A cloudy day-two opened up with a morning match between Trinidad & Tobago and Puerto Rico. Keeping in theme with yesterday’s matches T&T came out firing and sunk a goal against the Puerto Ricans in the first fifteen seconds of the match. They proceeded to maintain possession almost exclusively in Puerto Rico’s defensive half which allowed for an easy additional six goals leading into halftime. Puerto Rico played a gritty style of defense but Trinidad managed to execute seven goals in the second half of the game, finalizing the score at 14-0. The game’s score-line is evidence that T&T’s ability solve their issue seen in yesterday of maintaining focus throughout the entirety of the game. They were unrelenting inside the circle and scored an equal number of goals in each half.
Argentina faced the USA in the second match of the day. They snagged a very lackluster goal in the sixth minute of the game by way of a sweep hit from the stroke spot. The two teams took turns outpacing each other, though the play had a tendency to stay in the USA’s defensive end which eventually led to Argentina’s second goal resulting off a penalty corner in the thirty-first minute. The Argentinians had one final exciting opportunity when a young Tomas Domene shaved the ball of an American defender and released a quick shot on goalkeeper Nathanial O’Lari. A rapid fire shot-save routine was carried out between O’Lari and Argentinian attackers, requiring O’Lari to make three consecutive saves before the ball eventually exited the field of play, keeping the score at 2-0 going into halftime. Argentina continued to frequent the American’s side of the pitch in the second half and made began to make a habit of putting points up on the board. They turned their game pace up a notch which allowed them to find the back of the net 6 more times before the match came to an end. Although the American’s displayed an elite skillset throughout the course of the match, they suffered an 8-0 loss to the classic smooth and speedy Argentinian style of hockey.
Guyana and Mexico took the field for the third game of the day. Guyana was first to score and a near nearly snuck in a second goal that would secured them would a two goal lead early in the game. Mexico remained patient in their attack and ended up retaliating with a spectacular goal that would top the charts of any sports highlight reel: Miguel Othon entered the circle and released a shot that was destined to sail wide of the far post until Raymundo Lemus flew in horizontally to deflect the ball, in midair, into Guyana’s net. The momentum from this superman style goal led Mexico to confidently pop in their second goal less than five minutes later taking them into the second half with a one goal lead. Mexico secured their lead with a third goal only twenty-six seconds into the second half. The majority of the game was played between the two 25 yard lines but where Guyana failed to capitalize was where Mexico seemed to excel: in the circle. Mexico obtained five more goals which brought them to a final score of 7-1 and earned them their second win of the tournament.
Both Canada and Chile were quick onto the pitch following the third game to prepare for what would turn out to be an evenly matched game. The game unfolded as one the most exciting of the day. There was plenty of back and forth play between the teams, but Canada and Chile struggled to finish inside the circle. Both teams adopted an aggressive style of play and animosity appeared to develop between the two sides as the scoreboard remained stagnant. The score remained nil-all making this the first match to enter into half time with no score and the first match to enter as a tie. The pace of the second half was remarkably fast and appeared only to increase as the game progressed. Canada finally found their break when a penalty corner in the forty-first minute resulted in Kabi Aujla finding the back of the net with a perfectly placed drag flick. Chile was not discouraged and managed to snag a goal for themselves in the sixty-fourth minute. Canada, under pressure to earn back their lead, turned over the ball in a critical play that provided Chile with the opportunity they needed to take the lead. Chile capitalized on Canada’s error and pulled ahead by one goal with only two minutes remaining in the match. Canada was unable to tie up the game with the limited time available and handed Chile the three points they were hoping for.
Today’s games were tough in all senses of the word. Each team played high caliber hockey, making no match a cakewalk despite what some final scores may suggest. Everyone seemed to feed off of each other’s grit and determination making for physical games that promise for some healthy rivalries when heading into the final rounds. Tomorrow is a rest day for the teams to prepare for Monday’s matches; which will determine team placements for the quarter final round.
A cloudy day-two opened up with a morning match between Trinidad & Tobago and Puerto Rico. Keeping in theme with yesterday’s matches T&T came out firing and sunk a goal against the Puerto Ricans in the first fifteen seconds of the match. They proceeded to maintain possession almost exclusively in Puerto Rico’s defensive half which allowed for an easy additional six goals leading into halftime. Puerto Rico played a gritty style of defense but Trinidad managed to execute seven goals in the second half of the game, finalizing the score at 14-0. The game’s score-line is evidence that T&T’s ability to solve their issue seen in yesterday of maintaining focus throughout the entirety of the game. They were unrelenting inside the circle and scored an equal number of goals in each half.
Argentina faced the USA in the second match of the day. They snagged a very lackluster goal in the sixth minute of the game by way of a sweep hit from the stroke spot. The two teams took turns outpacing each other, though the play had a tendency to stay in the USA’s defensive end which eventually led to Argentina’s second goal resulting off a penalty corner in the thirty-first minute. The Argentinians had one final exciting opportunity when a young Tomas Domene shaved the ball of an American defender and released a quick shot on goalkeeper Nathanial O’Lari. A rapid fire shot-save routine was carried out between O’Lari and Argentinian attackers, requiring O’Lari to make three consecutive saves before the ball eventually exited the field of play, keeping the score at 2-0 going into halftime. Argentina continued to frequent the American’s side of the pitch in the second half and made began to make a habit of putting points up on the board. They turned their game pace up a notch which allowed them to find the back of the net 6 more times before the match came to an end. Although the American’s displayed an elite skillset throughout the course of the match, they suffered an 8-0 loss to the classic smooth and speedy Argentinian style of hockey.
Guyana and Mexico took the field for the third game of the day. Guyana was first to score and nearly snuck in a second goal that would secured them would a two goal lead early in the game. Mexico remained patient in their attack and ended up retaliating with a spectacular goal that would top the charts of any sports highlight reel: Miguel Othon entered the circle and released a shot that was destined to sail wide of the far post until Raymundo Lemus flew in horizontally to deflect the ball, in midair, into Guyana’s net. The momentum from this superman style goal led Mexico to confidently pop in their second goal less than five minutes later taking them into the second half with a one goal lead. Mexico secured their lead with a third goal only twenty-six seconds into the second half. The majority of the game was played between the two 25 yard lines but where Guyana failed to capitalize was where Mexico seemed to excel: in the circle. Mexico obtained five more goals which brought them to a final score of 7-1 and earned them their second win of the tournament.
Both Canada and Chile were quick onto the pitch following the third game to prepare for what would turn out to be an evenly matched game. The game unfolded as one the most exciting of the day. There was plenty of back and forth play between the teams, but Canada and Chile struggled to finish inside the circle. Both teams adopted an aggressive style of play and animosity appeared to develop between the two sides as the scoreboard remained stagnant. The score remained nil-all making this the first match to enter into half time with no score and the first match to enter as a tie. The pace of the second half was remarkably fast and appeared only to increase as the game progressed. Canada finally found their break when a penalty corner in the forty-first minute resulted in Kabi Aujla finding the back of the net with a perfectly placed drag flick. Chile was not discouraged and managed to snag a goal for themselves in the sixty-fourth minute. Canada, under pressure to earn back their lead, turned over the ball in a critical play that provided Chile with the opportunity they needed to take the lead. Chile capitalized on Canada’s error and pulled ahead by one goal with only two minutes remaining in the match. Canada was unable to tie up the game with the limited time available and handed Chile the three points they were hoping for.
Today’s games were tough in all senses of the word. Each team played high caliber hockey, making no match a cakewalk despite what some final scores may suggest. Everyone seemed to feed off of each other’s grit and determination making for physical games that promise for some healthy rivalries when heading into the final rounds. Tomorrow is a rest day for the teams to prepare for Monday’s matches; which will determine team placements for the quarter final round.
