Tonkawa Continues Undefeated Run in 20-Goal
After a slow start, Tonkawa remained undefeated in the 2018 Ylvisaker Cup, defeating Travieso 14-10, thanks to dominant third and fourth chukkas. In a game that saw three penalty 1’s, and perfect 10 for 10 penalty shooting from the two teams, it was Tonkawa’s ability to break away for runs in the second half of the game that led to them winning the open play battle. In a match-up between the two highest scoring players thus far in the USA High Goal season in Sebastian Merlos and Sapo Caset, averaging 6.8 and 6.7 goals per game respectively, it was Caset that got the best of Travieso on the day, leading his team to their 7th consecutive win to start the year.
Travieso began the game by effectively using their set plays to begin attacks, with Merlos scoring off multiple throw-ins in the opening two chukkas. A 4-0 second chukka in favour of Travieso, led to a three-goal advantage as Tonkawa’s offense struggled to maintain possession. That changed in the third and fourth chukkas, as Tonkawa would outscore Travieso 8-1 behind a fast, balanced attack that saw Sterling Giannico and Julian de Lusarreta score three goals each. Travieso was unable to generate an attack in the second half, shooting at goal just three times as Merlos was constantly pressured on the ball by an organized Tonkawa defence. Caset added his eighth goal of the game in the final chukka to seal the 14-10 victory.
The first game of the day between Coca-Cola and Postage Stamp Farm saw a scary fall from Julio Arellano, leaving everyone in attendance holding their breaths as the uneven bump left Arellano seriously injured on the field. It was later confirmed that Arellano only suffered minor injuries and will be able to fully recover. After a lengthy delay, Arellano was unfortunately awarded a red card on the play and his replacement, Mariano Obregon was left off the field for two minutes, leaving Coca-Cola a player down.
Postage Stamp Farm continued to build on a big lead behind a foul ridden game that saw a combined 16 penalty attempts, taking a 6-0 lead into halftime as Coca-Cola was unable to find the scoresheet in the opening three chukkas. Postage Stamp Farm held an 11-4 lead after the fifth chukka with Brandon Phillips leading the way with five goals, three of which came from the penalty 2 line. The game was well out of reach as Coca-Cola added three goals in the final chukka, but Postage Stamp Farm finished with the 12-7 victory, to improve to 2-0.