By Alex Webbe
The final preliminary games of the 2012 Everglades Classic 16-goal tournament took place Wednesday afternoon at the International Polo club in Wellington, and in spite of their 13-11 loss to Goose Creek (3-0), Catamount (2-1) earned the right to meet them one more time in Saturday’s 10am finals.
Catamount fell behind early with Goose Creek scoring three goals in the first chukker. Tano Vial converted two penalty shots for goals and added another from the field. Catamount couldn’t find the range and went scoreless to trail 3-0,
Wesley Finlayson scored Catamount’s first goal of the game in the second period, followed by a goal from Kris Kampsen. Team captain Scott Devon converted a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal and a 3-3 tie, as the Catamount defense smothered the Goose Creek attack.
Cote Zegers put Goose Creek ahead,4-3 to open the third chukker, but Catamount roared back with three consecutive goals to take a 6-4 lead. Nick Roldan scored a goal from the field and Kampsen added two more goals (on a penalty shot). Goose Creek team captain Maureen Brennan closed out the scoring in the first half with a goal, but it was Catamount that rode off the field with a 6-5 advantage.
Defense was the byword in the opening chukker of the second half as backhanders and ride-offs stymied offensive threats by both sides. Vial finally got Goose Creek on the scoreboard with a tying goal from the field. At the end of the fourth chukker it was all even at 6-6.
Finlayson scored two goals for Catamount in the fifth but Goose Creek came up strong. A pair of penalties goals from the field from Brandon Phillips were complimented by two more scores from Vial (one on a penalty shot) and the fifth period ended with Goose Creek on top of a 10-8 score.
Catamount tried getting back into the game in the final chukker, getting single goals from Devon, Roldan and Kampsen, but Goose Creek was up to it. Vial converted a pair of penalty goals and added a goal from the field to power Goose Creek to a 13-11 win.
Vial led the field with nine goals. Phillips added two goals and Brennan and Zegers scored single goals in the victory.
Kampsen led the Catamount attack with four goals. Finlayson scored three times while Devon and Roldan added two goals apiece in a losing effort.
SANTA CLARA 12, METALTEK 8
Santa Clara improved its record to 2-1 with a 12-8 win over MetalTek. Santa Clara and Catamount had identical 2-1 records, but Santa Clara was eliminated from the competition because of a head to head loss to Catamount.
MetalTek scored first, with Tommy Biddle notching the first goal of the game from the field for a 2-0 lead (MetalTek received one goal by handicap). Santa Clara responded with a pair of goals from Carlucho Arellano scoring twice and Pablo Spinacci adding a goal-ahead goal. The first chukker ended with Santa Clara guarding a 3-2 edge.
Arellano scored the opening goal of the second period, but MetalTek kept pace. Stevie Orthwein converted a 40-yard penalty goal for MetalTek, but they still trailed by a single goal, 4-3.
Goals from Arellano and Carlos Avendano gave Santa Clara a two goal lead, as their defense held MetalTek to a single Robert Orthwein goal in the third chukker. After the first half Santa Clara rode a 6-4 lead.
Two goals from Biddle in the fourth (one from the field and one on a 60-yard penalty shot) were answered by three goals from Spinacci. Santa Clara continued to dominate the field, expanding the lead to three goals, 9-6.
Two fifth chukker goals from Biddle rattled things up a bit, cutting the Santa Clara lead to a single goal, 9-8, but the chukker wasn’t over. Arellano managed a single goal to end the chukker with MetalTek leading, 10-8.
MetalTek didn’t have the opportunity to take control of the game in the waning minutes as Santa Clara ran all over them. Two goals from Spinacci and a disciplined defense kept MetalTek from scoring in the 12-8 Santa Clara triumph.
Spinacci was credited with six goals on the day. Arellano registered five goals and Avendano scored once in the win.
Biddle led the MetalTek offense five goals. Stevie and Robert Orthwein scored single goals and the team received one goal by handicap.