After riding to a 1-1 tie in the opening chukker, Santa Clara took control of the game and built up a 5-2 halftime lead before running away from Goose Creek in a 10-6 win in the opening round of the IPC March 12-Goal at the International Polo Club.
Cote Zegers carried the ball from one end of the field to the other, scoring the first goal of the game and giving Goose Creek an early 1-0 edge.
Santa Clara shut out the Goose Creek offense in the second period while 7-goaler Luis Escobar scored three consecutive goals (two on penalty conversions) for a 4-1 advantage.
The two teams exchanged goals in the third, with Escobar adding his fifth goal of the game on a shot from the field. Goose Creek answered with a penalty conversion from Zegers. At the end of the first half, Santa Clara had a comfortable 5-2 advantage.
Zegers opened the second half with a penalty conversion for Goose Creek to cut the Santa Clara lead to two goals, 5-3 when Andres Weisz caught fire. Consecutive goals from Weisz extended the Santa Clara lead to four goals, 7-3. Tano Vial kept Goose Creek in the game by scoring the final goal of the chukker in the final 30 seconds of play. Goose Creek continued to trail by three goals, 7-4.
Lauren Biddle (filling in for Francisco Escobar in the chukker) scored the first goal of the fifth chukker for an 8-4 Santa Clara lead. Goose Creek responded with a goal from the field on a fine play by Wesley Bryan, 8-5. Luis Escobar closed out the chukker with his sixth goal of the game for a 9-5 Santa Clara lead.
Goose Creek struggled to get a rally going in the final chukker. Vial scored in the opening minute of play, 9-6, but that would be it for Goose Creek. Luis Escobar scored the final goal of the match for the 10-6 Santa Clara Win.
Luis Escobar led all scoring with seven goals (three on penalty shots). Weisz scored twice and Biddle added a goal in the victory. Zegers led the Goose Creek attack with three goals (two on penalty shots). Vial added two goals and Bryan scored once in the loss.