Krajik Times: Nardinik Women's Team Falls Short at Ardelark GreenCup

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Women's GreenCup 2021: Nardinik Women's Team Falls Short at Ardelark GreenCup

Mintakaville, Ardelark | Symon Olishvik | 21-06-2021

In a shocking turn of events this afternoon, the Nardinik Women's National Team "Royal Falcons" was handed a sore defeat by Saralonia's "Golden Eagles" with a resounding six to nothing loss. The match, played at Mintakaville Stadium, was expected to have been a close game as both teams played strong defensive games in the GreenCup's previous three matchdays. From the moment the teams hit the pitch, however, it was clear that the Royal Falcons were very much outmatched, and the Golden Eagles fielded an explosive offense that scored more goals than in their three previous days combined. "We really wanted that win, but it was clear that they wanted it more," said Royal Falcon captain Rikka Felsonic in a postgame interview with the Times, "despite our best efforts we were forced to play on the backfoot the entire match. It hurts to have come this close to the qualifying round only to be knocked out now, but we played our best, and I hope me and my teammates have made our country proud. We'll be back and better than ever by the time of the next tournament!"

Felsonic and teammates following loss against Saralonia

On matchday one, the women's national team played the Novian Republics, playing "The Caracals" to a draw with no goals for either side. Matchday two saw Nardin emerge with victory over "The Palmiers" of Pygania, two goals to one. On the third and final matchday the Royal Falcons received a harbinger of things to come, getting shut out by The Champions League three to nothing. While throughout the championship run the Royal Falcons exhibited a strong defensive strategy, it is clear that in future international games the women's national team will need to focus on improvement of the attack, as in the GreenCup they were outscored ten to two. "A strong defense can win the game, of course," said coach Casimir Bushvin in a statement, "but when the opponent also plays well defensively, it comes down to outscoring them. Obviously we were unable to maintain a strong offensive presence in the majority of our games, and this we will seek to remedy in the future."

Though Nardin has been eliminated from the tournament, football fans across the nation look forward to following the rest of Ardelark's 2021 Women's GreenCup as the remaining nations battle it out to win the coveted prize. The competition remains fierce, and any of the contestants could emerge as the new GreenCup champion.

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