Coca-Cola’s Sugar Erskine scored five goals in leading his team to a 13-7 win over Gateway Merchant in Ylvisaker Cup play at the International Polo Club on Wednesday.
(Photo by Alex Pacheco)
Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Sugar Erskine, Julio Arellano and Mason Wroe) scored their third consecutive win against no losses in a 13-7 win over Gateway Merchant (Mariano Gracida, Marianito Obregon, Matias Magrini, Scott Swerdlin and Nico Escobar) Wednesday afternoon in Ylvisaker Cup play at the International Polo Club.
Gateway Merchant received one goal by handicap from the 20-goal Coca-Cola lineup and added to it with a goal from the field from Matias Magrini in the first 36 seconds of the game, 2-0. Sugar Erskine answered back with a goal for Coca-Cola for the final score of the chukker. Gateway Merchant took the early lead, 2-1.
Back-to-back goals from Julio Arellano and Erskine gave the lead to Coca-Cola, 3-2, at the 4:18 mark of the period. Mariano Gracida scored the final goal of the chukker with three minutes left in the chukker with the period ending in a 3-3 deadlock.
Gillian Johnston broke the tie with the opening goal of the third period, 4-3. Magrini countered with a 30-yard penalty goal and then took the following throw-in 150-yards for a score that gave the lead back to Gateway Merchant, 5-4. Erskine’s third goal of the game came with 1:40 on the clock, leveling the score once again, 5-5, to end the first half.
After three chukkers of neck-and-neck play, Coca-Cola broke the game open with five unanswered goals in the fourth chukker. Erskine scored the go-ahead goal in the first 30 seconds of play, 6-5, followed by goals from Arellano, Mason Wroe and a pair of goals from Johnston scored in the final minute of the chukker, 10-5.
Arellano scored the only goal of the fifth chukker with Gateway Merchant being held scoreless for the second consecutive period. After five periods of play, Coca-Cola was firmly in control of an 11-5 game.
Marianito Obregon scored twice in the sixth chukker for Gateway Merchant, with Wroe and Erskine picking up single goals in the final chukker as well. When the final horn sounded, it was Coca-Cola with the 13-7 win and a perfect 3-0 record.
The win assured Coca-Cola of a playoff position while after suffering their third loss of the tournament, Gateway Merchant was eliminated.
Erskine led all scoring with five goals. Arellano and Johnston added three goals apiece with Wroe scoring twice in the victory. Magrini accounted for three Gateway Merchant goals. Obregon scored twice and Gracida was credited with a goal. Gateway Merchant also received one goal by handicap.