Agustin Merlos scored three of his game-high eight goals in the opening chukker of Friday’s opening match of the 2016 IPC Members Challenge as Audi (Grant Ganzi, Agustin Merlos, Mark Tomlinson and Juancito Bollini) rolled on to defeat Airstream (Peter Orthwein, Guille Aguero, Matias Magrini and Stevie Orthwein) 10-8.
Following an Airstream foul in the opening seconds of play, Audi’s Grant Ganzi converted a 30-yard penalty shot to tie the game at 1-1 (Airstream received one goal by handicap from the 19-goal Audi lineup). Nearly four minutes passed before Agustin Merlos gave Audi the lead, 2-1, on a goal from the field. Two more goals from Merlos ended the opening chukker with Audi boasting a 4-1 lead after the first seven-and-one-half minutes of play.
The Airstream defense took control of the game in the second period, virtually shutting down the Audi attack. With just 1:45 on the clock, Stevie Orthwein scored from the field for Airstream. At the end of the period, Audi was in front, 4-2.
The two teams battled one another through a scoreless third chukker as neither team was able to mount an effective attack and both defenses held firm. The first half ended with Audi defending its 4-2 lead.
The halftime pep talk must have gotten through to Argentine 9-goaler Agustin Merlos as he added three more goals (one on a penalty conversion) to the Audi total. Airstream responded with a goal from the field from Stevie Orthwein and a 60-yard penalty shot for a goal from Matias Magrini. After four chukkers the Audi lead had grown to three goals, 7-4.
Fouls and penalty goals dominated the fifth chukker with Magrini cutting the Audi lead down to two goals in the opening minute of the fifth chukker on a 30-yard penalty goal. Two-and-a half minutes later Merlos returned the favor from the penalty lien as well. Magrini scored the final goal of the game on a foul shot that had Airstream within two goals of the lead, 8-6.
At the six-minute mark of the sixth and final chukker Juancito Bollini drove a well-placed pass from Merlos through the Airstream goalposts to extend the Audi lead back to three goals, 9-6, but Airstream wasn’t about to give up. A goal from Guille Aguero came at the 5:03 mark and cut the Audi lead back to two goals, 9-7, and Magrini scored a goal from the field with just over a minute left in regulation play, 9-8. Airstream fought mightily to put the tying goal on the scoreboard but it was the exert stick-work of Merlos who broke free with the ball and scored the final goal of the match for a 10-8 victory.
Merlos led all scoring with eight goals (two on penalty conversions). Bollini and Ganzi each added a goal for the win. Magrini scored two of his four goals on penalty shots. Stevie Orthwein added two goals and Aguero scored once in the loss.