TO SEE A RECAP OF ALL 8 WEEKS OF FALL BALL, visit www.teamnorcal.com/fallball

What a phenomenal way to end the 2015 FallBall session.  All 4 games Sunday were decided by 1 or 2 goals, there was plenty of great lacrosse play!!  CONGRATULATIONS to the Machine, for taking home the 2015 Championship, and thanks to all who participated and made this year the best Team NorCal FallBall session so far!  You can see highlights from Championship weekend here: Week 8 Highlights.

The action was intense this past Sunday, game highlights and summaries are below:

GAME 1 Lizards v Rattlers.  The Rattlers were looking for their first win, on this final weekend, after a tie and a couple close losses during the seeding games.  AND, it was a chance to avenge a 12-4 loss to the Lizards in week 1.  The Rattlers got off to a good start when Juan took a pass from Griffin Olson, and found the back of the net for an early Rattlers lead.  The pace was pretty fierce, as the teams traded goals back and forth, with Luke Eichensehr scoring a nice goal off an assist from Jack Cody, to make it 3-3 late in the half. Danny Baier scored a nice goal of his own to give the Lizards a 4-3 advantage going into halftime, but the Rattlers were definitely within striking distance.  Both coaches must have given emphasis to the D during the halftime talks, as both Defenses came out ready to play in the 2nd half.  Will Abbot for the Rattlers and Tommy Walter for the Lizards both shut the door numerous times with some great saves to keep the scoring low.  The Rattlers had their chances, but with Walters stone wall and a number of shots that were off cage, they just didn't have enough to pull this one off.  After a great clear, Aditya Nag fed Nic Faurot for nice goal, which proved to be the winner.  A late goal by the Rattlers kept it interesting, but with solid D continuing through the final whistle, this one ended 5-4 in favor of the Lizards, who took home the Bronze in the Consolation Bracket.  Solid D, great goalie play, and balanced offense (9 different players scored the 9 goals in this one), it was an exciting end to the FallBall session for these two teams. 

GAME 2  Cannons v Outlaws.  Well if the first game was exciting, the 2nd was even more so.  Both teams were determined to take home the B Bracket Championship, and both clearly came to play on Sunday.   Jack Phelps of the Outlaws struck first to open the scoring.  Then the Cannons stole a pass on the ride, and Ryan Elston fed Sal Giovannotto to tie it.  The Outlaws stormed back, with 3 unanswered goals from Aidan Peck (2 of them assisted by Anthony Oliveri) to take a 4-1 lead, and some serious momentum.  But both Defenses really tightened up, and only one unassisted drive by Giovannotto made it to the scoreboard by halftime, to make it 4-2 in favor of the Outlaws.  The best was yet to come.  To start the 2nd half, Nathan Iruegas continued living his Offensive Dream with a nice take of his own, bringing the Cannons to within a goal.  When Peter Christians scored off a pass from Josh Spain, then fed Dean Donat a minute later...the Cannons had come all the way up to take the lead 5-4!  The Outlaws were in need of some heroics.  Mark Richardson provided a boost, tying it up at 5, as the clock ticked down....would this one end up in our first OT session?  The answer would be "No" as Stephen Jeffery scooped up a GB near midfield, made a few unbelievable moves and slammed in a shot as he hit the turf scoring his first and only goal of the FallBall session, just in time to clinch it for the Outlaws!  An exciting finish and another close game, with congratulations going to the Outlaws for earning the B Bracket Gold.  Hats off to Blake Axtell, with nearly a dozen saves in this one.  Aidan Peck led all scorers with his Hat Trick, and capped off an impressive Fall Ball Session with 3rd place (18g) in the overall scoring ranks.

GAME 3  Hounds v Nationals.  Out of the frying pan and into the fire so they say....the excitement didn't slow down as we watched the A Bracket games unfold, starting with an intense matchup between the Hounds and Nationals.  This one didn't disappoint, as the first half went back and forth with a handful of highlight plays and goals.  Jack McCrea kicked things off for the Hounds with a nice goal off a feed from Joey Cassin, which was answered  moments later with a drive and bucket by Stephen Cannon to tie it.  Brian Krall scored two nice goals to make it 3-1, but Cassin stormed right back with two of his own to tie it.  The teams traded goals, and as the halftime break neared, Krall put in his 3rd of the game, to give the Nationals another lead, only to see John Purpura score just before the buzzer for the Hounds to tie it again 5-5!  The dizzying pace continued in the 2nd half, with one noticeable difference....the Hounds Defense.  Credit them with a number of takeaways, and a clearly more aggressive approach, which seemed to catch the Nationals off guard.  The Nationals committed a few turnovers, and the Hounds did not fail to capitalize.  Canyon Cali made a nice GB pickup at the midfield line, and converted it into a score, and then Cassin put in his 3rd of the game to make it 8-5.   Cannon blasted another of his signature outside rips, and Garrett Wood chipped in a goal to make things exciting, but when Eli Serepca converted a Purpuras feed into a nice BTB goal (yeah, its on the highlight clip), this one was over, with a final of 9-7.  Krall for the Nationals and Cassin for the Hounds led all scorers with their Hat Tricks.  The Hounds celebrated a nice FallBall Bronze with a  good win, and congrats to both teams for a solid Fall outing. 

GAME 4  Machine v Bayhawks.  The marquee matchup, this A Bracket and Overall Fall Ball Championship game had a lot to offer.  Two high powered offenses, two stifling defenses, top notch FOGOS going at it, and the top two FallBall scoring leaders.  Matt Seligson of the Bayhawks, and Jake Steinbock of the Machine both came into the game with the scoring title, and their teams Championship hopes on the line.  Tied at 24g apiece thru Week 7, each of them brought their "A" game in what proved to be an epic battle.  It didn't look too epic at first.....   Micheal Schmidek started it off with a GB off a Faceoff, which he took all the way himself for the first goal of the game.  The Machine came out hot with 5 unanswered goals, including 2 from Wyatt Gold, and it didn't look like we would have the same excitement as the preceding games.  Seligson was able to muster a goal for the Bayhawks with a nice drive, but Steinbock notched his 2nd of the half, to take the overall scoring lead, and a solid 7-1 game lead into the half for the Machine.  Of note, Elliott Robinson of the Machine made 7 excellent saves in the half (a couple from the doorstep), to keep the Bayhawks at bay.  It looked like a yawner, but those who left early and listened to the end of this one on the radio in the car ride home were definitely disappointed.  The lethal combination of Mason Brady and Matt Seligson were not going without a fight.  When Mason Brady put a rocket into the top shelf off a feed from Hayden Libby, it was 7-4 with momentum in favor of the Hawks.  Steinbock put in his 3rd of the day to slow them down a little, but Seligson then scored 2 unanswered to make it 8-6 with plenty of time to play.  Will Courtney was in the right place at the right time, shoveling in a shot from the crease off a rebound, to give the Machine some breathing room, but Brady unleashed two more RIPS to make it 9-8, and we had a game!  Unfortunately for the Bayhawks, there just wasn't enough time left.  Steinbock fed Gold, for his 3rd of the day, and a two goal lead, and despite a couple furious bursts from the Bayhawks, the Machine were able to run out the clock and secure their FallBall Crown.  Congratulations to the Machine on their Championship, and to Matt Seligson whose 4 goals were enough to seal his Scoring Title for 2015.  His 28 goals broke the previous scoring record of 26 (set last year by Mikey Cerone and Colin Merwin).  Props to Steinbock, whose 27 goals were notable, as was his smart, unselfish decision to hold the ball, run out the clock, and secure the victory for his team during the last minute of this Campionship game. 

We wish all players the best of luck in their upcoming spring seasons, and thanks again for all the players, parents, refs, coaches, and fans for an awesome experience in Team NorCal 2015 FallBall!