La Indiana Captures 2018 Copa de Oro Trophy
In the finale of the prestigious Copa de Oro at Santa Maria Polo Club, La Indiana displayed one of their strongest performances of the tournament to defeat Lechuza Caracas 13-8 and claim the final high goal trophy of the season.
With the two teams appearing evenly matched early in the game, La Indiana scored seven unanswered goals throughout the third, fourth and fifth chukkas, with Facundo Pieres scoring six of the seven goals to seize control of the lead. For the second consecutive game, Pieres finished a perfect 5 for 5 from the penalty line to lead the La Indiana offense and take advantage of Lechuza Caracas’ six fouls. Striving for a different outcome from the Copa de Plata final, La Indiana used a strong defensive performance, led by Santiago Gomez Romero to limit Lechuza Caracas to just 5 for 16 shooting from the field. A high-pressure defence saw La Indiana tightly mark David Stirling, bringing two defenders at times to limiting his space and holding him to just one goal in the match. Ultimately, the 10-goal performance from Pieres combined with a strong team defensive effort led La Indiana to the coveted title.
Early in the game, Lechuza Caracas produced a consistent attack led by Juan Martin Nero but were unable to build a lead over La Indiana due to inaccurate shooting from the field. Converting just two of their first nine shot attempts, Lechuza Caracas were still able to hold a 4-3 lead due to foul trouble from La Indiana over the first two chukkas, resulting in two penalty goals for Nero. La Indiana increased the pressure on Stirling and limited the passing attack of Lechuza Caracas to keep them off the scoreboard in the third chukka. Scoring a goal from the penalty line and the field, Pieres brought La Indiana back into the lead as they held a slim-5-4 lead going into halftime.
Beginning the second half, La Indiana controlled possession in open play and dominated the fourth chukka, outscoring Lechuza Caracas 4-0 on perfect shooting from the field to extend their lead to five. Scoring multiple goals from distance, Pieres continued to pace the La Indiana offense, while Lechuza Caracas was held off the scoreboard for the second chukka in a row. After La Indiana scored their seventh consecutive goal, Lechuza Caracas utilized their set plays to attempt their comeback in the game, with Nero and Stirling working together to combine for three goals but were unable to shrink the four-goal deficit. La Indiana managed their lead in the final chukka as they forced Lechuza Caracas to shoot low percentage shots from distance, converting just one of their three attempts. Pieres added two final goals to complete the impressive 10 goal performance and lead La Indiana to the tournament victory.