Argentina and Canada repeat as Gold and Silver medalists in the 2015 Pan American Games

1^st place: Argentina

2^nd place: Canada

3^rd place: Chile

4^th place: Brazil

5^th place: United States

6^th place: Mexico

7^th place: Trinidad and Tobago

8^th place: Cuba

Goals by Ibarra, Vila and Brunet and team defense leads Argentina to victory. Two goals by Nicolas Renz helped lead Chile to Bronze medal.

The final of the men’s competition was between Argentina and host Canada. In all the finals of the Pan American Games, Argentina and Canada have met in the final match. Argentina won the last Pan American Games in 2011; while Canada last won in 2007.

1^st /2^nd place: Argentina vs. Canada: 3-0 (ht: 1-0)

From the start, the match was a very intense battle for possession with most of the play within the midfield for the first ten minutes of the match. The full stands continued to be quiet as the intense battle for possession went on throughout the first quarter. With play in the midfield both teams were without scoring opportunities or circle penetration. Thus, the first quarter ended scoreless Argentina 0, Canada 0.

The second quarter started with Canada earning one of the first attacking opportunities of the match for either team in the 17^th minute when Gabriel Ho-Garcia fed Iain Smythe who looked to take a shot, but Argentina’s defense came up with the ball. Both teams continued to battle for possession in the midfield. Argentina earned the first penalty corner of the match in the 20^th minute, but failed to execute the penalty corner play. A few seconds later, Argentina earned another penalty corner, Canada’s keeper Dave Carter saved the high drag flick from Argentina’s Peillat. Devon Noronha Teixeira and Matthew Sarmento then passed back and forth fast down field to earn Canada’s first penalty corner of the match in the 22^nd minute that resulted in another penalty corner. Argentina’s keeper Juan Vivaldi saved the penalty corner shot to keep the match scoreless. Three minutes later, Argentina earned two more penalty corners and Pedro Ibarra put in the second penalty corner in the 25^th minute to break the scoreless match. In the 28^th minute, Canada earned a penalty corner, but Scott Tupper’s shot hit a foot and Argentina came up with it. Canada very quickly regained possession and earned another penalty corner, but Gordon Johnson’s shot was saved by keeper Vivaldi. In the 30^th minute, Argentina earned a penalty corner, but keeper Carter saved the shot. Thus, the score remained Argentina 1, Canada 0 at halftime.

`The third quarter started with Argentina fast on attack and Lucas Vila putting in a fast shot past Carter in the 33^rd minute to make the score Argentina 2, Canada 0. Argentina continued to pressure hard on attack, but Canada regained possession and both teams continued to battle. Canada’s Captain Scott Tupper and Adam Froese continued to play incredibly strong defense to hold off Argentina’s attack. For the rest of the third quarter, Argentina maintained possession, but Canada limited their attacking opportunities and largely prevented them from entering their attacking circle. The score remained Argentina 2, Canada 0.

Argentina went fast on attack to start the fourth quarter. In the 47^th minute, Manuel Brunet beat multiple Canadian defenders on the left side of the pitch to lift the ball high into goal to give his team a three goal lead over Canada. In the 50^th minute, Canada had their first attacking opportunity of the quarter, but Vivaldi saved the ball. Canada continued to attack, but each time Canada’s attacking circle was full of Argentina players. In the 54^th minute, Carter had another save to keep Argentina from increasing their lead. Argentina continued to control possession and Carter made another big save in the 59^th minute. The final score remained Argentina 3, Canada 0 and Argentina and Canada repeated as the gold and silver medalists, respectively.

3^rd/4^th place: Chile vs. Brazil: 4-1  (ht: 3-0)

In the bronze medal match, Chile and Brazil played. The match started with Brazil dominating possession, but Chile doing well defensively to keep play in the midfield. Brazil’s first shot opportunity came in the fifth minute when Bruno Mendonca passed to Bruno Paes standing at the penalty stroke spot. Paes’ shot was blocked by Chile’s keeper Adrian Henriquez. Chile immediately went back on attack and earned the first penalty corner of the match. A strong penalty corner drag flick by Nicolas Renz in the fifth minute made the score Chile 1, Brazil 0. Following their goal, Chile continued to maintain possession and pressure on attack. In the 12^th minute, Chile earned another penalty corner, but had two shots hit the bars of the goal. Chile regained possession, but again Brazil played good defense to prevent Chile from entering their attacking circle another time in the first quarter. Thus, the score at the end of the first quarter remained Chile 1, Brazil 0.

Chile came out fast on attack to start the second quarter. Brazil’s keeper Rodrigo Faustino made two big saves in the 17^th minute to prevent Chile from increasing their lead. In the 19^th minute, Thomas Kannegiesser hit a hard shot from the far top right of the circle to the bottom left corner of the goal cage to make the score Chile 2, Brazil 0. A minute later, Chile had another penalty corner and Vincente Martin hit a hard penalty corner shot from the top of the circle to increase his team’s lead by three goals. Brazil prevented Chile from having another shot opportunity for the remaining ten minutes of the second quarter to keep the Chile 3, Brazil 0 score at halftime.

The third quarter started again with Chile fast on attack and earning a penalty corner in the 32^nd minute. Martin fed Renz a perfect pass off the penalty corner and Renz scored his second penalty corner goal of the match to make the score Chile 4, Brazil 0. Brazil’s strong defense led to a rare attacking opportunity for Brazil in the 41^st minute when Patrick van der Heijden looked to find Bruno Paes right in front of the goal, but Paes missed the pass and Chile regained possession. Throughout the match cheers for Chile were heard in the crowd. With either team unable to get another shot off before the third quarter ended, the score remained Chile 4, Brazil 0.

The fourth quarter was full of intensity as Brazil kept fighting Chile for possession. In the 50^th minute, Chile’s Raimnudo Valenzuela and Brazil’s Andre Patrocino each received a yellow card. Brazil kept fighting and earned their first penalty corner of the match in the 53^rd minute. Chile’s defense blocked the initial penalty corner shot to keep the score Chile 4, Brazil 0. In the 54^th minute, Brazil’s Yuri van der Heijden had a shot go high over the goal cage. For the rest of the quarter, both teams traded possession. With one second remaining in the match, Brazil earned a penalty corner and Brazil’s Stephane Smith made a very hard flick high in the goal past Henriquez. Thus, Smith’s goal made the final score Chile 4, Brazil 1. With the win, Chile earned the Bronze medal in the competition; and Brazil finished in fourth place.

5^th/6^th place: Mexico vs. United States: 2-6 (ht: 2-4)

To decide the fifth and sixth places, respectively, Mexico and United States played. The match started with both teams having scoring opportunities in the opening minutes. Mexico had a shot saved by United States’ keeper Christopher Rea in the third minute. Immediately the United States went on attack and earned a penalty corner. Will Holt’s drag flick past Mexico’s keeper Moises Vargas in the third minute gave his team the lead. Both teams continued to battle for possession and limit each other’s attacking opportunities. In the 11^th minute, Holt was waiting on the opposite post from Vargas and tipped in the ball to make the score Mexico 0, United States 2. In the 14^th minute, Mexico earned their first penalty corner that was blocked by the United States’ defense and resulted in two more penalty corners for Mexico. Mexico’s Alexis Campillo had a hard flick saved by keeper Rea. Thus, the score at the end of the first quarter remained Mexico 0, United States 2.

The second quarter started with the United States pressuring on attack and earning a penalty corner in the 17^th minute. The drag flick by Holt sailed high above Vargas for his third goal of the match to make the score Mexico 0, United States 3. Mexico went back on attack and Guillermo Pedraza found Captain Edgar Garcia who got the ball past Rea to make the score Mexico 1, United States 3 in the 19^th minute. The United States kept most of the possession after the restart and the United States’ Michael Barminski scored in the 22^nd minute to increase his teams’ lead by three goals. Mexico kept battling for possession and earned a penalty corner in the 27^th minute, but Rea saved the shot. The crowd continued to cheer loudly for Mexico. Mexico’s Ruben Martinez and Pedraza both had shots for Mexico saved by Rea. Mexico earned another penalty corner in the 30^th minute. Edgard Borquez shot far into the bottom right of the goal past Rea to make the score at halftime Mexico 2, United States 4.

The third quarter started with Mexico really pressuring on their attacking end and Pol Moreno had a couple shots saved by Rea. Mexico continued to try to run on attack, but the United States kept defending the midfield well. Ten minutes into the third quarter the score was still Mexico 2, United States 4. In the 42^nd minute, the United States earned a penalty corner during one of their first attacking opportunities of the quarter. The shot by Holt was saved by Vargas. The United States continued pressure on attack and a shot by Captain Pat Harris in the 45^th minute made the score Mexico 2, United States 5 to close out the third quarter.

The United States continued to pressure on attack to start the fourth quarter. In the 48^th minute, the United States earned another penalty corner, but the shot was blocked by multiple Mexico defenders. In the 50^th minute, Mexico earned a penalty corner, but the hard flick by Francisco Aguilar was blocked by Rea. The United States went back on attack and Tyler Sundeen hit a hard shot from the top of the circle to make the score Mexico 2, United States 6 in the 51^st minute. The United States continued to maintain possession, but Mexico prevented them from having more shot opportunities. Thus, the score remained Mexico 2, United States 6 and the United States came away with the fifth place finish; while Mexico finished in sixth place.

7^th/8^th place: Cuba vs. Trinidad and Tobago: 0-13 (ht: 0-6)

On the final day of the men’s competition, the match for seventh place was between Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago. Cuba started the match with eight players, including keeper Leordan Hernandez. In the opening minutes, Cuba’s defense of Yoandy Blanco, Yasmany Gutierrez and Darien Valero did well to hold off the Trinidad and Tobago attack. In the fifth minute, Trinidad and Tobago’s attack passed around Gutierrez to find Mickell Pierre to push the ball into goal to make the score Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago 1. In the 6^th minute, Trinidad and Tobago earned the first penalty corner of the match and Hernandez made two big saves, but Trinidad and Tobago’s Jordan Reynos collected the ball and pushed it around Hernandez to put his team ahead by two goals. Trinidad and Tobago continued to pressure on attack and Maikel Tritzant made some good defensive saves and helped force Trinidad and Tobago to pass around the outside of their attacking circle. In the 13^th minute, Pierre broke through the Cuban defense for his second goal of the match to make the score Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago 3. Cuba did not let up however and earned a penalty corner in the 14^th minute. The play was broken up by Trinidad and Tobago’s defense, but Tritzant regained possession for a bit. With Cuba holding off Trinidad and Tobago’s attack in the final minute, the score at the end of the first quarter was Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago 3.

In the second quarter, Trinidad and Tobago continued to pressure on attack and Kiel Murray pushed a ball past Hernandez in the 20^th minute. Valero regained possession and Cuba was down near its attacking circle for a couple minutes. In the 26^th minute, Tritizant and Gutierrez had a nice passing combination down the field, but Trinidad and Tobago quickly regained possession and Pierre put in his third goal of the match to make the score Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago 5. Two minutes later, Trinidad and Tobago’s Kristien Emmanuel increased his team’s lead by six goals. The score at the halftime break remained Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago 6.

Trinidad and Tobago started off with a bang in the third quarter with a goal in the first 10 seconds of the quarter by Dillet Gilkes. Two minutes later Gilkes scored again to make the score Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago 8. In the 34^th minute, Trinidad and Tobago earned a penalty corner, but the shot was blocked by Hernandez. A minute later Murray scored his second goal of the match to make the score Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago, 9. In the 39^th minute, Trinidad and Tobago had another penalty corner, but the shot went high above the goal cage. Trinidad and Tobago continued to pressure on attack and Ishmael Campbell beat Hernandez for another score in the 43^rd minute to make the score Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago 10. Stefan Mouttet increased Trinidad and Tobago’s lead by 11 goals in the 44^th minute. Off the restart, Cuba had one of their first shots of the match by Captain Roger Aguilera, but the shot went wide. Thus, the score at the end of the third quarter the score remained Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago 11.

Murray and Reynos scored again in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to make the score Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago 13. In the 50^th minute, in front of a cheering crowd, Cuba earned a penalty corner. Cuba’s Yoandy Blanco put in a drag flick, but the shot was too high. Cuba continued to pressure on attack near their attacking circle. Trinidad and Tobago regained possession and earned another penalty corner in the 53^rd minute, but Hernandez made the save. A minute later with the crowd supporting them Cuba was back on attack and eventually earned another penalty corner in the 56^th minute. Rocke saved two high shots off the penalty corner, but Cuba maintained possession. In the 60^th minute, Aguilera looked to find Marcos Martinez, but Martinez could not get a shot off before the match ended. Thus, the final score was Cuba 0, Trinidad and Tobago 13. With the win, Trinidad and Tobago secured 7^th place in the men’s competition of the 2015 Pan American Games. Cuba finished in 8^th place.