Game 1 - Mi Casa Rustic Furniture 5, Clark Physical Therapy 12
Clark got up by two early with me losing the first and second face off in pathetic fashion. I failed to get back on defense on numerous occasions and simply could not run. This led to a switch to attack, where I fared better, but not as well as teammate Kaufmann. Kaufmann stayed up top all four quarters and led the team in goals with a hat trick. He also netted an assist to Kayser. Miska rounded out the scoring with a goal assisted by Aukes, who was on fire in the transition game. Try as I might, I failed to score. My first shot went behind the cage. Other efforts were squashed by an aggressive defense.After a tied half time, Clark came out firing on all cylinders. The middies ran the ball with ease and the attack was coordinated. PSU alum Ripchinski was definitely a force to be reckoned with as he scored at will all night. The defense quickly adapted to the smaller numbers and their speedy middies managed to beat ours for numerous double teams.
While both teams played very well, Clark's fitness and communication won out. Our defense was not up to guarding Ripchinski and the other guns on the Clark roster. Blay was definitely a missing component last night.
Game 2 - Wellspring Parable 4, Lightning Wear 9
The Bolts complained before the game that they were forced to play without goalie Hunter Couch (work), Bostwick, and the brothers Griess (Vail) to the point of suggesting that the game should not count towards the standings. Ben Couch filled in for his younger brother in the net for the first quarter before handing the reigns over to LSM McDougal. Truly a great and adaptable athlete, McDougal made impressive saves all night while Shleton did his best to make sure very few were taken.On the other side of the field, a late notification from Taylor left the Young Guns without a keeper. Kaufmann stepped up and hopped in the cage, where he did an admirable job despite never playing the position before. Like McDougal, he looked confident and made several tough saves. With Zielonko gone, Neilsen ran the team fairly well against the best team in the league. Kurt Sundermann is a better defender every time he is on the field and worked well with several partners all night. Will Tornberg won several face offs and ground balls; when he gains some size to complement his stick skills he will be a force to be reckoned with.
Throughout the valiantly fought game, the Bolts managed to get more breaks. Several times it seemed that only Neilsen and Oberender had any interest in moving the ball forward for the Young Guns. Unfortunately both were often double teamed before they were able to move the ball. Even without two of their big shooters and their best middie, the Bolts proved to be too tough for the Young Guns.
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Next week sees the surging Clark Physical Therapy team facing the Wellspring Parable Young Guns at 5:45 and the dominant Lightning Wear Bolts playing Mi Casa Rustic Furniture at 6:45. The first game will be the one to watch as Wellspring is currently sitting in second place over Clark with a better goals against average (+4 vs -1). With the key players back next week, this could be a real battle. Taylor is expected to be gone, but Wellspring may receive the services of former Texas Tech player and captain of the ISU box team, Mark Anderson instead. More on that once it is confirmed.Do not discount the late game, however. Depending on which personnel show up, it could be a real cracker. With Blay, Johnston, and Stachan out this week, Mi Casa missed three of its key guys. Blay has the ability to run our defensive end while Johnston boosts our attack and Stachan gives much needed speed to our midfield. They may prove to be enough to boost the rest of our team to victory.
