La Indiana Defeats Dos Lunas During Second Day of Copa de Oro
The second day of the 2018 Copa de Oro featured a strong performance from La Indiana in a 15-10 victory over Dos Lunas at the Santa Maria Polo Club.
Coming off a loss in the Copa de Plata finals, La Indiana bounced back with a strong offensive performance that saw them put up nine goals in the opening half. Their early set play dominance, winning 11 of 16 throw-ins in the opening three chukkas, gave them the extra possessions they needed to relentlessly attack the Dos Lunas goal. Despite a strong performance from Dos Lunas newcomer Kian Hall, who finished with five goals in the game, it was Facundo Pieres’ 9 goal performance that proved to be the difference. Shooting an effective 79% from the field, La Indiana finished with the five-goal victory to open their Copa de Oro tournament.
After a fast-paced opening chukka that saw both teams score three goals, it was La Indiana that continued to pressure Dos Lunas and convert each of their opportunities. A goal each from Pieres, Santiago Laborde and Santiago Gomez Romero in the second chukka saw La Indiana claim a two-goal advantage behind a balanced team offense. The remainder of the first half saw Dos Lunas struggle to contain the La Indiana offense, as they scored three goals for the third consecutive chukka to open the game. The extra possessions from winning the throw-in battle, along with shooting an accurate 7 for 9 from the field, gave La Indiana a three-goal lead at halftime.
The second half began with Dos Lunas committing three fouls in the fourth chukka, resulting in two penalty 4 attempts for La Indiana, but they were unable to convert either attempt providing Dos Lunas with the opportunity to close the deficit. A goal each from Facundo Sola and Kian Hall brought the deficit to two goals, but La Indiana were able to use a dominant fifth chukka to pull away in the game. Scoring three unanswered goals while continuing to control the throw-in line, La Indiana kept Dos Lunas on the defensive and extended their lead to five. With both teams missing just three shots each in the game, it was ultimately the extra possessions awarded to the La Indiana attack that secured the 15-10 victory.