[Jeff Waegelin]

Well, I do not know if grabbing three goals is the best strategy, but it definitely worked for us. We won six out of seven elimination matches in Cleveland with our wonderful partners, 469 and 859, and didn't have too much trouble achieving that. We had some quick and easy matches, and we had some close matches that came down to a final last minute push, but overall the strategy was a great success.

I think that the strategy Joel and John are discussing would work, but the key element is holding that goal (as it is for any strategy). If you lose your 1 goal, you lose. It would be very easy to block a ball team off and prevent them from scoring their points, or just push them back. If you control all 3 goals, however, you are guaranteed a win. Without goals, victory is impossible.

That's not to say balls (and ball teams) are not important. In qualifying, they are VERY important, and in a close match, a few balls can be the deciding factor. My point, however, is that in elimination rounds, goal control is more important, and balls play second fiddle to goals. Of our winning alliance in Cleveland, all three teams were goals-only. While balls could have helped, they are not a necessity to win matches. Without goals, balls are nothing.