Melissa Ganzi’s Flight Options team (Melissa Ganzi, Fred Mannix, Miguel Astrada and Juan Bollini) needed an overtime goal from Fred Mannix, 9-8, to make it into the finals of the Bobby Barry Cup while Orchard Hill steamrolled Audi, 13-6, for the other spot.
Miguel Astrada scored the opening goal on a penalty shot for Flight Options followed by a goal from teammate Juan Bollini for the early 2-0 lead. Agustin Merlos responded with a goal for El Cabure, 2-1, but Astrada closed out the chukker with a goal from the field for a 3-1 advantage.
Consecutive goals from Merlos and Carlucho Arellano tied it up at 3-3. Astrada’s third goal of the game ended the chukker with Flight Options leading, 4-3.
El Cabure got two goals from Merlos in the third while holding Flight Options scoreless. At the end of the first half, El Cabure held a narrow 5-4 lead.
El Cabure team captain Federico Virasoro scored to move his team ahead by two goals in the fourth, 6-4. Fred Mannix cut the lead back to a single goal, 6-5, and teammate Astrada had it all even with his fourth goal on the day, 6-6.
Defense was the priority for both sides in the fifth and both offenses were blanked. At the end of the fifth chukker the score remained the same, 6-6.
Astrada opened the sixth with a go-ahead goal, 7-6. Merlos converted a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal, and another 7-7 stalemate. Arellano’s second goal of the game had El Cabure back in the lead, but Mannix’s second goal of the game tied it up at 8-8 and forced an overtime period.
Mannix continued his hot hand as he rode into the sudden-death overtime chukker. The Canadian ace scored the winning goal, 9-8, on a well-executed neck shot near the sideboards and about 30-yards from the end line.
Astrada led the Flight Options offense with five goals. Mannix added three goals and bolini added a goal for the win. Merlos scored five times for El Cabure. Arellano added two goals and Virasoro scored once in a losing effort. The victory boosts Flight Options into Sunday’s Bobby Barry Cup finals.
ORCHARD HILL 13 AUDI 6
Five first half goals from Facundo Pieres carried Orchard Hill (Steve Van Andel, Lucas Criado, Facundo Pieres and Marcos Alberdi) to an 8-3 lead after the opening three chukkers as they manhandled a sputtering Audi (Marc Ganzi, Carlitos Gracida, Nic Roldan and Nico Pieres) defense, 13-6. The win earned them a berth in the Sunday final of the Bobby Barry Cup where they will face Flight Options.
Audi’s Nic Roldan scored the first goal of the game on a penalty conversion, 1-0, before Orchard Hill could get their offense started. Consecutive goals from Facundo Pieres and Marcos Alberdi gave them an opening 2-1 lead.
Roldan and Facundo Pieres traded goals in the second chukker with Roldan scoring twice from the field while Facundo Pieres scored once from the field and once on a penalty conversion. After two chukkers of play Orchard Hill led by a goal, 4-3.
Orchard Hill took control of the game in the third. Two more goals from Facundo Pieres and single goals from Lucas Criado and Alberdi went unanswered as Orchard Hill galloped away from Audi at the end of the first half, 8-3.
Two more Orchard Hill goals in the fourth (Facundo Pieres and Lucas Criado) had them leading by six goals, 10-4. Audi managed a single goal from Roldan (penalty conversion), but had trouble coordinating its offense.
Audi started to turn things around in the fifth, holding Orchard Hill scoreless for the first time all day. Audi picked up single goals from Roldan and Nico Pieres, cutting the Orchard Hill lead to four goals, 10-6, but time was not on their side. The Orchard Hill offense woke up in time for the sixth as they reeled off three consecutive goals for the 13-6 victory. Audi had no answers and were unable to score for the second time on the dy.
Facundo Pieres was credited with seven goals. Criado and Alberdi each scored three goals. Roldan scored five goals for Audi (two on penalty conversions). Nico Pieres scored the other goal for Audi, from the field.
Orchard Hill will meet Flight Options at noon on Sunday for the final of the 2014 Joe Barry Memorial Cup.