Tacoma Hounds

Recap

With a pregame rallying cry of “Go, Nuts!” it seemed, after the first three minutes, that the Nutmeggers were poised to upset the likewise undefeated Panthers. Early control of possession and artful shot selection meant that they were always ahead of the fast-break rushing style of the Panthers. The Panthers were able to turn it around well inside the first period by continuously exposing the nearly non-existent Nutmegger back lines with sharp ball movement. The moments of exposure in the back field saw the Panthers repeatedly go Route 1 and rack up a considerable lead.

The first period ended on a lopsided scoreline of 11-3 and some serious team-talks were underway during the break.  Panthers’ Captain, Sean, opted for more of an attacking midfield role and facilitated numerous scores for his side as well as notching a few of his own. Lawrence was a mobile outlet for Sean as well as a determined clean-up artist who defended from the front. In a similar bid for field advantage, John, the Nutmeggers’ Captain, reorganized their side to feature a more dedicated goalkeeping setup and hared afield for his own scores to good effect.

The Nutmeggers’ strategy adjustment meant they were able to claw back a number of scores but, by the end of the second period, the gap had widened further to 21-10 in favor of the Panthers. The Panthers appeared to adopt a mentality favored by some other Cats of hurling fame and, with one foot on the accelerator and the other on the necks of their opponents, truly put the game to rest. Erstwhile footballer, Ciaran, was denied two goals on could-have-been-measured-with-calipers margins while Leon popped up all over the field swinging heavy timber.

The Nutmeggers did not go down without a fight, managing to double their score from the previous two periods. Laura provided incredible defensive pressure while Bee batted cleanup at the goalmouth, notching her first scores of the League. John knuckled-down and was seemingly everywhere at once both offensively and defensively while Morgan and Chris sought to make themselves available up top. Ultimately for the Panthers, however, the final on field trio of Aaron, Sean and Leon combined for 15 scores which proved to be a bridge too far.

Despite the unflattering scoreline, the match was intensely competed and both teams deserve congratulations for their performance. The Panthers remain undefeated heading into Round 2, but we’re a long way from the Final yet, stay tuned!