Catamount Derails Pony Express 15-8
By Alex Webbe
“We did exactly what we set out to do,” said Catamount 5-goaler Todd Offen reflecting on the team’s 15-8 win over previously unbeaten Pony Express (2-1) Wednesday afternoon in the semifinals of the Joe Barry Memorial Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington..
While the Catamount scoring was spread all over the team, a solid defense keep Pony Express’s big guns off the scoreboard.
“Carlos Gracida was definitely a concern,” said Offen of the talented Pony Express 9-goaler. “He can score so often your family hurts.”
But that wasn’t the case on Wednesday afternoon as Gracida was held to a single goal in the match.
“We didn’t use all of our players,” Gracida offered after the game. “And they (Catamount) played very well.”
While Brandon Phillips and Nick Roldan were tearing up the field from the middle of the lineup, teammates Offen and Scott Devon were doing their share on either end. Phillips led all scoring on the day with five goals. Roldan scored four goals and was given credit for a couple of well executed assists while Offen and Devon scored three goals apiece.
Pony Express received one goal by handicap and managed to turn it into a 3-2 lead after the first chukker before the wheels started coming off of the wagon.
Four straight goals by Catamount (two from Roldan and one apiece from Offen and Phillips) put Catamount on top, 6-2, before Tomas Goti scored for Pony Express to end the period.
Catamount relied on quick, crisp passing movements while Pony Express got caught up in mallet work that often went awry.
“We should have released the ball quicker,” added Gracida, “we held on to it too long.”
Offen conceded that on some days the ball just doesn’t bounce the right way for you, but continued to praise the team play of the Catamount players.
Devon, the Catamount team player played brilliantly at the Number 1 position, scoring three goals and just missing a number of other attempts.
“We’re starting to jell,” he said, “we’re going to have to have it all together if we’re going to win this thing (the tournament).”
The Catamount defense shutout Pony Express (2-1) in the third and fourth chukkers, running up the score to 13-4 before Matias Machado got them on the scoreboard in the fifth period with a single goal.
Pony Express turned it up a notch in the final chukker, but it was a case of too little too late. Goals from Pony Express team captain Bob Daniels (his second on the day), Gracida and Goti gave them eight goals to a final 15 goal score for Catamount.
Catamount (2-1) will be awaiting the outcome of Thursday morning’s 11 am semifinal match between Skeeterville (2-0) and Isla Carroll (1-1). Subsidiary semifinals today feature Bud Light/ERG and San Saba (Oscar nominated Tommy Lee Jones’ team) at 1 pm and Mt. Brilliant against Patagones at 3 pm.