La Indiana and Talandracas Remain Undefeated in Cartier Queen’s Cup
The fifth day of the 2019 Cartier Queen’s Cup resulted in two teams remaining undefeated with Talandracas narrowly defeating UAE 14-13 on the Castle Ground at Flemish Farm, while La Indiana overwhelmed Scone in the 13-9 victory on the Duke’s Ground at Guards Polo Club.
The opening game of the day featured a high scoring match as Talandracas and UAE combined for 27 goals, including a thrilling final chukka that saw the teams trade goals back and forth. Finishing a perfect 100% from the penalty line on seven attempts, Talandracas ultimately won by the narrowest of margins, with five of their eight second half goals coming from the penalty line. Elizalde was exceptional on the day, scoring 10 goals which was just enough to overcome a tough UAE opponent.
Controlling possession in the early stages of the game, UAE won seven of the first eight throw-ins, but managed just three shots on goal, facing an organized Talandracas defence. Little separated the two teams over the first two chukkas, with UAE holding the slight one-goal lead thanks to receiving one goal on handicap to begin the game. The pace increased beginning in the third chukka in end-to-end action that produced three goals for each team, with Elizalde accounting for all three Talandracas goals and Caset finishing with accuracy to add two goals for UAE. The high-powered offenses on both sides left the outcome to the second half with UAE holding a slim one-goal lead.
Despite missing their first three shot attempts of the second half, the pressure applied by Talandracas on the attack forced UAE into three fouls, resulting in two penalty conversions for Elizalde to restore the tie. Two more penalty attempts in the fifth chukka looked to give Talandracas the advantage, but UAE responded with an impressive four-goal chukka, led by a goal and an assist from Tom Brodie to retake the one-goal lead with one chukka remaining. Goals from Elizalde and Julian de Lusarreta quickly turned a one goal deficit into a one goal lead, leaving UAE scrambling to tie the score before time expired. Caset’s sixth goal of the game with little time remaining left the game destined to go into overtime, but as time was running out, Talandracas claimed a foul in front of UAE’s goal, resulting in a penalty conversion to claim the exciting 14-13 victory.
The second game of the day resulted in another dominant La Indiana performance, applying immense pressure that forced Scone into numerous turnovers that began a relentless counterattack. Outshooting Scone 21-9, La Indiana was led by Facundo Pieres, who followed up his impressive 11-goal performance against VS King Ppwer, with a nine-goal outing against Scone. While at a disadvantage from the field, Scone received nine penalty attempts, but converted just five, leaving them unable to match the potent La Indiana offense in the defeat.
An evenly matched first chukka saw La Indiana hold a narrow 2-1 lead after field goals from Facundo Pieres and Jimbo Fewster, but it was the second chukka that set the tone for the game. Winning four of the five throw-ins, La Indiana maintained a persistent attack that produced three field goals, while keeping Scone off the scoreboard. Adding a Penalty 2 conversion for his third goal of the chukka, Pieres pushed La Indiana into the commanding five-goal lead, leaving Scone searching for answers on how to slow the La Indiana offense. Lacking attempts from the field, Scone scored two penalty goals before the end of the half, one each from James Beim and Nico Pieres, but conceded three goals to La Indiana, who extended their lead to six at halftime.
With a focus on reducing the deficit, Scone won the throw-in battle to gain extra possessions, but were unable to turn them into scoring opportunities, with the La Indiana defence causing turnovers leading to five shots on goal. Pieres and Rodrigo Andrade worked seamlessly together to combine for three goals, leaving Scone trailing by eight, with just two chukkas remaining. Producing their best chukka of the game, Scone scored four goals, two from the field and two from the penalty line to cut La Indiana’s lead in half. Despite the four goal outburst, Scone missed two penalty attempts in the chukka as the missed opportunities left them facing a tall task entering the final chukka. A defensive chukka had La Indiana protecting their lead, keeping Scone to just one-goal to complete the 13-9 victory and improve to 2-0.