Team WoW 2 - 4 Dynamo
(Gale, Scott)
Team WoW are still in search of their first major championship after losing the Term 1 2012 final 4 - 2 to Dynamo. The old foes have a history which favoured Team WoW before the match; having won 6 - 3 last season and drawn 5 - 5 (with Alec) in this one. There would be no excuses in this match, however; both teams had their best and brightest in attendance. Team WoW doctor Lucas Parry was also present; he declared the boys fully match fit before the game. The Aurora boasted an attendance in excess of 25 people (including players and officials) for the biggest night of the season.
It was a slow start to the game from Team WoW, who struggled in the early stages to adjust to demands of the show court. Michael Riske was stunning between the posts to keep the score nil all for the first few minutes, but it wouldn't last. Dynamo's main man (the older guy with the wicked shot) struggled free of some tight marking from Jonathon Bryan to slash one in the net from a corner. He made it two not long after, striking one off both posts and in. Team WoW struggled to get attacks going up the other end. Nerves seemed to be Dynamo's best defender, as Jordan Scott and Sol Foster seemed to buckle under the pressure. Dynamo's actual defence was pretty good as well. Dynamo's killer third came close to the end of the first half. Andy Thompson and Alex Kidd collided in the middle of the court, leaving a gaping hole on the right wing. The dynamo striker took full advantage, skipping around a stretched Phil Gale before sending his blistering effort into the net.
It was a talkative halftime for Team WoW, with every player offering their opinions. One undeniable truth, however, simmered below the surface; Dynamo were simply too good. Team WoW, however, put these thoughts aside as they regrouped for the second half, and came out of the proverbial tunnel with more confidence. After three minutes, however, it was 4 - 0. These situations usually cause a team to either resign themselves to their fate or inspire themselves to an unlikely comeback. For Team WoW, it was a strange (ad)mixture of both. Gale, who had played a solid game in defence, decided to try his hand in the attack, switching with Bryan. The change had an immediate effect, with the pacey med student surging up the left wing and chipping the keeper with surgical precision; which earned the applause of Parry and Thompson (and everyone else). with two minutes to go, Team WoW found their second. Again, Gale was integral. He ran mazely through middle before slicing (not unlike a surgeon) a pass through to Bryan, who engineered a pinpoint pass for Scott, who [insert degrading metaphor about arts students]'d it into the net. The intensity was good in the closing stages, but the result was never in doubt. As the final buzzer rang out, a dejected Team WoW honoured their worthy opponents before taking an embarrassing series of losers photos.
"Naturally we're all really disappointed after this one," team captain Andy Thompson commented in post-match interviews. "Dynamo are a quality team and we just weren't up for this one. But we'll be back at the end of the year to do it all again." Other responses were similarly ennuic. Rob Schaap mourned his attrocious finals stats (one win in fourteen), while Bryan and Scott dreamed of what could've been.
A reminder that this blog does not go on hiatus between seasons. Stay tuned for months and months of filler material before the next season kicks off.
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