Coca-Cola
notches last second win; Heathcote and Circa register wins
By Alex Webbe
Play
continued on Friday afternoon in the 2-12 Joe Barry Memorial Cup at the
International Polo Club in Wellington with Coca-Cola scoring its second win
against Zacara while Circa and Heathcote picked up their first victories of the
season.
In the
opening match of the day, Circa bounced back after trailing the first two
chukkers to hand Villa Del Lago a 10-7 defeat to pick up their first win of the
Florida season.
Villa Del
Lago received one goal by handicap from the 20-goal Circa lineup and quickly
ran it up to a 4-0 lead on the strength of goals from Magoo Laprida (penalty
conversion), Matias Obregon and Pelon Escapite.
Circa 9-goaler Hilario Ulloa kept his team from getting shut out in the
opening chukker with a closing goal, trailing 4-1.
Circa went
to work in the second with Ulloa adding two more goals (one from the field and
one on a Safety conversion) while holding Villa Del Lago scoreless. After two chukkers of play, Circa trailed by
a single goal, 4-3.
Another
chukker of shutout defense by Circa was complimented by three more goals from
Ulloa who showed blazing speed and accurate striking. After three periods of play, Circa looked to
be taking control of the game, leaving the field at halftime with a 6-4 lead.
A regrouped
Villa Del Lago returned to the field in the second half in an effort to wrest
control of the game from Circa, but had little success. Despite holding circa to a single penalty goal
(a rarely awarded Penalty 1), Villa Del Lago could provide little offense, and
was shutout for the third consecutive chukker.
Villa Del
Lago opened the fifth period with a goal from Laprida, with Martin Pepa
responding with a goal for Circa. Ulloa
scored his seventh goal of the game to give circa a 9-5 lead when Villa Del
Lago team captain Jim Zenni took the ball from the ensuing throw-in and raced
150 yards down the field for a goal.
Ulloa closed out the scoring in the chukker with another goal from the
field for a 10-6 advantage.
Villa Del
Lago struggled to keep the pressure on the circa defense, but managed only a
single goal from Laprida as Circa rode off with the 10-7 victory.
Ulloa led
all scoring with eight goals. Pepin
added a goal and Circa was awarded a goal by the officials on a Penalty 1.
Laprida scored
three times for Villa Del Lago. Zenni,
Escapite and Obregon added single goals and the team received one goal by
handicap.
COCA-COLA 12, ZACARA 11
The Barry
Memorial Cup action shifted over to the Everglades Field where Coca-Cola
scraped out a 12-11 win in the final seconds of regulation play at the expense
of a talented Zacara foursome.
Coca-Cola’s Julio
Arellano set the pace early, scoring two first chukker goals (one from the
field and one on a penalty shot). Zacara
picked up a single goal from Gonzalo del Tour to end the period with a 2-1
lead.
Jeff Blake
converted a pair of 60-yard penalty shots for Zacara in the second, but single
goals from Arellano (penalty conversion) and Sugar Erskine kept Coca-Cola in
the lead by a narrow 4-3, one-goal margin.
Three
consecutive goals from Arellano in the third were answered by a goal from
Marcos Llambias. Arellano ended the
first half with his fourth goal of the chukker and an 8-4 advantage.
A re-focused
Zacara team took the field in the second half with intent and purpose. Six unanswered goals had Coca-Cola reeling as
del Tour scored three times with Llambias adding two and Blake converting a
penalty shot for a goal. After four
periods of play, Zacara finally took the lead, and left the field with a
two-goal, 10-8 lead.
Del tour put
Zacara up by three goals, 11-8 as the fifth chukker opened, but Coca-Cola
rallied with Arellano scoring from the field.
Zacara continued to lead, 11-9, with one chukker left to play.
Arellano
scored the opening goal of the sixth chukker, and teammate Erskine tied it at
11-11 with his second goal of the game.
Zacara fought valiantly to take back the lead, but scoring suddenly
became a rare commodity. With Coca-Cola
pressing its attack, Zacara made a mistake in their end of the field, and put
the indomitable Arellano at the penalty line with four seconds left in
regulation time.
With a swift
single stroke of the mallet, the goal was scored and Coca-Cola celebrated the
hard-fought 12-11 win.
Arellano led
the Coca-Cola attack with ten goals.
Erskine added two goals.
Del Tour
scored five times for Zacara. Llambias
and Blake added three goals apiece in a losing effort.
HEATHCOTE 12, METALTEK 10
Steve
Lefkowitz’s Heathcote team made its Florida debut with a powerful showing and a
12-10 win over MetalTek in the Joe Barry Memorial Cup competition, ending the
competition for the day.
Heathcote
went up 3-0 in a first chukker that saw Tommy Biddle score all three goals for
the New York team, and a disciplined defense hold MetalTek scoreless in the
opening seven minutes of play.
Carlucho
Arellano scored the only goal of the second period as the MetalTek defense
tightened up. They seemed to be gaining
some momentum, but continued to trail, 3-1.
Four
Heathcote goals in the third were answered by a single goal from 9-goaler Sebastian
Merlos as MetalTek fell behind 7-2.
Biddle added two more goals for Heathcote with teammates Nick Manifold
and Lucas Monteverde adding single goals.
Arellano
converted a penalty shot for a goal for MetalTek, and Merlos scored from the
field, but goals from Heathcote’s Lefkowitz and Monteverde offset any offensive
gains. After four periods of action
Heathcote held on to a five goal lead, 9-4.
A renewed MetalTek
team took the field in the fifth as Merlos sent long drives down the field and
Will Johnston and Arellano raced for the ball.
Johnston picked up a goal and Arellano scored twice in the chukker. Merlos added a goal as they cut the lead to
two goals, 10-8. Biddle accounted for
Heathcote’s only goal of the period.
Johnston
scored his third goal of the game to open the sixth period, but Monteverde
quickly responded with a goal for Heathcote.
Manifold scored for the second time to give Heathcote a 12-9, three goal
lead. With time expiring, Johnston
scored the final goal of the game in the 12-10 Heathcote victory.
Biddle was
credited with six goals on the day, scoring on a 125 yard shot at goal and narrowly
missing on a 150 yard penalty shot taken from midfield. Monteverde added three goals; Manifold scored
twice and Lefkowitz added a goal in the win.
Arellano set
the pace for the MetalTek lineup with four goals. Johnston and Merlos scored three goals
apiece.