2009 USPA Silver Cup Finals a Family Affair
By Alex Webbe
Semifinal wins by Barrington and MavOffice.com in the 2009 USPA Silver Cup will make this year’s finals a family affair.
Barb Uskup’s 2009 Monty Waterbury Cup winning Barrington team will be looking to sweep the 20-goal season in Aiken after recording a difficult 10-9 win over Bendabout Thursday afternoon.
“We feed off one another,†said Barrington’s Tommy Biddle of his teammates, “Barb (Uskup) probably played her best game of her season today,†he offered. “She carried the ball on a number of runs of one hundred yards or more,†he said. “She was great.â€
Barrington received one goal by handicap but it was Bendabout’s Hector Galindo who put up the first two goals from the field. Biddle answered for Barrington by converting two penalty shots to give them a 3-2 lead after the first chukker.
Bendabout got second chukker goals from Whistle Uys and tom Uskup while Biddle and Barb Uskup each converted a penalty shot, and Barrington held on to a 5-4 lead.
“Nobody has to be a hero on this team,†said Biddle, “everyone works hard and what happens, happens.â€
A second goal from Uys put Bendabout tied it before a goal from Antonio Galvan gave Barrington the 6-5 halftime advantage.
Biddle opened the fourth period with a 60-yard penalty attempt that was deflected out of bounds by Galindo. Biddle nailed the ensuing Safety and Barrington was up, 7-5. Another goal by Biddle had them on top 8-5 before Uys converted a penalty shot for Bendabout to cut the Barrington lead to two goals, 8-6.
The two teams exchanged goals in the fifth with Galindo and Owen Rinehart scoring single goals while Barrington got goals from Julio Arellano and Biddle, and the chukker ended with Barrington ahead, 10-8.
Bendabout’s Uys scored the final goal of the game on a penalty shot in the final chukker, but it was Barrington that rode off with the 10-9 win and a place in Sunday’s Silver Cup finals.
Tommy Biddle led all scoring with six goals. Teammates Barb Uskup, Julio Arellano and Antonio Galvan scored single goals in the win.
MavOffice 10, Goose Creek 9
In earlier action, MavOffice.com scored a much deserved 10-9 win over Goose Creek to secure the other final spot.
Goose Creek jumped out to an early 5-4 lead and it looked as if they were courting a second final tournament appearance, but MavOffice had other ideas.
Each team managed a single goal in the second chukker before MavOffice played shutout defense in the third while picking up a pair of goals from Horacio Onetto. The first half ended with Goose Creek hanging on to a 5-4 edge.
The teams exchanged goals in the fourth period with Adam Snow scoring from the field for Goose Creek while MavOffice notched a penalty conversion from Julian Daniels.
Cote Zegers put Goose Creek in front 7-5 with a penalty conversion in the fifth, but it was two goals from Onetto and another from Daniels that put MavOffice on top 8-7 to end the chukker.
Goose Creek pressed its attack in the sixth chukker resulting in two penalty situations. Martin Zegers and Snow each converted the shots, and MavOffice trailed again, 9-8. MavOffice pressed the Goose Creek defense, resulting in a Safety, which tiger Kneece converted for the tying goal and forcing the game into overtime.
Onetto scored the winning goal in the overtime period to assure MavOffice of its well-earned spot in the finals against Barrington at 3pm on Sunday afternoon.