Vail Shootout: News/Results from Day Seven

by Alex Smith | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

Both the Men’s and Women’s Elite tourneys completed quarterfinal play on Friday as the Vail Valley was hit with intermittent rain storms.  Luckily, the lightning stayed away and both divisions were able complete their schedules on time.  In both divisions, the defending champions were unseated in quarterfinal action as Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear and Gang Green were bounced from the men’s and women’s tournaments respectively.  Semifinal action on Saturday will be entertaining as the Shootout hits the home stretch.
 
Be sure to stay tuned to www.vaillacrosse.com <http://www.vaillacrosse.com>  for live coverage on tomorrow’s semifinal games on the Shootout blog.
 
Men’s Elite
Two of Vail’s premiere teams bowed out in the quarterfinals as Team One’s Jammin’ Salmon and Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear each dropped their contests on Friday.  Jammin’ Salmon fell behind early to tournament favorite Maverik Elite and made a valiant comeback, but came up just a little short.  The Salmon have been stalwarts in Vail for years and made the most of their tough match-up before eventually succumbing 12-9. 
 
Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear, last year’s tournament champs and this year’s #1 seed, jumped out to a 7-0 lead against Denver-based Chipotle.  But the young Chipotle squad slowly “chipped” away at ML’s lead and finally overcame them in the fourth quarter, winning an entertaining 11-9 contest.  ML had all the talent in the world, but not quite enough numbers to stave off the energetic and numerous Chipotle team.
 
In other quarterfinal action, Combat Sports/Rocky Mountain Oysters were impressive in a 16-10 win over The Med.  The Oysters have scored 30 goals in their two games and are playing extremely well.  Team 21 jumped out early on the East Coast Kings and never looked back en route to an easy 15-1 win in the final game of the day at Ford.
 
Saturday semifinal games will be on Ford as Maverik Elite takes on Team 21 at 11:00am and Combat Sports/Rocky Mountain Oysters faces off against Team Chipotle at 1:00pm.  Of the teams remaining, Team 21 is the only with championship experience, having hoisted the hardware in 2008.  Maverik Elite continues to be the favorite with their stacked roster, but Team 21’s togetherness will make them a tough out.  On the other side, the Oysters and Chipotle will feature plenty of local talent as both teams pull hard from the local lacrosse scene.  Both games are intriguing and will be entertaining match-ups as the Vail Shootout finishes up.
 
Friday Results:
Elite Quarterfinals:
Combat Sports/Rocky Mountain Oysters 16, The Med 10
Maverik Elite 12, Team One’s Jammin’ Salmon 9
Team Chipotle 11, Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear 9
Team 21 15, East Coast Kings 1
 
Saturday Match-Ups:
Semifinals:
Team 21 vs. Maverik Elite – 11:00am – Ford Field
Combat Sports/Rocky Mountain Oysters vs. Team Chipotle – 1:00pm – Ford Field
 
Consolation:
Cons. Semifinal #1:  Sasquatch vs. Brine Elite – 10:00am – Edwards Turf
Cons. Semifinal #2:  Team Awesome vs. The Olympic Club – 2:00pm – Edwards Turf
Team One’s Jammin’ Salmon vs. East Coast Kings – 9:00am – Ford Field
Merrill Lynch/Lacrossewear vs. The Med – 11:00am – Ford Field
Team Gutman vs. Bigfoot Lacrosse 12:00pm – Edwards Turf
83 ∏ Lacrosse vs. The Lofers – 12:00pm – Edwards Grass 1
Fender Benders vs. Victorious Secret – 12:00pm – Edwards Grass 2
 
Women’s Elite
Several of the women’s top seeds were taken out of the tournament on Friday as Gang Green, last year’s tournament champs and #1 Stunner of the Month, an undefeated team from yesterday, were both eliminated.  CRSLax.com is the only pool winner to advance to the semifinals, which will also feature the Colorado Tropics, the Portland Purple and Team Extreme on Athletic competing for a chance at the championship.
 
Friday Results:
Play-In Game #1:  Colorado Tropics 13, Team Chipotle 4
Play-In Game #2:  Team Extreme 8, Colorado Storm 6
Play-In Game #3:  Team Wild 9, TexLax 6
 
Elite Quarterfinals:
Colorado Tropics 10, Gang Green 9
Portland Purple 13, #1 Stunners of the Month 11
Team Extreme 15, Minnesota Northstars 3
CRSLax.com 16, Team Wild 8
 
Saturday Match-Ups:
Semifinals:
Colorado Tropics vs. Portland Purple – 11:30am – Athletic Field
Team Extreme vs. CRSLax.com – 12:40pm – Athletic Field
 
Consolation:
Team Chipotle vs. #1 Stunners of the Month – 8:00am – Athletic Field
TexLax vs. Gang Green – 9:10am – Athletic Field
Colorado Storm vs. Team Wild – 10:20am – Athletic Field
Winner Chipotle/#1 Stunners vs. Minnesota Northstars – 1:50pm – Athletic Field
 
CORRECTIONS:
Please note the following corrections for players either missed or misspelled:
 
Masters All-Tournament Team
#8 – Rich Becker – Jagermeister – Midfield
 
Boys U-19 All-Tournament Team
#17 – Ralph D’Agostino – Fellowship of Christian Athletes Lacrosse – Long Stick Midfield
#16 – Hunter Hall – Team Colorado – Midfield