Day three started off as a scorcher in Canadian standards at twenty-five degrees Celsius. The blazing sun forced the pitch to dry quickly creating a sticky surface for the remaining pool play games. Today’s results were significant in determining the match ups for the quarter finals. In Pool A: Trinidad faced the Americans to secure the second place spot. In Pool B: Canada and Guyana competed for third while Mexico and Chile found themselves fighting head-to-head for the optimal first place position. The stakes were high in all games which made for an exciting day of hockey.
Argentina faced Puerto Rico in a very spirited match in the first game of the day. Argentina popped in their first goal in the fourth minute of the game and maintained a continuous steam of attack for the remainder of the match. They built the majority of their goal scoring opportunities by exploiting the baseline and searching for an open shot at close range. After Argentina’s eleventh goal in the twenty-third minute, Puerto Rico subbed in goalkeeper Elvin Sanchez for starting goalkeeper Marco Sanchez to get a fresh defensive approach for the remainder of the game.
Puerto Rico never let Argentina off the hook and pressured them with vigor through to the seventieth minute. Argentina honoured Puerto Rico’s efforts by staying true to their game plan and playing at full speed throughout the entire game.
Game number two had Trinidad and Tobago battling team USA to land the second seat of Pool A. Both teams came out with incredible focus and speed from the get-go. Trinidad took control of the play early on and earned themselves a corner in the sixth minute. Teague Marcano pulled off a maneurver of unbelievable athleticism when he collected the rebound off the initial shot and hammered the ball from head height into the net.
The pace of the game immediately intensified following T & T’s goal as both teams were eager to demonstrate their dominance in the match. With equal attacking opportunities it would be Trinidad that would make the most of their chances by scoring a second corner goal in the thirty-first minute. USA’s played to their frustration and defender Casey Walker was awarded the first green card of the match resulting in another penalty corner for Trinidad. With many rebounds up for grabs, the ball eventually found its way onto a Trinidadian foot and the half came to a close at 2-0 in favour of the Caribbean competitors.
Half two picked up exactly where the first left off: with both teams came out hot, looking to create goal-scoring opportunities. USA’s hard work finally paid off when they were awarded a corner early in the second half. The USA released their standard drag flick to the stick of Stuart Kentwell who executed a textbook deflection into to the top far corner. Trinidad, unimpressed by USA’s attempted comeback, made their commitment to winning clear by scoring a critical goal that regained them a two goal advantage. Trinidad quickly netted a fourth goal when a very composed Jarryon Paul found himself in a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Nate O’Lari and placed the ball into a low corner with precision.
Both teams found themselves in strong attacking positions and it was once again Trinidad and Tobago that took advantage of their opening and potted one final goal in the sixty-third minute causing for a 5-1 final score against the USA. Trinidad’s undiminishing speed was likely the strongest contributor to their win. They remained one step ahead of the perpetually fit Americans and skillfully took advantage of critical opportunities.
The third game between the Mexico and Chile was a head-to-head playoff match for first place in Pool B. Mexico opened up the scoring with a sweep hit deflection claiming the top shelf of Chile’s net. The two teams politely took turns earning penalty corners only to be hampered by the defence each time.
Chile progressively became more dominant and more desperate for the score clock to reflect their work rate, but consistent with their previous games, Mexico’s defense was nearly impenetrable. Chile finally found their first goal via Kay Gesswein sneaking the ball past goaltender Hernandez as they collided in an attempt to take claim of the ball.
Confidence began to emanated off Chile and carried them into earning a second goal from a defensive breakdown by the Mexicans, and eventually a third off a penalty corner. Mexico shifted gears and put the focus on their attackers who earned them a penalty corner in the sixty-first minute. They looked to Maximiliano Mendez to capitalize on their opportunity and he responded by firing off an expertly placed flick to the top corner.
With only nine minutes to go, Mexico sustained pressure on the Chilean defense but were unable to take back the lead they held early in the game. The final scored ended up as 3-2 for Chile. Both teams exhibited a remarkable desire to win. That in combination with the continuous transfer of control between the two teams made for an incredibly exciting match.
The final game of the day saw Canada fight for third place in Pool B against Guyana. The game could only be considered lackadaisical when compared to the other matches of day three. Canada held the majority of the game in Guyana’s defensive end. They managed to sink three penalty corner goals in the first eighteen minutes of the game. Guyana, showing a promising performance in their first two matches, came out a bit flat in this particular match.
Canada was allowed easy access into the Guyanese circle, and following a miscommunication, Canadian Kabi Aujla fired off a sneaky shot that landed them their fourth goal going into the half. Both teams were slow out of the gate again for the second half. Canada’s fifth goal was scored on a fast break by Shahbaaz Dhaliwal blowing past everyone else on the pitch and pushing the ball past the Guyanese keeper.
They gained a sixth goal shortly after by way of penalty corner. Guyana’s Aroydy Brandford finding himself in a breakaway situation charged full steam down the pitch and was met near the 25 yard line by Canada’s keeper; Cameron Bonney. Brandford was flattened by a diving tackle from Bonney and the ball found its way off the end line. Guyana was looking for a call from the umpire but unfortunately one never came.
Canada eventually found the net a seventh time with a shot from the baseline that squeaked past the Guyanese goalkeeper. Canada’s eighth goal was the final nail in the coffin making for an 8-0 final score and landing Canada the third place slot in their pool.
The quarter final games will take place on Wednesday, May 25th. Argentina will face Guyana first, followed by Mexico versus USA. T&T will go up against Canada in the third match of the day and Chile will play Puerto Rico in the closing match.
