The Tie (2 Jul 2008)
So often in the annals of sport, ties are thought of as disappointments, usually leaving fans frustrated by the lack of a definitive winner or loser. And then there are matches like this past Sunday's game between Roo Island and Meridell. It started as many might've expected, with Roo Island rolling up a commanding advantage over the spirited Meridellians. About halfway through the contest, however, a strange thing happened... apparently, someone on the Meridell bench noticed that Roo Island forward Jair Tollet was "tipping" his passes and shots, stutter-stepping before each toss to the right. Armed with this knowledge, Meridell stormed back into the match, stopping numerous shots by Tollet and stealing a flurry of his passes, even taking a lead as the game reached its final stages. "No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't make myself stop..." Tollet said of his troubles later. "I knew I was singlehandedly losing the game for us, yet there was nothing I could do. It was the worst thing I've ever been through as a player...and then, it just suddenly went away." Whether it was through courage, luck, or sheer will, Tollet broke himself of his crippling habit just in the nick of time - scooping up a turnover by Gregorio Maille, dashing toward the goal before giving that stutter-step that Meridell was looking for, and then launching a shot into the left corner of the goal just as time expired, earning a hard-fought tie for a relieved Roo Island squad. And so, for the fans of this Yooyuball sport, a big question was answered on Sunday. Can Meridell, despite being an also-ran in the standings, be counted out as contenders for this year's finals? Not yet...