Heat, humidity and numbers were stacked against the Team NorCal 2017 roster when they entered play at the Brine Summer Sizzle on Saturday morning. Two weeks prior, this group battled the dry heat of San Diego and Southern California's deep travel club talent, to pull out a second place finish; no small task. But this time around, the challenges and competition were a bit steeper.

In order for the 2017s to make the playoff rounds, they would first need to win their division outright. This meant defeating 2 teams from Virginia, 2 from Maryland and 1 from Lehigh, Pennsylvania; sounds similar to the ACC regular season schedule. So with only 16 players, the Team NorCal 2017s set out on their first objective: win our division. With 3 matchups on Saturday, the 2017s defeated teams from Maryland and Virginia, but were stung by Lehigh, PAs Dark Horse. With a 2 and 1 record, the 2017s would need to win their first 2 games and need Dark Horse to fall Sunday morning. 

So on Sunday morning, the 2017s embarked on their next mission: win, hope for a Dark Horse loss and we are in. Well with the odds stacked against them once again, and a number of patrons in the stands shocked that a group from California had defeated teams from the hotbed of lacrosse the day prior, the 2017s rolled through their next 2 games. It now all came down to a Dark Horse loss and the 2017s would reach the single elimination playoff round. 

But before we dive deeper into the Cinderella run, we need to take a step back and look at one thing about this rag tag group of future high schoolers. Like many travel teams built in California, the focus and goal is to lock in 3 to 5 elite caliber players, and then add pieces to the puzzle that will contribute. However, this wasn't the approach with the 2017s from Team NorCal. The Team NorCal 2017s were a group pieced together, with the hope that chemistry, effort and player accountability would lead to team success; not individual player success. A bit of a gamble when heading east to take on the clubs they were about to face, but coaches Skiba and Harman felt that if the 2017s played as a team, that they would in fact come out as winners. So as each game went on the Team NorCal 2017s had a new player step up to the challenge and have an impact. The TEAM concept had worked. The play for each other and we will win approach; had worked. The never give up mentality; had worked. The age old theory "win faceoffs and groundballs, win the game"; had worked.

All of it until now had worked, but now with the Maryland sun and humidity beating down on these soon to be high schools, would the "TEAM" approach be able to withstand 3 straight playoff games? We all had to wait and see. As the temperature and humidity climbed, so to did the play of the Team NorCal 2017s. First in the quarters, after being down 2 to 0 at the half, the 2017s stormed back in the second half to score 6 goals and defeat Maryland Legacy 6 to 2. In the Semifinals, the 2017s found themselves down once again, but once again the 2017s riddled off 5 straight goals to defeat Black Dog of Pennsylvania, 8 to 5. Now they were on to the finals, but who would they face and what adversity would they see? 

As the sun hid behind the clouds, and the fan section continued to grow at the beautiful St. Paul's stadium. The Team NorCal 2017s took the field to face off against perennial Maryland power "Looney's Lacrosse". But by the time the game started it wasn't the Looney's the coaching staff and players feared, it was having enough players. With flights scheduled already for the early evening, and the heat/humidity taking its toll on the players, the 2017s were going to have to play the finals with just 13 players. 

The Looney's like the previous 2 opponents would jump out to a 2 to 0 lead. It was clear that the 2017s might not have enough left in the tank to pull off another upset. But after the iron curtain that was Elliot Robinson stopped the Looney's on 3 straight doorstep opportunities, the 2017s scored 2 quick goals and headed into the half tied. The 2017s would start the half by taking the lead quickly, but the Looney's would counter with just 6 minutes left to tie the game. With just under 4 to play and the Team NorCal defense holding off a Looney's flurry of attempts, the 2017s found themselves man up. A quick timeout was called. Now with just 10 seconds left in the penalty, long stick defender David Peterson would find himself all alone on the the special man up play and would fire a goal past the Looney's keeper. Hysteria errupted on the Team NorCal sideline. Now what was once thought of as impossible was about to come true. Quickly the 2017s Mikey Fogerty, would win the next face off, drive the ball down the field and would find Finnbarr Murphy by himself on the crease...SHOT....GOAL! Now with just a minute left, the 2017s were up by 2 goals and the finish line was near. As the clock ticked to zero the excitement grew, and when it was all said and done, the TEAM mobbed goalie Elliot Robinson and the unthinkable had happened. 

Youth athletics and athletics in general are funny. Players work constantly to be the best they can be. To prove to a coach that they have the skills and ability to be "THE MAN," but for those in Baltimore that weekend what they learned was something more. That the TEAM is the key to victory. That playing for each other, rather than playing for yourself, is more rewarding then any goal scored. That together any team, on any weekend, can be crowned a champion.