Despite a narrow 3-4 loss to the High Rollers- a team coming off of a second place finish in Tampa- to start their weekend, the remainder of the bounces went their way, and they would go on to prove that the bracket narrative was not the reason for their success.
The Lights came out of the prelims 3-1. Having only suffered that narrow loss to the ladies from New Jersey, they met the High Rollers again in the Quarterfinals and proved to be the more disciplined team. Three major penalties on the High Rollers in the match paved the way for a 4-2 Northern Lights victory and a shot at the team they had avoided in the prelims.
But they did not shrink at the battle with the Femmes. Instead, they came out aggressive, and met the Femmes notorious attack toe-to-toe. They took the momentum out of the gate, and forced the Femmes to make up ground on a three point deficit, and then suffered a penalty for“ talking from the pits” and lost some balance. The Femmes came back and tied the match at 5-each to take the match to overtime. There, the experience of and conditioning of the ladies from Florida would reign supreme, and the Femmes ultimately won the finals berth 6-5.
On the other side of the competition, Bracket A was structured with powerhouse teams- some of them seasoned, and some up-and-coming.
Dallas Vibe ran the table in Bracket A, coming out undefeated. The Heroines, on the other hand, found themselves surprised by the Bear Ridge Saints in their second match. Both teams would take significant losses at the hands of Vibe, and came out of the prelims 2-2, but the head-to-head put The Saints ahead of the Heroines going into the playoffs, and setting up a rematch.
In the playoffs, the Heroines took the lessons from the previous matches and exacted revenge. They unlocked the Saints attack and showed no mercy with a 5-0, statement defeat in the quarterfinals, and then went to work on Dallas Vibe in the Semis.
On the Pro field, the Heroines shone bright. In a Semifinal rematch from Tampa, they once again went toe-to-toe with Vibe, and once again came out on top with a 3-2 win, giving them yet another finals berth. And finally, the Heroines seemed comfortable. Having appeared in the finals nine times since the league’ s inception five years ago, this was now familiar territory for them, and they capitalized. They would go on to annihilate the Femmes Fatale 5-0, showing sheer dominance and establishing themselves as the team to beat.
This victory marked the fourth consecutive win for the Heroines, a run that started here at the Midwest Open last season. In November, they look to continue that streak, establish a new standard, and to win a fourth World Cup title.
Photo by Potts Photography
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