If we were looking for upsets at the 2023 Goalball Nationals on day 2, they didn’t come. What we witnessed, though, was a further reason why the teams that have dominated match after match all year do what they do.
Twice today, the Manticores mercied their opponents-Growlers in pool play and Omega in the quarter finals. In their second game of the day, they stopped a young and quick DC Stars team that, till that point, looked as if they might hang around at the top of the standings with the more established powerhouses. The Stars impressive run ended at the hands of the Texas Rattlesnakes who will match up against the New York Empire in one semifinal game tomorrow morning whose winner will face either the Manticores or King Cobras for all the marbles on the men’s side of the ledger.
As the NJ Honeybees are loaded with talent on the women’s side, they swarmed all of their opponents, rotating and substituting players at will so that no one ran out of gas. With a full roster, they can afford to play ParaOlympians Lisa Czechowski and Amanda Denis separately when scoring at will. Yet, tomorrow, when they face a talented Atlanta Blazers team, I’d look for them to bring the whole house full force in their semifinals match. Opposite them, the other semifinal game will feature the Maryland Minks versus the Sirens. While not as loaded with notables as the NJ Honeybees, you can’t count either of these teams out. Maryland, in particular, ran away and hid in two of their games, scoring in double figures and playing lights-out defense.
In the division B gold meddal game, the Atlanta Wolves will face the Killer Cobras, showing why the ATL is a great hotbed for the sport of goalball.
Whoever plays in the men’s and women’s final games, they will prove just how incredible a year 2023 has been from team preparation for the Southwest Regionals, the inaugural Cinco De Goalball Event in Texas, the tournament in Tennessee hosted by Strive For You, the Northeast Regionals, and the Southeastern tournament in Smyrna, GA. It has been a great ride watching well executed goalball.
We have to give a great shout-out to announcers on the Youtube channel like Bill and Marybai and, of course, U.S. Coach Keith Young, among others. Let’s keep the goalballs rolling and the popularity of this amazing sport on the move!
Of course, I encourage all of you to keep up with the USA Goalball page on Facebook as it has already featured upcoming competitions where our national teams will compete in a matter of weeks. No matter the outcomes of this weekend’s matches , we all can come together in support of those men and women who look to qualify our teams for the Paris 2024 ParaOlympic Games. The fight will be tough as previous tournaments abroad have shown. Yet, our teams are certainly up to the challenge. And to them, we cheer: “Go, USA!”
Boldly Blind 