2016 Fall Ball sponsored by Team NorCal came to a close Nov 5th, with an outstanding Championship Weekend, highlighting 4 hard fought games, with performances showcasing a lot of player and team improvement.   We really want to thank our Fall Ball Coaches who helped throughout: Matt Donovan, Steven Harman, Ralph Lewis, Greg Hollingshead, Julian Gunter, David Hedayati, Trevor Stephens, and Johnny Beglin.  Our Fall Ball sessions are designed to give players an opportunity to play with their friends and have fun, while also playing full-speed, full-field lax, with a chance to really work on their game under the supervision of some great coaches in the Fall.  We saw so many players make strides that were evident on the field, even over the past few months, and players should be proud of what they accomplished. 

The day kicked off with consolation matches, as the Machine had locked up 5th place with a win over the Bayhawks in Week 7.  Summaries of the games are below.

RATTLERS V BAYHAWKS.  The Rattlers, a new entry to this years league with mostly East Bay Players, showed a lot of heart, and a lot of improvement on the final weekend.  They didn't quite squeak into the W column, but played two of their best and closest games of the year, and finished strong.  After losing to the Bayhawks by 10 goals in Week 6, the Rattlers came out with a much higher Octane Defense in week 8.  It showed against the high scoring O of the Bayhawks.  Though the Rattlers couldn't get on the board during the first half, they were still in it at halftime, only allowing 3 goals.  Max Henrich got the Rattlers on the board early in the 2nd with a nice goal, to make it 3-1.  And J Le added another off a nice pass from Andrew Sulyma.  But the Bayhawks got their O in a groove late in the game, and tightened up on D, finishing the game with a 7-2 victory.  Props to the Rattlers for a much closer game than the first one, and props to the Bayhawks who saw 6 different players score goals in a balanced attack en route to the win.  

RATTLERS v MACHINE.  Another early season trouncing at the hands of the Machine was on the Rattlers mind as they prepared for their 2nd and final game of the day.  Week 3 saw a 14-3 rout as the Machine rolled easily over the Rattlers.  In the 1st half, it looked like another rout was on, as 5 different Machine players tallied 7 total goals in the first half.  Jake Gieselman had a Hat Trick and an assist, and Kevin Chitwood notched a Long Stick Goal of his own to give the Machine a lot of momentum.  Andrew Sulyma kept the Rattlers alive with a two goals, but it was 7-2 going into halftime, and shades of week 3 were looming.  But the Rattlers came out of the halftime break with something to prove.  Their D was dominant, and Gavin Gannod came up with a bunch of big saves.  The Machine were blanked for a good chunk of the period, and when Sulyma notched his 3rd goal of the game, it was suddenly a 7-5 game!  But it was a little too little, and a little too late.  After trading goals, Mateo Solis-Prada knocked one final one in for the Machine, and this one ended 9-6.  The Rattlers had to feel good about the marked improvement in their games, with special thanks to coaches Harman and Stephens on the work they did with the Rattlers D throughout the course of Fall Ball. 

LIZARDS v OUTLAWS.  In the Bronze Medal game, the Lizards were looking for some redemption.  After a solid 3-1 start, they barely squeezed into the Semifinals, and a Semifinal Loss to the top seed Hounds was their 3rd loss in a row, giving them a serious hunger for a W.  But the Outlaws had their own agenda.  After a thorough beating in Week 1 at the hands of the Hounds (11-2), and a close loss to the Cannons in the Semis, the Outlaws were looking to walk away with a medal.  This one started close, with James Lewis kicking things off with a nice unassisted goal for the Outlaws.  But the teams traded goals in a seesaw battle, and it was 3-3 late in the Half. Aidan Peck found the net off a nice feed from Owen Mullineaux just before half, and it was a one goal game in favor of the Outlaws at halftime.  Wes Holthaus kicked off the 2nd half scoring with his 3rd of the game, but then Zach Gee and Connor Herminghaus hit two quick ones and this was tied at 5.  At this point, the James Lewis Aidan Peck combo took over for the Outlaws.  They pounded the goal with shots, each notching two goals in the final 10 minutes to take a 9-5 lead and put this one out of reach.  Josh Mayers scored a nice goal late for the Lizards, but this one ended 9-6, with the Bronze Medal going to the Outlaws.  While the Outlaws saw a balanced scoring attack (6 players contributed the 6 goals) and Mayers was pretty dominant on faceoffs, the Big 3 for the Outlaws was just too much.  Holthaus, Peck, and Lewis all had hat tricks to pave the way to the win.  Congrats to the Outlaws on their 3rd place finish!!

CANNONS v HOUNDS.  The Championship game!!  The Storybook Matchup.  The Cannons had handed the Hounds their only loss of the season in week 5.  Convincingly...by the score of 9-4.  You knew this one was going to be exciting.  The first half score (4-1 in favor of the Hounds) didn't look too exciting, but some big saves early by Spencer Wood staved off a consistent assault by the Cannons.   When Jon Purpura scored early in the 2nd, and Eli Serepca completed his Hat Trick off a nice feed from Mark Richardson, this one looked like it might be over at 6-1.  But Conor Burling scored on a nice drive, then a few minutes later on a nice feed from Scotty Bohn.  Mike Fogerty kept the momentum in the favor of the Cannons with a sweet tally to make it 6-4, and the fans were scrambling to make their way back into the stadium.  Purpura fed Josh Rowsey for Rowsey's 2nd of the day to muffle the buzz, and give the Hounds a 7-4 lead with only a few minutes remaining.  But the Cannons weren't finished...  Bohn scored on huge individual effort, then moments later he fed Luke Eichensehr to bring the Cannons within 1 as the clock continued ticking.  Bohn won the final faceoff, and the Cannons were able to get a barrage of shots off in the last 45 seconds.  But Spencer Wood came up big again in the closing minute...notching three saves including a HUGE one with only 3 seconds to go to preserve the victory, and the 2016 Championship for the Hounds!  Great effort, and both teams should be proud of the exciting play and STRONG Finish!  The championship game was a fitting finale to the 2016 Fall Ball session. 

Thanks again to all who participated as players, coaches, parents and fans.  Truly another great Fall Ball, and we look forward to seeing everyone out there next year!!