Piaget vs. Valiente I

01/18/2012, 3:00 pm | 4 IPC

Piaget - 8, Valiente I - 7

Piaget (1-1) scored an 8-7 win over Valiente I (1-2) in Wednesday’s 3pm contest with the winning goal coming on a goal from Jason Crowder in sudden-death overtime.

Valiente I scored the first five goals of the game before Piaget answered in the second chukker.

Valiente I got started with first chukker goals from Jeff Hall, Santiago Bottaro and Santiago Toccalino while Piaget struggled to organize its defense.

Bottaro opened the second period with a goal from the field while Toccalino converted a 60-yard penalty shot. Miguel Astrada scored Piaget’s first goal from the field, adding a second score on a penalty shot. After two chukkers of play Valiente I held a 5-3 advantage.

The Piaget defense stiffened in the third chukker, and Valiente I found itself expending more time defending than mounting attacks. A defensive foul by Valiente I resulted in a foul that enabled Astrada to convert a penalty shot for a goal. Valiente I continued to lead, but the lead had been cut to two goals, 5-3, to end the half.

The Piaget defense continued to clamp down on Valiente I in second half action, pitching a second consecutive shutout “inning”. Astrada added a goal from the field, and at the end of the fifth chukker Valiente I found itself trailing by a single goal, 5-4.

Toccalino finally got Valiente I on the scoreboard in the fifth with a goal from the field. Jason Crowder scored his first goal of the match.

Piaget continued to trail by a single goal, but the momentum had shifted and Valiente I wasn’t happy with it.
Sixth chukker play saw Astrada tie it up at 6-6 for Valiente I, but Toccalino scored his fourth goal of the game (penalty shot) with less than two minutes to play to give Valiente I a 7-6 advantage. The teams battled furiously with precious seconds remaining when Astrada broke loose with the ball. He carried it through the Valiente defenders to score, 7-7, and find himself scoring the tying goal as the horn sounded.

After a brief intermission the teams returned to the field for a throw-in that Argentine 9-goaler Miguel jumped all over. Astrada drove the ball down the field and galloped after it with a Valiente I player in hot pursuit. A finishing shot at the Valiente goal it the goalpost and bounced back onto the field where a trailing Crowder drove it through the goalposts for the 8-7 win.

Astrada led the Piaget attack with six goals. Crowder scored twice, including the game winner in overtime.

Toccalino was credited with four goals for Valiente I. Bottaro scored twice and Hall registered one goal on the day.