MAFL Week 4 Roundup

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Immortals - Wuji

Cancer 2 • Amrita Stadium

Immortals can't break their losing streak. Wuji gives their strongest performance so far with their second win of the season.

Despite Lanka's brilliant plays and scoring ability, he can't hold up the team on his own. After the game, spectators reported Immortals manager, Andam Mirza, attempting to calm down the agitated owner of the team. Pandey reportedly screamed at Mirza "We're looking like fools out there."

The Wuji are in great shape so far, with former captain Hachette scoring his first goal of the season. "It's much easier to play without the burden of the 'C' on my arm," claims Hachette.

SHOTS ON GOAL
11	19

POSSESSION
39%	61%

FOULS
4	4

GOALS

• 1ST 23' Lanka scores for Immortals

• 1ST 25' Hachette scores for Wuji

• 2ND 4' Lanka scores again for Immortals

• 2ND 16' Repsas scores for Wuji

• 2ND 20' Lian scores for Wuji

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Dynamos - Europa United

Cancer 2 • Novyimir Stadium

barnato expends a boost to intercept a high pass before smashing it into the dynamo's net.

Europa United brings the Dynamo's winning streak to an end. 

All good things must come to an end and the Dynamos' high is over. Despite dominating the in first half, the Dynamos lagged in the second half as the women of Europa United played an effective midfield. Barnato, Pernet, and Rosenblad all contributed goals to tie up the game at full time, while Fuchs and Dennis finished off the Dynamos in extra time.

GOALS

SHOTS ON GOAL
27	21

POSSESSION
57%	43%

FOULS
6	3

• 1ST 8' Petrovich scores for Dynamos

• 1ST 14' Barnato scores for United

• 1ST 18' Pernet scores for United

• 2ND 5' Nikitovna scores for Dynamos

• 2ND 12' Rosenblad scores for United

• 2ND 22' Leonidovich scores for Dynamos

• ET 2' Fuchs scores for United

• ET 6' Dennis scores for United

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Titans - Comets

Cancer 3 • San Olympus Stadium

Season rivals Titans and Comets face off for the first time in Season 2.

The Comets lost the game to the Titans at San Olympus today, putting them near the bottom of the pack with only 1 win and 3 losses so far. Like Lanka, Liu has netted the most goals for the Comets so far, but despite his scoring prowess, the Comets have not been able to consistently win matches yet.

Nash is a close second behind Lanka on the scoring rankings, and looks to be gunning for the top.

GOALS

• 1ST 6' Nash scores for Titans

• 1ST 19' Carballel scores for Titans

• 1ST 24' Bradley scores for Comets

• 1ST 28' Ferraz scores for Comets

• 2ND 18' Liu scores for Comets

• 2ND 23' Terrell scores for Titans

• ET 4' Nash scores for Titans

SHOTS ON GOAL
17	18

POSSESSION
53%	47%

FOULS
3	3

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Al'amal Sports Club - Dongji

Cancer 3 • Al'amal Stadium

Al'amal outplays Dongji in the second half as Baddour scores his first goal of Season 2

Al'amal forward Massadiq Baddour gave an impressive performance against Dongji on Cancer 3—the captain has been regularly praised for his leadership skills by teammates and opponents alike, and tonight was no different. This win puts Al'amal neck and neck with the current leaders of Season 2, the Dynamos.

Meanwhile, despite losing tonight's game, Dongji flying along quite solidly under the leadership of Marcus Ekberg. They were able to pull into the lead slightly in the first half, but ran out of steam after half time—giving the game away.

GOALS

• 1ST 4' Fara scores for Al'amal

• 1ST 12' deCosta scores for Dongji

• 1ST 21' Fan scores for Dongji

• 2ND 9' Baddour scores for Al'amal

• 2ND 17' Mohar scores for Al'amal

SHOTS ON GOAL
20	18

POSSESSION
55%	45%

FOULS
3	6

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Stats & Standings

Rankings

Team	M	W	L	Goals
Dynamo	4	3	1	12
Al'Amal Sports Club	4	3	1	10
United	4	3	1	9
Titans	4	2	2	10
Dongji	4	2	2	9
Wuji Sports Club	4	2	2	9
Comets	4	1	3	11
Immortals	3	0	4	6

Top Scorers
	Uday Lanka	6
	Readale Nash	5
	Marcus Ekberg	4
	Zhou Geng	3
	Ilya Petrovich	3
	Yvonne Barnato	3
	Husain el Guler	3
	Darkeem Dennis	3
	Avideh Karaaria	2
	Sergey Samrend	2

Fans react to Season 2

Just 3 weeks into Season 2 for the MAFL and the results have upended all our expectations. Fans in Novyimir are overjoyed as the Dynamos currently reign supreme in the standings with 3 wins and zero losses.

The Dynamos were a middle-of-the-range team in Season 1, with a few outstanding fowards such as 25-year-old Ilya Petrovich, and 24-year-old Avideh Karaaria. However, the team is singing to quite a different tune for Season 2.

“It’s been very exciting,” says club manager, Sergey Ludomir, “we’ve been putting in a lot of hard work during the off-season, and it’s immensely satisfying to see that it's paid off and we’re getting results.”

The fans are equally pleased.

Calling themselves “Dynamaniacs”, evidence of their support and pride is seen in the packed live-casts and sold out Spectator Tours for the home games. Some dedicated fans are even shelling out the M-creds to travel to Huacheng and Tiangong to show their support.

“There’s nothing like being in the stadium and seeing the Dynamos in action,” explained one Dynamanic, Rinn Khomenko, “I was able to see them play in Tiangong, and it was amazing!”

Dynamaniacs celebrate the dynamos latest victory

Meanwhile the Immortals have had a rough go of the season so far. They also finished Season 1 solidly in the middle of the pack. But despite having star player, Uday Lanka, and solid offensive players in Hagendoorn and Naik to back him up, the Immortals have not been able to secure a single victory.

“We’re still working out some kinks in the roster,” Immortals coach, Cezar Vaduva, says about the team’s dismal performance so far, “we’ve had a couple new recruits but we’re confident that once we hit our stride things will start turning around.”

Most fans in Amrita are determined to keep a positive outlook, though many are questioning Vaduva's expanded role and taking many responsibilities that previously fell on Manager Andam Mirza. 

“It’s still early in the season and things can swing around really quick. I think the Dynamos are going to burn out pretty soon. They’re on a streak right now, but those never last,” a Immortals fan staunchly predicted.

Fans in Marineris and San Olympus have been quietly disappointed, perhaps in disbelief. Season 1 runner-ups, the Titans, have been sitting consistently at second last. The Comets have fared slightly better as they currently stand at fifth place in the rankings. Nevertheless it’s still a far cry from the title of ‘champion’ they’ve proudly held over the off-season.

MAFL fandom, itself, is still relatively new to colonists, but it is consistently revealing behaviours responses that are atypical of real and virtual stimulus baselines.  According to Doctor Luden Madenoxialax of the Psychiatric Studies Department of Marineris, there is a noticeable drop in the aggregate data from the colony's Emotional Surveillance program. 

"I don't have access to actual data from the other colonies that monitor emotional wellbeing," says Madenoxialax, but the values we see coincide with the Comet's performance, with the last few weeks presenting depressed averages.

In general, Madenoxialax and other specialists do not regard this as a negative for the community, that these are natural responses for engaged fans, however, ongoing monitoring is necessary to identify potential issues, especially for those who are predisposed to depression.  


 

Chaos with Khimik as they move to bottom of standings

Taurus 1, 2078, m249

In front of a raucous home crowd, the Wildcards escaped with a last minute 1 - 0 over Khimik at Wendland rink. And with the win, the Wildcards move to 2 and 2 for the season while Khimik moves to the bottom of the second exhibition round with a 1 – 3 record.

Despite a barrage of scoring chances from Khimik throughout the game, the Wildcards’ Jules Arquette was brilliant in net and steady defensive play from Amelia Harris and Brandon Phan also helped shut down Khimik attempts.

“Very frustrating,” said Khimik Captain, Alex Yanovna. “I feel like we were the better team as we had so many scoring chances but luck was not on our side.”

Luck was clearly not on Khimik’s side but frustration was, as Khimik exhibited wildly aggressive play throughout the game resulting in four penalties – two in the 1st and 2nd periods respectively.

To Khimik’s fortune, the Wildcards were unable to capitalize on the power play opportunities as Khimik goalie Veronica Danilenko matched Arquette’s brilliance with repeated saves.

And just as all signs pointed to overtime, the Wildcards forward, Mateo Martinez was able to provide a spark of magic. With less than a minute to play in the game, Martinez was able to cut through two defenders and fire a wrist shot just over Veronica Danilenko for the winning goal.

For Martinez, it was his 18th goal in 10 games.

martinez breaksaway down the ice to score the only goal of the game

After the goal, a number of Khimik players smashed their sticks on the ice and refused to speak to members of the press.

Yanovna did offer this statement, “No, we are not happy with our record so far and it does not help that the media is focusing so much on our losses. I think this is fueling all the negative comments we are getting from Europa fans. As pioneers of hockey on Mars, we think Europa colony should give us a bit more credit. All I hear are their complaints.”

Europa resident and Khimik player Peter Lehmann tried to defuse the situation upon hearing his teammate’s comments.

“Look, losing sucks period. For all my Korolev teammates, it’s been a hard adjustment for them in a new colony. They take losing hard and don’t feel like being out so it’s not like they are purposefully trying to insulate themselves from the Europa colony,” said Lehmann.

“I tell my teammates that Europa fans are complaining because they are passionate about sports just like they were with their MAFL team, Europa United. They gave it to them so that’s why they’re also giving it to us. I’d rather they say something than nothing because then, that means they don’t care. The best solution to this is just win.”

Regardless of how they feel, Khimik will be playing at their host colony, Europa. Stay tuned  next week as Khimik takes on the Cosmonauts on Taurus 15.

Miller MIA. Moles defeat the Cosmonauts 3-0

Taurus 1, 2078, m249

Undeniable team chemistry shines through for the Moles as they overwhelmed the Cosmonauts and defeated them 3-0.

Li and Campbell snagged the first goal of the game at 3:54 into first period when some great offensive maneuvering by Li allowed her to slip the puck past the Cosmonaut defenders to find Campbell open at the left corner. The opportunity was golden, and Campbell efficiently converted the pass into a neat backhand high into the net.

Miller was conspicuously absent from the team benches today despite being cleared to play. While inconclusive, rumours have emerged that the 34-year-old Korolevian has returned to his home-settlement with little warning or explanation.

“He’s been unhappy with the way ISMO organizes the the exhibitions and rounds for a while now,” says an acquaintance of Miller who chose to remain anonymous.

Team morale was low for the Cosmonauts today as they struggled to rally past the abrupt departure of their forward.

“We knew Miller didn’t the decisions Seulovik was making about the exhibition rounds. Especially they way he handled the Phantoms and Sands,” says Cosmonaut captain, Anna Fedin, “but this isn’t like him, and we’ll try to pull through this together.”

Other teammates were not so charitable, “Look, Miller was deadweight. All you have to do is look at his scoring record.”

disappointment all around as the cosmonauts are defeated at novyimir

The Moles were quick to take advantage of the Cosmonaut’s team tension.

Third period opened with a concerted effort by the Cosmonauts to get on the offensive, but their plays were sluggish and lacked the focus and energy needed to get past the Moles defenders.

The second goal by the Moles was claimed by Moles forward Laura Hall. 2 minutes into third period, Hall gained control of the puck after intercepting an airborne puck. The Cosmonaut defenders were caught unprepared as Hall barreled towards the net and sniped it over Hansen’s shoulder.

Cosmonaut forwards attempted to turn the tides in third period with Novak and Fedin setting plays multiple times. But the setups were fruitless as Okeke was right on top of them every time, and not a single play was converted to a goal.

Cosmonaut fans groaned as 13 minutes into third period, Okeke flicked a cross-ice pass to Mattila who snapped it into the left corner as it Hansen made an unsuccessful grab at the puck. With 2 minutes left in the game, the Moles focused on keeping the Cosmonauts at bay as the timer ran down to a 3-0 win for the Moles.

“Obviously the Cosmonauts were hurting today, and we respect that they came out and played their best,” says Moles captain, Janice Campbell of today’s game.

The Cosmonauts still have enough players to participate in the exhibition rounds but the future seems uncertain as they try to sort out their team dynamics.

With today's victory, the Moles grab the lead with a 3-1 standing overall. They will be up against the Wildcards next week at Marineris, while the Cosmonauts will be meeting Khimik in Europa.

Cosmonauts Best the Wildcards

Aries 13, 2078, m249

Captains Marquez and Fedin face-off in a wildly satisfying contest that thrilled spectators.

The Cosmonauts rally back from their flop last week with a stronger offensive strategy to beat back the Wildcards 4-3.

Martinez scored 3 goals on his own for the Wildcards today and Arquette made 27 saves, but that wasn’t enough to bring the Wildcards out on top.

Captain Anna Fedin came out hot in the first period with Novak and Burien on her wings to whip past the stunned Wildcards and snap a goal past Arquette’s right pad at the 1:19 mark. Before the Wildcards were able to rally themselves, Fedin scored a second goal for the Cosmonauts.

“I had great support out there today, “ says Fedin of her teammates, “The Wildcards have a huge offense, with Martinez being such an elite scorer. So our strategy today was to hit early and to hit hard.”

A blazing backhand from Vitaliza Burien ended the first period with Cosmonauts-3, and Wildcards-0.

After the first period massacre, Martinez tried to rally. A tighter defense line from the Wildcards pushed the game into long swooping plays as both teams struggled for possession.

Wildcards finally nab their first goal of the game as Martinez broke through the Cosmonaut defenders to fire a lucky wrist shot that pinged the crossbar and down into the net.

Meyer chipped in a fourth goal for the Cosmonauts with a beautiful assist from Katy Fedin that took advantage of the rink’s sloped walls to bend a pass around the two Wildcards defensemen.

“The newness of ISMO hockey means that we’re constantly inventing new ways to play. New strategies to score. That was a nice one by the Cosmos today, “ said Wildcards Captain, Marquez, of today’s unexpected play.

Martinez claimed two more goals for the Wildcards in the third period, completely dominating the rink and continuing his burning streak of multi-goal games. He is currently the lead scorer in the league with 17 goals over a 4 game stretch.

“Martinez is definitely the star of the Wildcards. Heck, he’s the star of ISMO right now. But they [the Wildcards] can’t continue to lean on his scoring ability so heavily,” says commentators, “Everybody on the team’s gotta pull their weight.”

For the remainder of the third period, the Cosmonauts desperately battle the Wildcards to keep their lead and stall the efforts of Martinez. The Cosmonauts pull through the final moments to win the game 4-3.

This brings both the Wildcards and Cosmonauts to even ground with Khimik in the standings. Each with 3 wins and 2 losses so far. The Wildcards slip from first place in the overall standings with their loss today.