliana - 0

This post has been edited by Lamoni on Dec 7 2004, 05:46 PM

Lamoni

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Posts: 1952

Posted: Dec 7 2004, 08:49 PM

---End of Matchday 5. Results available shortly---

Legalese

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Posted: Dec 7 2004, 10:59 PM

Group comes down to final day

Well, it's all over for the Falcons. Sure, the mathematicians amy say we're still in it, but do you really think we have a chance to beat Vilita? And please, don't tell me Lamoni's going to lose to a team that hasn't won a game yet.

Might as well send the team home now - it's not like anyone here has heard of or cares about them. But I guess we'll go for that one lucky, miraculous goal and hope for the best.

Phreeeeeeowww.

Aquiliana

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Posts: 68

Posted: Dec 8 2004, 09:29 AM

Stars go belly up in loss, 3-1

Sarzonia went into its match against Big Pimento needing only a win or a draw to book their spot in the knockout stages of the AOCAF tournament for the fifth consecutive time, but the underdog Futility Kings had other ideas. The team from the little country that could beat the Stars for the second time in three meetings, taking this second leg of the AOCAF V group stage 3-1.

"This was about as poor a game as this group has played," Coach Bryson Juergens said. "Way worse than the loss to Starblaydia. There was no excuse for how bad we played."

Big Pimento did its best to end the suspense early, firing seven shots in the first 33 minutes at goalkeeper Marco Taglianetti, who saved six of them but couldn't get to a searing bid from the Futility Kings' leading goalgetter. His 28th minute drive put Big Pimento on top 1-0 and put the Stars on their heels. Ten minutes later, he made the margin 2-0 with a nifty move around defender Brian Henderson and chipped over a charging Taglianetti.

"We were being carved up like a roast," Henderson said of the Stars defense. "I wouldn't blame Marco if he didn't think we could stop 'em. I'd feel the same way."

Sarzonia tried to make a game of it when it cut the Big Pimento lead in half, 2-1, in the 58th minute on a John de La Rocca free kick from 32 yards out, but Big Pimento wasn't done. Their young substitute midfielder used his fresh legs just seconds after his 64th minute appearance in the match to win the ball from defender Loren Butler and break in on Taglianetti. He made a "veteran" fake and scored between Taglianetti's legs.

"We've made things hard for ourselves," Taglianetti said. "Now we need to beat Starblaydia or hope we can tie them. I don't want to have to go through on goal differential."

This post has been edited by Sarzonia on Dec 8 2004, 09:29 AM

Sarzonia

It's all about the Navy.

Posts: 577

Posted: Dec 8 2004, 07:19 PM

Hawks dominate Vilita

The Group D standings came somewhat closer to resolution today with a Lamoni 2-1 victory over Vilita. Vilita scored first with Julei Adjei getting the ball past the goalkeeper at 20 minutes. Things looked bad for the Hawks until Team Captain Matthew Bostock scored at 50 minutes, and again at 55 minutes.

After the match, we caught up with him: "After Vilita scored their goal, it didn't really bother us that much. We knew that we've been regularly drawing or winning against Vilita for the last two AOCAF's group stages, so we knew that if we kept our heads in the game that we would have a good chance of winning. As for my two goals, that was both skill and luck. So much the better that it ended up letting us win, and set us up for a pretty much claimed knockout position. If things go the way that we think that they will, we'll even go to the knockouts as the number one team in our group. Depending on who we face, that could well help us get into the second round, which will make the other nations that are represented here take even more notice of us. It would also make us serious contenders for the AOCAF cup, or failing that; the third place match. We'd be happy either way. As for Aquiliana, I have heard that they are pessimistic about their chances against Vilita, even though they are two AOCAF rankings ahead of us. Well, we've been defeating Vilita, so there is no reason that they can't as well."

Lamoni - 2 Matthew Bostock (50, 55)
Vilita - 1 Julei Adjei (20)

Lamoni

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Posts: 1952

Posted: Dec 8 2004, 07:52 PM

---Matchday 6 is over. Scores will be up momentarily, as well as the knockout stage fixtures---

Legalese

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Posted: Dec 9 2004, 09:13 AM

Stars tied into knockouts again

In seven previous matches of the growing rivalry between the Sarzonian national team and Starblaydia's selections, one side or the other has walked off the pitch with a win under its belt. In five AOCAF tournament matches, that winner has always been Starblaydia, but in last night's final match of the qualifying stage, neither team was able to earn three final points and ended up in a 0-0 draw.

Goalkeeper Marco Taglianetti stood out for the Stars (3-1-2, 10 points), making seven saves under relentless Starblaydi pressure. Starblaydia outshot the Stars 23-9, with only three of Sarzonia's shots on goal.

"We just were dominated up and down the pitch," Coach Bryson Juergens said. "We were extremely lucky to escape with the draw, but we're in the knockout round and that's what counts."

For the first time in AOCAF tournament history, the quarterfinals will take place in a two leg matchup, and Sarzonia will face Group D winners Aquiliana, who won their group on goal differential. Oddsmakers in Sarzonia are making the Stars a 3-1 underdog in the series, but the Stars say they aren't deterred.

"We're going to play determined football," defender Loren Butler said. "We want to prove we belong at this stage and we want to get to the final."

The Stars have never advanced past the semifinal stage in any AOCAF tournament, falling one win short of the championship match in each of the first tour tournaments, but the Stars also are cautioning against taking it for granted that they would advance.

"Didn't Starblaydia beat Vilita a couple of cups ago," Taglianetti asked. The Jungle Cats lost the AOCAF second round match to Starblaydia 6-1 in the third AOCAF tournament. "I'm sure everyone and their brother thought Vilita would make the finals outright then. We can't fall into that same trap."

Sarzonia

It's all about the Navy.

Posts: 577

Posted: Dec 9 2004, 03:02 PM

Lamoni draws with Chacor, face NEWI Cefn Druids in the knockouts

In what seemed a low priority game for the Hawks, they actually let Chacor score first, confident that they would be able to overcome the goal. They did so at 40 minutes with Al Smith making a goal by shooting the ball right between the legs of the Chacor goalkeeper. Lamoni could easily have scored more goals; having control of the ball for much of the rest of the match, but they thought that they would make the knockouts, so that is what mattered.

What the Hawks didn't count on was Aquiliana's 1-1 draw with Vilita, putting Aquiliana as the group champs on goal differential. While Aquiliana faces Sarzonia, the Hawks take on NEWI Cefn Druids.

Team Captain Matthew Bostock had this to say: "We know that NEWI always brings a very good team, and that defeating them will be a hard thing. However, we have done so in the past, so we know that we can do it if we really want to. Believe me, we REALLY want to make it past the first round of the knockouts. We'll be watching tapes of NEWI's matches in this AOCAF trying to see if we can spot any weaknesses that we can exploit. When we find them, we WILL exploit them. Make no question about it, we aim to win. I think that this will be a good match to watch."

When the team was told that the odds dramtically favored NEWI Cefn Druids, they just said that it was more fuel for their competitive fire.

Lamoni - 1 Al Smith (40)
Chacor - 1 Clyde Engelke (20)

Lamoni

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Posts: 1952

Posted: Dec 9 2004, 08:07 PM

Across the night sky throughout the AO, all was peaceful. It was a calm, clear night in the chain of large and small islands.

Well, nearly peaceful. In four nations, there could be seen a glow, heard a roar of the crowd, as the first leg of the AOCAF V Quarterfinals kicked off. In Lamoni, Turori, Crystilakere, and Sarzonia, the Crazies in the stands voiced their approval and displeasure at the turn of a whistle.

In Legalese, Aquiliana, Starbladyia, and NEWI Cefn Druids, a different scene emerged, as the streets were empty. Why? Everyone was home, watching the results pending from the glowing masses around the region. They would have their chance to join the glow in a short time, upon the return leg.

---End of Matchday 7, QF Leg 1. Results will be posted shortly---

Legalese

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Posted: Dec 9 2004, 08:48 PM

Do-or-die for Aquilianae
Headline writers resort to Latin grammar to rhyme words

Well, this is it. Aquiliana's gone farther than ever before in the AOCAF, actually winning their group. However, they now find themselves down 2-1 to Sarzonia in the quarterfinals. That means they need to win by at least 1 goal tomorrow night at Belua Memorial to have a chance at the next round.

It's been a great run - let's hope we get the chance to see it continue. Who knows, maybe by the end of the tournament, the team will be able to afford names on the back of their jerseys.

Aquiliana

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Posts: 68

Posted: Dec 9 2004, 09:35 PM

Stars move one step closer to semis, 2-1

Woodstock (ASP) -- Despite an ongoing civil war in other parts of the nation's capital city, the first leg of the quarterfinal series between the Sarzonian national team and Aquiliana kicked off at Hendrix Stadium as planned. The Stars got goals from forwards Kevin Wilson and Bruce Badger and defeated Aquiliana 2-1. A win or a draw for Sarzonia would send the team to the semifinals for the fifth consecutive time, a nearly unprecedented run in the AOCAF tournament.

"We couldn't think about the political situation going on around us," Coach Bryson Juergens said. "The fans are looking to their football teams to give them a distraction from the seriousness of life. We wanted to go out there and win one for our country."

Sarzonia certainly started out like it meant business, swarming the Falcons net with abandon and firing seven shots in the first 25 minutes of the match. The pressure finally resulted in Wilson's goal, a bouncer that just skipped under the Falcons goalkeeper's diving attempt for a 1-0 lead 24 minutes in.

"It wasn't pretty, but pretty doesn't mean much on the scoreboard," Wilson said. "I'll take a win over 'pretty' any day of the week."

Sarzonia made it 2-0 just 15 minutes later on a sequence that one team official described as "breathtaking." Wilson and Badger worked wall passes to perfection, with the last pass by Wilson setting Badger up for an easy tap in that left the Falcons defense flatfooted and saw the Stars celebrate.

Aquiliana got one goal back just before halftime when defender Loren Butler slipped on the wet turf and Aquiliana's leading goalscorer added to his totals with a laser shot that left Stars goalkeeper Marco Taglianetti no chance to stop it.

The Stars are getting ready to board their private jet for the short flight to Aquiliana and hope to win the second leg outright.

"I'd rather not be forced to win on aggregate, but we've got to make sure that doesn't happen," Juergens said. "It's up to us to make sure we go back to the semifinals and win them this time."

This post has been edited by Sarzonia on Dec 9 2004, 09:47 PM

Sarzonia

It's all about the Navy.

Posts: 577

Posted: Dec 10 2004, 07:42 PM

Time for the Hawks to step it up after 4-1 loss to NEWI Cefn Druids

The Hawks failed to win in front of the home crowd, losing to NEWI Cefn Druids 4-1. Try as they might, NEWI seemed to laugh at the strategies of the Lamoni squad, except for the one that got them their only goal of the match.

For a perspective from the team themselves we turn to Team Captain Matthew Bostock: "We were really unprepared for the ferocity of NEWI's attack this time. It's my guess that some team members didn't think that NEWI would be able to hit us so hard since we beat them the second to last time that we faced each other. One of the weird things about the Druid squad is that they don't seem to have names, or at least an official roster. Anyway, we'll have to score four or more goals in the next part of the leg, or we're back at square one again, not to mention knocked out of the AOCAF. Now that we remember how hard that the Druids can strike, we *MIGHT* have a chance in the next match. We are going to really work on it, though. With our entry into WC 20, we feel that we will be even better prepared for the next AOCAF, but that is not going to help us in this one. We'll have to hope that we can climb this particular slippery slope by ourselves."

Indeed, the Hawks have a history of making it to the first round of the knockouts, and then losing. Let's hope that this time will be different.

Lamoni - 1 Matthew Bostock (20)
NEWI Cefn Druids - 4 (21), (25), (50), (55)

Lamoni

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Posts: 1952

Posted: Dec 11 2004, 12:22 PM

--- End of Matchday 8 (OF Leg 2), results posted---

Legalese

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Posts: 431

Posted: Dec 12 2004, 01:29 AM

Stars draw Legal challenge after clipping Falcons

Coach Bryson Juergens doesn't like his team playing draws. He would rather have his team win matches outright. But he'll settle for a draw when it's all his team needs to advance, which was the case in the AOCAF quarterfinal series against Aquiliana. The Stars earned a 1-1 draw against the Falcons, but advanced to the semifinals with a 3-2 aggregate.

Forward Bruce Badger scored the team's only goal in the 66th minute with a Kevin Wilson assist after Wilson fired a point-blank shot that the Aquiliana goalkeeper deflected right to Badger. The Stars will face Legalese in Game 1 of the semi final series at Hendrix Stadium in Woodstock.

"We were glad to go through to the next stage," Juergens said. "We'd rather win outright but we'll take what we can get."

The Stars (4-2-2) will play the fifth and sixth match in the past four years against Legalese, with the Stars winning three of the previous four matches. The Black and Red won the first-ever meeting between the two sides in a World Cup 18 qualifying match 5-2. That result has been motivation for Sarzonia ever since, with many Stars players citing that loss as the reason the teams missed out on World Cup qualifying.

"We don't like them and I bet you they don't like us," Juergens said. "We'll ask [Sarzonian Attorney General Jonathan] Cochrane to show up to the game to make sure they don't send their torrent of lawyers after us."

"They haven't had that problem since the Rejistania match," goalkeeper Marco Taglianetti said. "But they've definitely been a thorn in our sides since the World Cup."