Lechuza Caracas Defeats Dubai to Open Their Copa de Oro Tournament
The third day of the 2018 Copa de Oro saw Lechuza Caracas continue their momentum from their Copa de Plata victory by defeating Dubai 12-9 at the Santa Maria Polo Club.
In a match of two halves, it was Dubai that displayed a stronger performance in the opening half, scoring twice as many field goals than Lechuza Caracas with Camilo and Bartolome Castagnola working well alongside Alfredo Cappella. The duo of David Stirling and Juan Martin Nero combined for 11 goals in the game, leading Lechuza Caracas in a dominant sixth chukka that saw them outscore Dubai 3-0 to claim the three-goal victory.
The opening half saw an onslaught of attacks from Dubai, beginning with an opening chukka that saw Bartolome Castagnola score two field goals to give his team the early lead. Bartolome Castagnola continued his strong play throughout the first half, converting four of his six shot attempts, while Camilo Castagnola accounted for Dubai’s other two goals. The fast pace of play from Dubai led to increased foul trouble as they committed five fouls resulting in two penalty goals for Juan Martin Nero. That was the only offense Nero was able to manage in the opening half as the high-pressure defence from Dubai held Nero to zero shots, yet Lechuza Caracas only found themselves trailing by one goal at halftime.
The second half saw Lechuza Caracas match Dubai’s fast attacking style in a game that was destined to come down to the final chukka. With his first two shots of the game, Nero converted both opportunities to bring Lechuza Caracas into a tie by the end of the fourth chukka. After an even fifth chukka that saw both teams score two goals from the field, the game was deadlocked at 9-9 with one chukka remaining. The defensive pressure of Dubai eventually caught up with them in the sixth chukka with two fouls leading to two penalty goals for Stirling, while Lechuza Caracas remained disciplined to avoid putting Dubai on the penalty line. Missing their final three shot attempts, Dubai was unable to keep up with a Lechuza Caracas team that scored five goals from penalty line to claim the three-goal victory.