Editor’s note – This is the last of a series of blog posts written by FSC coach Marty Ward about his experience with the Iroquois National Team at the FIL World Championships.  This has been an amazing inside look at a very special team.  We are very thankful to Coach Ward for taking the time to document his fantastic experience and giving us an inside look at the people and the culture that makes the Iroquios Nationals such a special and unique team. If you missed his other posts we invite you to read them. FSC Head Coach Marty Ward’s Iroquois Nationals Blog – Preparations FSC Head Coach Marty Ward’s Iroquois Nationals Blog – Travel Day FSC Head Coach Marty Ward’s Iroquois Nationals Blog – Christmas on the 4th of July! FSC Head Coach Marty Ward’s Iroquois Nationals Blog – Arrival to Denver for Final Preparations FSC Head Coach Marty Ward’s Iroquois Nationals Blog – HAKA Day

FSC Head Coach Marty Ward’s Iroquois Nationals Blog – Game Day! FSC Head Coach Marty Ward’s Iroquois Nationals Blog – Three Games In About the author – Marty Ward has been head coach at Florida Southern College for four seasons.  A graduate of Corcoran High School in Syracuse, N.Y., Ward was a two-time team captain for Limestone and a three-time all-conference selection.  He was the starting goalie for the Iroquois Nationals program that finished fourth at the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship and he was rated second in the nation in saves.  World Games recap – Iroquois Nationals blog July 15 – Team USA game After the Australian win last night we woke up for our normal 11am meeting and regrouped to focus on the USA and the playoff push for the rest of the week. The confidence on the team seemed ok during the meeting but the energy level was not there…we were a little tired that day. The USA came out on fire and took us to a 10-0 lead at halftime which was very surprising to me and a lot of the other guys…the second half was closer with a 8-5 score…it was fun playing against USA again, the first time I ever played against the USA was in 2006 and I was more starry eyed than anything so this go round was a big difference…each player after the game got their pic taken by ESPN the magazine so look out for that issue on our team. After the game I was happy to take my wife and father in law out to dinner so we could really catch up for a while…it’s been very nice having family out here with me this entire time to share the experience.

July 16 – Quarter final vs. Scotland After the loss to the USA we were seeded third in the Blue Division, which is one place from a bye straight to the semifinals. We had to wake up and play Scotland…a team that had four or five Canadian standouts and were undefeated in the pool play…Again we were tired and didn’t really look like we wanted to play…the scots played a stifling zone defense and their goalie was hot…all the recipe for an upset but we managed to take them 10-8 and we were moving on to the semis vs. Canada…a team we all know we can beat on any given day! This game will be a pinnacle for our program with a win and we all know that. July 17 – Semi final vs. Canada There was a great anxious energy with all of the guys on the team during the entire day, after waking up feeling refreshed after a nice afternoon nap we were ready to go. The squad was focused and we came out to play our best 1st half of the tourney thus far, the locker room was loud and talkative so we all knew were ready for this win…”a quiet locker room is a losing locker room” we went up 4-1 after the first and went into halftime 4-3…the 3rd quarter was a lackluster one in focus for our guys and we went down going into the 4th. BY the time we started pressing and doubling we still could not connect on offense even with three fourth quarter goals…the Canadians scored three goals while we were chasing them around for a 12-6 final…this Canadian team has all the mojo to win it all, experience, toughness, and talent. With the loss we play Australia on Saturday for the Bronze but not before a nice day off. July 18 – Day off with family and team dinner The day started off by having a nice trip to Red Rocks Amphitheatre with my family, got to walk up and down the amphitheatre in the am and do a nice little hike around. It really is a cool place that started concerts back in 1910! Must of took three days for people in Denver to get there back then…We left from there and took a ride to Boulder, CO…strange place Boulder…but very unique city. Reminds me of Woodstock, NY in the mountains…I think we saw a couple stuck in a 60’s 70’s time warp…after a nice afternoon in Boulder where we hit the Lazy Dog pub for lunch we took a trip to Golden, CO…yeah yeah the home of Coors…we didn’t go there for the brewery tour but it was a nice little town to hang out in for a bit. The next stop was for our team dinner at The Fort in Morrison, CO…this place is on the National registry for historical places and is dubbed the best restaurant in the Denver area…after the appetizers of Buffalo marrow, Buffalo tounge, rocky mountain oysters…we had a main dish of quail, buffalo steaks, green chili cheese grits, and corn/cucumber salad…not to mention the 6 piece desert tray at the end! Wow! Could have been the best meal in a long time for me…now its time for bed, god night July 19th – Bronze day Here it is…the day it all comes down to…make it or break it…win and live on forever lose and think about it forever. For 8-10 guys on the team this will be the last world games at the Men’s elite level so this is very important game for our entire program…not just for the guys in the room but also for the alumni and the players that will come after us…We came out on fire and dominated the Aussies 16-5 shutting them out in the fourth quarter…after the game we all had pics on the field and a lot of autographs and smiles with fans…this was truly a special moment to take in…all of the work training to make the team and all of the sacrifices made all paid off…I keep thinking back to when I first started playing lacrosse and could hardly pass and catch to where I am today with this team…Dedication toward a dream will pay off if you take the right steps to make it happen…like my father used to tell me all of the time, if its hard or tough then you know you’re playing the right way on the field, compete for everything…After the game we went back to the hotel to shower and relax. We made our way back to the stadium for the ceremony of medals after the US vs. Canada upset! Who would of guessed that besides 30 people at a bar in Toronto? Nice win boys! Felt great seeing a player I coached at Florida Southern win gold with Team Canada as well…he will be playing in our alumni game this fall. We made history as a team and we made history for a nation…this has been a long 19 days now I will start my journey across the country back to Florida by car. Looking forward to every minute of the trip! Thanks for reading this blog and keep hitting the wall!!!