DAY 2 RECAP - DICK'S SPORTING GOODS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS 2009
(January 03, 2009)
by Josh Gross
(Wesley Chapel, Fl.)- As Saturday play began at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions, the weather…and the action…heated up.
ELITE DIVISION
The 27-team Toyota Championship Bracket opened play at 8:00 am Saturday morning, beginning the process of determining the next national champion. With the top five seeds from Friday’s Toyota Pool Play round receiving first-round byes (1- Mesa Fresh 2010, 2- Team HeadStrong, 3- CT Seminoles, 4- Rebel Elite, 5- Maryland Lacrosse Club), the other 22 teams faced off, looking to advance to the round of 16.
The three undefeated teams from Toyota Pool Play that did not receive a first-round bye in the Toyota Championship Bracket did not disappoint in their first-round games, winning by a combined score of 42-9 (6- New Westminster [defending champions] defeated Bamalax, 19-2; LB3 Blue over the Tampa Bay Fire, 10-5; and Edge Junior winning handily, 13-2 over True Lacrosse).
Of the other eight games in the first round of the championship bracket, there were four upsets, including losses by 9th-seeded Black Jacks Black (8-7 in overtime to the Pitt Rebels, the 24-seed), the number ten-seed, Burnaby Mountain Junior Selects (8-6 to the Palm Beach Storm, the 23-seed), the 11th-seeded Edge USA (7-4 to the CT Hurricanes, the 22-seed), and the 14 seed, Atlanta Elite (9-7 to Greene Turtle Fells Point, the 19-seed). The other first round overtime game was won, 8-7, by the 13-seed, FuZe Blue, over Greene Turtle Ocean City.
With the field of 16 set, it was time to separate the haves from the have-nots.
Four of the top-five seeds held serve in the Round of 16. The three-seed, the CT Seminoles, were upset by the 19th-seeded Greene Turtle Fells Point, 8-6. Mesa Fresh 2010, the top overall seed, survived a nail-biter over Norcal (#16 seed), 8-6. The other top seeds cruised to victory, including Team HeadStrong (10-5 over Burnaby Mountain Senior Selects), Rebel Elite (10-3 over FuZe), and Maryland Lacrosse Club (big over Steel City Select, 20-1.
Just as four of the eight unbeatens from the Toyota Pool Play round hail from greater Philadelphia, four of the eight to make the quarterfinals are from southeast Pennsylvania as well: Mesa Fresh 2010, Rebel Elite, LB3 Blue and Team HeadStrong.
While two of the four quarterfinal games were blowouts (Maryland Lacrosse Club, 14-4, over Rebel Elite, and New Westminster, 13-4, over Greene Turtle Fells Point), the other two games were thrillers.
Team HeadStrong and LB3 Blue, opposing teams with several players who are high school teammates, had never faced each other until Saturday afternoon. Last year’s runner-up, Team HeadStrong, ultimately prevailed, 10-8.
Edge Junior and Mesa Fresh 2010 squared off with a spot in the final four on the line. Early on, Edge Junior controlled the tempo en route to a 9-5 advantage. Getting momentum on its side, Mesa Fresh reeled off five of the next six goals to tie the game at ten.
Moments later, Mesa Fresh seized the lead, 11-10. But it wouldn’t last long. With a couple minutes remaining, Edge tied it up at 11, and then controlled the ball with less than thirty seconds left in regulation. On the offensive, Edge attackman Daniel Lintner (2010) ripped a shot and scored his fifth goal of the game with 15 ticks left on the clock.
As time expired, Edge had once again re-written the record books, with the program now having advanced to the final four of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions in all three years of the tournament’s existence.
The semifinals will take place at 9:20 am on Sunday morning, with the Toyota Championship Game starting at 1:00 pm.
RISING STARS DIVISION
As Toyota Pool Play wrapped up early Saturday afternoon, it became increasingly evident that the Kanienkehaka Krunch (Akwesasne Mohawk Nation) is the team to beat. The Krunch dominated Toyota Pool Play, winning its three games by a combined score of 54-12. Heading into the Toyota Championship Bracket of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions, the Krunch were the top seed out of the Matrix DS pool.
In the Highlander Sport pool, three teams finished with a 2-1 record: Team Georgia, the Tampa Tribe and Black Dog. Tie-breakers determined Toyota Championship Bracket seeding, with Team Georgia earning the top spot. The Tribe, last year’s runner-up, was the two-seed, while Black Dog ended up as the three. The CT Cardinals were the fourth seed out of the pool.
In the first round of the Toyota Championship Bracket, the favorites swept, leading to two highly-anticipated semifinal match-ups on Sunday morning at 8:00 am. On Toyota Championship Field 1, it’s an all-Georgia showdown as Team Georgia will take on the Copperheads. Meanwhile, on Field 2, the Krunch look to take down the Tribe.
The rising stars division Toyota Championship Game will take place at 11:30 am on field two.
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