Faraway 6-goaler Julian Daniels scoring one of his game-high five goals in a 14-9 win over Beluga Thursday afternoon in East Coast Open play at the Meadowbrook Polo Club field. (Photo by ChukkerTV)
In the only Scheduled East Coast Open game of the day had Beluga (Chris Brant, Nick Manifold, Francisco Elizalde and Tommy Biddle) and Faraway (Julian Daniels, Pelon Escapite, Inaki Laprida and Bo Goodman) battled to a 6-6 halftime tie at the Meadowbrook Polo Club before Faraway broke it open in the fourth chukker and rode off with the 14-9 win.
The 17-goal Beluga team received three goals by handicap from Faraway and quickly made it 4-0 on the strength of a 30-yard penalty conversion from Tommy Biddle. Inaki Laprida was on a tear, responding with two goals from the field for Faraway, 4-2. Julian Daniels scored the final goal of the chukker but Faraway continued to trail, 4-3.
Both defenses tightened up in the second period. Laprida’s third goal of the day was countered by a goal from Beluga’s Francisco Elizalde. Beluga continued to hold a one goal advantage, 5-4.
Faraway 6-goaler Pelon Escapite tied the game at 5-5 with his first goal of the afternoon and a goal from Faraway team captain Bo Goodman gave them their first lead of the game, 6-5. Nick Manifold closed out the chukker with a goal from the field that leveled the score at 6-6 at the end of the first half.
A determined Beluga team took the field in the fourth chukker with Chris Brant scoring on a long pass from teammate Biddle for a one goal, 7-6 advantage. Daniels tied it and back-to-back goals from Goodman ended the period with Faraway sitting on the winning end of a 9-7 score.
Daniels stretched the Faraway lead to three goals with the opening goal of the fifth, 10-7. A goal from Elizalde kept the Beluga hopes alive, but Faraway continued to lead, 10-8. Goals from Daniels and Laprida ended the period with Faraway leading by four goals, 12-8.
Daniels and Elizalde traded goals in the opening minutes of the sixth chukker, but the momentum remained with Faraway. Escapite scored the final goal of the game for the 14-9 victory.
Daniels led all scoring with five goals. Laprida added four goals; Goodman scored three times and Escapite was credited with two goal for the win. Elizalde scored a team-high three goals for Beluga. Brant, Manifold and Biddle each added a goal in a losing effort, and the team received three goals by handicap.
The win levels the Faraway record at 1-1 while Beluga remains winless at 0-2.
Beluga will only have two days rest before returning to the field on Saturday morning for a 10am game against an undefeated White Birch lineup (Santino Magrini, Hilario Ulloa, Mariano Aguerre and Peter Brant). At 4pm Airstream (Agustin Bottaro, Guille Aguero, Matias Magrini and Kris Kampsen) will be looking to improve on their 1-1 record when they face winless Tupungato (Luis Rinaldini, Santi Torres, Naco Taverna and Gaston Lisioli).