LUCCHESE 11, BTA 10
Eight goals from America’s highest rated player, Mike Azzaro, set the pace for Lucchese (3-1) as it scored an 11-10 sudden-death overtime victory over BTA (1-3) to earn itself a berth in Thursday’s Iglehart Cup semifinals.
In a see-saw contest that saw the lead change hands five times, Lucchese capitalized on a penalty shot from Andres Weisz to win the game in sudden-death overtime Sunday morning.
“I was dead,†answered Azzaro when asked why he had Weisz take the penalty shot.
“We really didn’t get off to a good start,†said Weisz after the game. “Each chukker we kept getting better,†he added, “and in the end we were just looking for a break.â€
Lucchese did move out to a 9-6 lead in the fourth chukker, outscoring BTA five to one, but BTA tied it again in the fifth, scoring three goals and holding Lucchese scoreless.
“I wanted it more than they did,†said exhausted Shane Rice after the game, and Lucchese left the field with the win.
Azzaro led the scoring with eight goals. Teammate Andres Weisz added three goals for the win.
Hector Galindo led the BTA attack with six goals. Pablo Spinacci scored four times.