Krawk Island vs. Darigan Citadel (12 Jun 2007)
It was, in all likelihood, the most anticipated match-up of the Double Round Robin phase of this year's tournament: Krawk Island -- undefeated on the Yooyuball field and the overall leaders thus far -- squared off against the Darigan Citadel, last year's runner-up and the odds-on favourite to win it all going into this year's tournament. Who would win this pairing of Yooyuball powerhouses and gain an early upper-hand in vying for this year's championship?
The Citadel came out with a blistering offensive attack, sending a flurry of shots at Krawk Island goaltender Garven Hale. Though Hale bravely turned away nearly all of Darigan's volleys, the onslaught was simply too much, and as a result a handful of shots managed to slip through. On the opposite end of the field, Krawk Island's creative use of passing and offensive sets created enough scoring opportunities for them to stay within reach. The islanders, however, never quite managed to come up with the energy needed to make a final push and take the lead. In the closing moments of the match, the Darigan squad reached deep down and added a few late scores to pull away and secure the victory.
As impressive as the Citadel has been on the playing field (winning six of their seven match-ups) they've been far less formidable in the tournament's other two aspects. Today was no different, as the rowdy buccaneers from Krawk Island slung more slushies than their foes from the floating fortress, and raised enough of a racket to come away with a draw in the noise-making competition.
So, in the end, it wasn't a total loss for Krawk Island and their swashbuckling spectators; not only did they manage to come away with a few points and keep their place atop the leaderboard, but they could also take heart in knowing that another chance to avenge their loss to the Citadel lies in their future.