Goose Creek Wins in Overtime over Coca-Cola in Iglehart Cup Play
The third game in the Iglehart Cup saw an overtime thriller as Goose Creek defeated Coca-Cola 12-11 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. In a fast-paced open running game, Coca-Cola outshot their opponents 20-11, but it was missed opportunities from the field that prevented Coca-Cola from running away with the game. The two-man game from Mariano Gonzalez and Matias Magrini that featured a series of lay-offs was an effective style of play that left Coca-Cola off the ball and allowed Goose Creek to make a push in the second half. Despite Coca-Cola’s comeback late in the 6th chukka to send it to overtime, it was Goose Creek’s Magrini that sealed the victory in the overtime chukka, giving Goose Creek a win in their opening game of the Iglehart Cup.
After a back and forth opening chukka that had Coca-Cola holding a slim one goal lead, Goose Creek quickly restored the tie despite shooting at goal zero times. Foul trouble from Coca-Cola resulted in three penalty goals for Goose Creek, but Coca-Cola organized their defence in the following chukka to limit the fouls and retake the lead. The work of Steve Krueger in the middle of the game was crucial for Coca-Cola in the game as he constantly pressured the Goose Creek offense. Beginning with the third chukka, Coca-Cola’s next four goals were scored by different players with their balanced offense as Coca-Cola continued to matchup against the duo from Goose Creek.
Continuing to create more scoring chances, Coca-Cola produced shots at goal but were unable to convert. Goose Creek took advantage in their set plays, including their knock-ins as they used a strong fifth chukka to take the lead by using a balanced offense of their own. Peke Gonzalez, Mariano Gonzalez and Matias Magrini scored one goal each to extend Goose Creek’s lead to 10-8 with just one chukka remaining. Krueger continued to lead the way for Coca-Cola adding a goal from the field and from the penalty line, bringing his total to five goals in the game and helping Coca-Cola back into a tie to send the game to overtime.
Three minutes into the overtime chukka, relentless pressure from Goose Creek, hitting back shots to keep the ball in the Coca-Cola half, finally paid off as Magrini picked up a Mariano Gonzalez backhand and sent it through the goal to finish the 12-11 victory. Although both teams shot a perfect 100% from the penalty line, the combined 11 goals from Mariano Gonzalez and Matias Magrini was the difference in a closely matched contest.