Opening Weekend of the VFLL

The 2024 Victoria Field Lacrosse League kicked off this weekend on Saturday September 30th as the Plugs squared off against the Goal Diggers; a rematch of the 2023 semi-finals. The defending champion Knights faced off against the expansion Chill and finally Sunday's lone game had the Phantom going head to skull against the expansion Turf Monsters. Admission clerks were swamped as they were trying to get fans in past the turn-styles quickly and efficiently all weekend long. The VFLL record attendance for a home opener was last season at 21 and that was surpassed this season with 58 counted spectators for the 'Diggers vs. Plugs home opener.

Rosters are everything in the game of field lacrosse. You can be successful with a small roster and only have a couple of spares, but in the VFLL, our game is built with all six teams having full roster sizes as you never know when you will have players away, sick (& tired <LOL>) or unable to play due to work or players being told by their significant others "not tonight!".

Case in point... the Goal Diggers vs. Plugs

Many of the Goal Diggers were away for various reasons so they were short-manned in their season opener. One player not in attendance could not find his long pole... and he lives in a one room apartment. And so the season begins for the GD's but not the way they wanted as the Plugs take the lead early in the first quarter and never looked back. A shocking beginning to the season for both clubs as both did well in the draft. The Plugs held quarter leads of 6-2, 12-4, 14-6 and finished with a 21-6 victory.

HeadCase Sportz Players of the Game:
Goal Diggers: Jesse Gough
Plugs: James Spence

Second Game of Double Header: Knights vs. Chill

This was a battle of the cagey veterans vs. the young guns. The Knights showed the Chill this evening why they are the defending VFLL Champions. Ball possession off of face-offs and... ball possession after shots,  was the key to the Knights victory on this night. The Chills' Quinn Sutton lit it up with 3 goals and in a regular lacrosse game, that still is phenomenal. Then look across the scoresheet and Team New Zealand's own Cody Clark potting 7 & 2 was the difference maker. The Knights held quarter leads of 8-1, 12-2, 15-4 and finished the game with a 22-6 score; one upping the Plugs in the previous game.

HeadCase Sportz Players of the Game:
Knights: Cody Clark
Chill: Quinn Sutton

Game #3 of the Weekend: Phantom vs. Turf Monsters

This game had an aura about it right from the start. Which Phantom would appear in 2024? Would it be the Ghouls of 2023 or would it be a reinvigorated Ghosts from the West Coast? Would the Turf Monsters be scary... or just scared? The game started well with both teams possessing the ball a number of times but neither team being able to catch that pass that would give them a great shot about 20 yards from the cage. The Phantom started the game with 5 straight beautiful scoring chances, only to be denied by the "Limbo Master" himself, Alex Pocetti. The purple people eaters are far better than they were in 2023; down in each of the last three quarters by only a goal, the much improved Phantom were close in their home opener but the Turf Monsters were just that tonight... monsters on the scoreboard. The Turf Monsters held quarter leads of 4-0, 7-2, 9-3 and defeated the Phantom by the score of 12-5.

HeadCase Sportz Players of the Game:
Turf Monsters: Connor Leies
Phantom: Dylan Anderson