ERG vs. Alegria

03/07/2012, 10:00 am |

ERG - 11, Alegria - 10

ERG needed overtime to defeat a determined Alegria team, 11-10, in the day’s morning contest with Marcos Alberdi (substituting for team captain Scott Wood) being credited with the winning goal.

Alegria scored first with a goal from the field from Fred Mannix followed by a penalty conversion from Tomas Garcia del Rio. Goals from ERG’s Agustin Merlos and Marcos Alberdi had it all even at 2-2 at the end of the first seven minutes of play.

Mariano Aguerre’s first goal of the day had Alegria on top, 3-2 in the opening minutes of the second chukker. Agustin Merlos responded for ERG with a near 300 yard run down the field, scoring the tying goal, 3-3, goal as he carried the ball through the goal posts in mid-air.

Alegria charged into the third chukker with abandon, collecting two straight goals from Julian Mannix for a 5-3 lead. Agustin Merlos scored the last goal of the period, but it was Alegria that held the 5-4 advantage.

Both defenses tightened in the fourth with ERG’s Paco de Narvaez tying it up at 5-5 with the only goal of the chukker.

Fred Mannix scored a goal in the first 30 seconds of the fifth chukker for a 6-5 Alegria lead, but that was when the tables turned. Agustin Merlos scored a penalty goal and followed it up with a goal from the field, for the first ERG lead of the day, 7-6. De Narvaez made it 8-6 with his third goal of the morning. Fred Mannix converted a penalty shot to cut the new ERG lead to a single goal, 8-7, but great individual effort by Agustin Merlos, carrying the ball over 200yards down the field for a goal closed out the chukker with ERG ahead, 9-7.

Sixth chukker action had Agustin Merlos scoring his seventh goal of the game to give ERG a three goal lead when Alegria came to life. Goals from Aguerre and Julian Mannix cut the lead to a single goal, 10-9 when del Rio delivered a long pass to Fred Mannix that he converted for the tying goal as time ran out in the chukker.

Sudden-death overtime was decided in the first minute of play with Alberdi scoring the goal for the 11-10 win.

Agustin Merlos set the pace for the field with seven goals (three on penalty shots). Alberdi and de Narvaez scored two goals apiece for the victory.

Fred Mannix scored four times for the Alegria contingent (two by penalty). Julian Mannix added three scores with Aguerre scoring twice and del Rio accounting for a single goal.