Coca-Cola vs. Heathcote
02/04/2012, 11:00 am |
Coca-Cola - 12, Heathcote - 11
The first round of play in the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup was completed Saturday afternoon at the International Polo club in Wellington with Coca-Cola, Villa del Lago and Lucchese ringing up wins in the 20-goal competition.
The day opened with Heathcote taking on Coca-Cola, the winner of the season’s two opening tournaments, the Herbie Pennell Cup and the Joe Barry Memorial Cup, and making an early impression by running out to an 8-4 halftime lead before falling 12-11 in sudden-death overtime.
Tommy Biddle gave Heathcote the early led on a 60-yard penalty conversion. A goal from teammate Nick Manifold had Coca-Cola trailing 3-0 before they got their attack organized. Mason Wroe scored Coke’s first goal of the game with Sugar Erskine tallying the tying goal to end the first chukker, 2-2.
The Heathcote defense smothered Coca-Cola in the second while Biddle put on an offensive show. After converting another 60-yard penalty shot, the 6-goaler buried a nearside backhand shot from over 85 yards out. He followed up with a third goal in the chukker for a 5-3 lead. Coca-Cola was shut out.
Lucas Monteverde put Heathcote up 6-2 with the opening goal of the third period. Biddle scorched another ball through the goal posts on a 200 yard run before Coke woke up. Julio Arellano scored Coca-Cola’s first goal since the first chukker on a penalty shot and then followed it up with a goal from the field to cut the Heathcote lead to three goals, 7-4. Monteverde closed out the chukker with his second goal of the game with Heathcote leading by four goals, 8-4.
Arellano opened the second half with a goal from the field. Biddle converted a penalty shot from 40-yards out, 9-5. Arellano converted a penalty shot as the chukker ended with Coca-Cola behind, 9-6.
The Coca-Cola offense was transformed in the fifth period with Arellano converting a penalty goal and Erskine adding two more goals to lock it up at 9-9 with one chukker left to play. For the first time all day Heathcote was kept off the scoreboard.
Arellano converted a 60-yard penalty shot to open the scoring in the sixth to give Coca-Cola its first lead of the game, 10-9, but Heathcote’s Monteverde responded with a tying penalty goal of his own. Arellano fired back with another go-ahead goal as he rode through two Heathcote players on an impressive scoring effort, 11-10. With time running out, Monteverde converted a Safety (60-yard penalty shot) to force the game into sudden-death overtime.
After a brief recess to change mounts, both teams returned to the field for the throw-in which Erskine took immediate possession of, and with just 18 seconds off of the clock, scored the winning goal.
Arellano scored seven times for Coca-Cola (1-0). Erskine added four goals and Wroe accounted for a score in the win.
Biddle led the Heathcote (0-1) attack with six goals. Monteverde added four goals and Manifold registered a goal.
Joe Barry Memorial Cup
Coca-Cola vs. Heathcote
01/22/2012, 3:00 pm | Piaget Field
Coca-Cola - 12, Heathcote - 8
Coca-Cola (3-0) scored early and often against previously unbeaten Heathcote (2-1) in Joe Barry Memorial Cup action at the International Polo Club in Wellington Sunday afternoon, registering a 12-8 win and a berth in the semifinals on Wednesday, January 25.
A choppy start had Coca-Cola scoring the first goal of the game on a penalty shot from American 9-goaler Julio Arellano, countered by a goal from the field from Heathcote team captain Steve Lefkowitz for a 1-1 tie. Tommy Biddle put Heathcote on top, 2-1, with a 60-yard penalty conversion, but that would be Heathcote’s last lead. A goal from the field from Mason Wroe and a second penalty goal from Arellano ended the first chukker with Coca-Cola out in front, 3-2.
Arellano added two more penalty goals in the second while team captain Gillian Johnston scored her first goal of the day. The Coca-Cola defense was solid, shutting out the Heathcote attack and leaving the field with a 6-2 lead.
Both defenses stiffened in the third chukker. Heathcote’s Lucas Monteverde registered the only goal of the period while Coca-Cola was held scoreless. The first half ended with Coca-Cola holding a 6-3 advantage after three chukkers of play.
An early Coca-Cola foul put Biddle at the penalty line in the fourth chukker for another Heathcote penalty goal, 6-4, but that would be where the Heathcote offense fizzled. Four straight goals from Coca-Cola (two from Sugar Erskine and two from Arellano) threw water on any hope Heathcote started to gain regarding a rally. Erskine followed Biddle’s penalty goal with a 150 yard shot for a score. Arellano converted another penalty shot for a goal, followed by single goals from Erskine and Arellano. The Coca-Cola lead had expanded to six goals, 10-4 with two chukkers left to play.
Biddle opened the fifth period with another 60-yard penalty conversion and added a goal from the field to cut the Coca-Cola to four goals, 10-6, but a final penalty goal from Arellano had Coca-Cola up by five goals, 11-6.
Heathcote tried to mount another rally, and picked up a pair of goals on penalty shots from Biddle, when Coca-Cola finally responded. Arellano’s eighth goal of the day ended the game with a 12-8 Coca-Cola victory and a spot in Wednesday’s semifinals against Chris Del Gatto’s Circa (3-0) team.
Arellano led the Coca-Cola attack with eight goals. Erskine scored twice while Wroe and Johnston added single goals in the win.
Biddle scored six times for Heathcote. Lefkowitz and Monteverde each scored a goal in a losing effort.
