Kansas City; May 15, 1997
Flying Monkey Lacrosse Club (formerly Kansas City Lacrosse) put the finishing touches on their undefeated season by dominating the Great Plains Lacrosse League's Final Four Tournament.
In the first game of the tournament, Kansas(number 3 seed) upset Kansas State(2) 6 to 5 in overtime, avenging a 12-5 loss earlier in the season to set up a re-match with Flying Monkey(1) who easily defeated Rockhurst College(4) 19-0. Clint Morris for Kansas had the game winner in overtime and Jon Brenneman had the game winner for Flying Monkey.
In the Championship game, Flying Monkey jumped out to an early 8-0 first quarter lead and then coasted to a 20-3 victory over Kansas, claiming their second straight league title. Clay Malloy scored the game winning goal. In the consolation game, Kansas State defeated Rockhurst College 8-4 for third place, with Chris Torline scoring the game winner.
As it had all season, Flying Monkey relied on a balanced attack to overcome opponents. Thirteen different Flying Monkey players scored a goal in the tournament and 12 notched an assist. Another key was dominating the face-offs, with Matt Kinnan and Jon Brenneman combining to win 90% of the re-starts for Flying Monkey.
The leading scorers for the tournament were Tim Block from Kansas State and Marwood White for Flying Monkey with 7 goals apiece. Brian Holmes, Flying Monkey, was the points leader with 10 points on 6 goals and 4 assists.
The other teams in the Great Plains Lacrosse League include Tulsa, University of Missouri, Wichita State and Oklahoma State.
End of Press Release