USPA Monty Waterbury Cup

MavOffice.com Holds on for Win 


in Waterbury Cup


By Alex Webbe


Bendabout might have been busy licking its wounds from its loss earlier in the week, but that didn’t seem to bother an aggressive MaveOffice.com team that rolled to a commanding 7-1 halftime lead in the final match in the first round of play in the 2009 USPA Monty Waterbury Cup in Aiken Thursday afternoon before holding on for the 12-11 win.


“We just got the ball rolling early,” said MavOffice 6-goaler Julian Daniels, “and couldn’t seem to do anything wrong.”


The magic was still working in the opening seconds of the fourth chukker as MavOffice took the opening throw-in and carried it down the field, passing ahead to Tom Uskup who scored to make it 8-1.


“Owen (Rinehart) said at halftime that we were going to change things up,” said Bendabout’s Whistle Uys.  “Owen (Rinehart) went to Back and I moved to Number 2, but it was pretty disheartening to see them put the opening goal of the fourth chukker through the posts.”


Uys finally got Bendabout back on track, turning the ball and carrying it through the goal posts.  A penalty conversion by Tiger Kneece closed out the scoring, however, with MavOffice leaving the field with a comfortable 9-2 advantage.


As much as MavOffice might have controlled the first four chukkers of the game, the fifth chukker belonged to Bendabout.


Goals from Hector Galindo and Uys were an indication of the momentum change that was briefly halted by a single goal from Horacio Onetto, as Bendabout went on a scoring binge.


Galindo ended the chukker with three goals, Uys scored twice and Rinehart added a goal as the precipitous lead that MavOffice had built up had eroded to a two-goal advantage, 10-8.


“I think that we felt we were so far ahead that we just had a mental lapse,” said Daniels.  “Momentum is a tricky thing,” Daniels added, “Sometimes you can sit back and take it easy, and never get it back.  It was a lesson well learned.”


Rinehart opened the sixth period with a goal to cut the lead to one goal, 10-9, before Kneece connected on a penalty shot to make it 11-9.  Galindo answered in kind, making it a one-goal game again with MavOffice holding on to the 11-10 lead.  Daniels scored his second goal of the game for a 12-10 edge, but Bendabout hadn’t breathed its last gasp yet.  Galindo scored again to cut the lead to a single goal as Bendabout showed the Jekyll and Hyde aspect of its play.  Both teams battled for control of the game, with Bendabout mounting a remarkable comeback and MavOffice trying to hold on for dear life.


With just seconds remaining in the final chukker and Bendabout charging toward the MavOffice goal, the final bell sounded, and MavOffice rode off the field with the 12-11 win.


Tom Uskup scored four goals for the winning MavOffice.com team; Kneece scored three times; while Onetto and Daniels added two goals apiece in the victory.


Galindo led the Bendabout effort with six goals.  Whistle Uys added three goals and Rinehart scored twice.


Waterbury Cup action will resume on Friday with a 5 pm showdown between Goose Creek (1-0) and Barrington (1-0).