By Alex Webbe
Jan Pamela/Little Owl just keeps on rolling. After capturing the season opening 2011 Intercoastal Challenge Cup last week, Jan Pamela/Little Owl came charging out of the chute with a 14-6 win over Mt. Airy/Santa Clara in the opening game of the Jan Pamela Challenge.
Jan Pamela/Little Owl got one goal by handicap from the 12-goal Mt. Airy Santa Clara team and quickly added four more to it with Steve Dalton picking up a pair of first chukker goals and Joe Wayne Barry and J. P. Uihlein adding single goals to the pot. Mt. Airy/Santa Clara got goals from Tiffany Busch and Francisco Escobar, and trailed 5-2 after the first chukker.
“I was very concerned with this team (Mt. Airy/Santa Clara),” Dalton said. “Francisco Bilbao and Adrian Wade are great players; Francisco Escobar is a veteran and Tiffany Busch is a very talented young competitor.”
The Jan Pamela/Little Owl defense pitched shutout ball in the second period, blanking the Mt. Airy/Santa Clara offense while putting four more goals on the scoreboard.
Joe Wayne Barry scored two goals from the field while teammates Dalton and J. P. Uihlein added single goals. With only two chukkers gone in the game, Jan Pamela/Little Owl found themselves up 9-2.
Dalton kicked off the third period with a goal from the field followed by a penalty conversion by Mt. Airy/Santa Clara’s Francisco Escobar. Ensuing goals from Wayne Garrison and Uihlein put Jan Pamela/Little Owl ahead, 12-3.
“We just got rolling and before I knew it we were up by nine goals,” Dalton said.
Mt. Airy/Santa Clara came back in the second half with goals from Francisco Bilbao and Escobar (penalty conversion) while Garrison answered for Jan Pamela/Little Owl with a goal. Mt. Airy/Santa Clara cut the lead by a single goal, with Jan Pamela/Little Owl in front by a commanding 13-5 score.
“Wayne (Garrison) played real tough at the front of the lineup and picked up a couple of goals,” Dalton offered, “and Joe Wayne (Barry) had one of his best games.”
Bilbao scored the only goal of the fifth chukker as the Jan Pamela/Little Owl seemed to ease up on the attack, but not enough to let their opponent back into the game. The score stood at Jan Pamela/Little Owl 13, Mt. Airy/Santa Clara 6.
Uihlein’s fourth goal of the game accounted for all of the scoring in the final chukker as Jan Pamela/Little Owl cruised to a one-sided 14-6 win.
James (J. P. Uihlein) got a handful of goals and played very aggressively, it was a great day for us today,” Dalton added.
“It was a solid team effort,” said Canadian 5-goaler Steve Dalton, “it was a really great win.”
Steve Dalton and J. P. Uihlein led the scoring for Jan Pamela/Little Owl with four goals apiece. Joe Wayne Barry scored three times and team captain Wayne Garrison added two goals in the win.
Francisco Escobar scored three times for Mt. Airy/Santa Clara. Teammate Francisco Bilbao added two goals and Tiffany Busch scored once.
BLANCO/WILLOW FARM 11, EFG BANK 8
In earlier cup play, Blanco/Willow Farm handed EFG Bank an 11-8 defeat with the combination of Jeff Blake and Brandon Phillips combining to score ten of the team’s eleven goals.
EFG Bank received one goal by handicap from the 12-goal Blanco/Willow Farm team, but first chukker goals from Phillips and Blake set the early tone.
The two teams exchanged goals in the second with Juan Britos and Stewart Armstrong scoring for EFG Bank while Blanco/Willow Farm got goals from Phillips and Blake. Blanco/Willow Farm continued to lead, 4-3.
Christina Fernandez scored a tying goal in the third, but Blake’s third goal of the game had Blanco ahead 5-4 as the first half ended.
Mike Egan and Phillips scored in the fourth while holding EFG Bank to a single goal from Britos. Blanco/Willow Farm extended its narrow lead to two goals, 7-5.
Blanco/Willow Farm continued to roll in the fifth, getting two more goals from Phillips while EFG Bank picked up single goals from Santiago Bottarro and Christina Fernandez. Blanco/Willow Farm continued to lead 9-7.
Phillips and Blake added single goals in the sixth with Britos picking up a goal from EFG Bank. The game ended with Blanco/Willow Farm on the winning end of an 11-8 score.
Phillips led all scoring with six goals. Blake scored four times and Egan added a goal for Blanco/Willow Farm.
Britos scored three goals for EFG Bank. Fernandez added two goals to the mix and Bottarro and Armstrong added single goals in the loss.