Nine goals
from Brandon Phillips rally Goose Creek to a 13-9 win
By Alex Webbe
Goose Creek scored an unlikely come-from –behind win over
Tonchala/ART Friday afternoon in the International Polo Club USPA 8-goal President’s
Cup Qualifier. The victory will place Goose
Creek in Sunday’s 10 am finals against Lazy P (a 17-5 winner over Duck Hill).
Tonchala/ART took an early 2-0 lead with Sergio Silvestre
converting a penalty shot and Gilberto Junqueira adding a goal from the
field. A disciplined defense kept Goose
Creek off of the scoreboard and Tonchala/ART left the field with a 2-0
advantage.
Two more Tonchala/ART goals came from Eduardo Barco in the
second, but Goose Creek’s Brandon Phillips kept them from being shut out for
the second straight chukker by scoring from the field. Tonchala/ART continued to be in control of a
4-1 game.
Phillips opened the third chukker with a goal from the field
before converting a 60-yard penalty shot to cut the Tonchala/ART lead down to a
single goal, 4-3. Junqueira closed out
the chukker with a penalty goal of his own for a 5-3 halftime lead.
The two teams exchanged goals in the fourth, with Phillips
adding two more for Goose Creek while Silvestre scored once from the field and
once on a penalty shot. Tonchala/ART
stayed in front, 7-5.
A refreshed Goose Creek team took the field in the fifth and
shut out the Tonchala/ART offense while piling up four goals of their own. Hayden Walsh tallied his first goal of the
game followed by a goal from the field from Matt Coppola that tied it up at
7-7. Phillips added a pair as well,
scoring once from the field and once on a penalty shot, and Goose Creek would
be taking a 9-7 lead into the final period of play.
Phillips made good on a 40-yard penalty shot to open the
sixth and added a goal from the field as Goose Creek moved ahead, 11-7. Silvestre converted a penalty shot, but
Coppola and Walsh responded with single goals to give Goose Creek a five goals
lead, 13-8, with time running out. A
final penalty goal from Silvestre ended the game with Goose Creek celebrating
the 13-9 win.
Phillips led all scoring with nine goals. Coppola and Walsh added two goals apiece for
the victory.
Silvestre set the pace for Tonchala/ART with five
goals. Junqueira and Barco added two
goals each in a losing effort.