EFG Bank falls to Devon-Willow in 2011 Alligator Challenge
Rob Stenzel and Brandon Phillips scored three times and each had an assist, as Devon-Willow notched a 9-6 win over EFG Bank in the Alligator Challenge. The imperative game was played at the International Polo Club in Wellington, city of Florida State.
Devon-Willow had some key blows in the opening, rolled up some points from Stenzel and Phillips in the first two chukkas, and preserved the lead till the final horn of the time completion. The first half of the game was quite hard-hitting and some twelve
goals were scored in the period. But the pace of the game cooled down in the second and only three points were scored in the three frames.
The game started at very fast pace and opening seven and half minute of play was filled with lot of attacks and counterattacks. EFG Bank spotted one goal in the head of handicap while received three more in the later time. Diogo Gallego marked a couple of
goals while his team-mate Luis Escobar added a score through a penalty conversion. However the strikers of Willow were not sitting idly and watching the game let by. The troika of Willow including Rob Stenzel, Brandon Phillips and Scott Devon scored one goal
each in the period and trailed by a single point, 4-3 after the first frame.
In the second chukka, the players of Willow cranked up their offence and ran up two more goals while held EFG Bank scoreless in the period. Robbie Egan and Phillips nailed one goal apiece and led the period with one point, 5-4.
The third set of play was started with a goal from Cecelia Cochrane and had it all even at five-all. But the tie-up could not last long and Phillips and Stenzel connected on a couple of spot shots and regained the lead in the period. Willow was leading the
game by two goals, 7-5 after the first half of action.
The fourth set of play was too dominated by Willow which received another two goals while holding EFG Bank scoreless in the period. Egan and Stenzel notched one point each and put opponent foursome under heavy weight. With the impressive game, Willow sat
on top with a four-point lead in the game, 9-5.
Astonishingly, the second last frame was belonged to EFG Bank but they could only score once in the period. Gallego punched a goal from the field and cut the lead down to three points, 9-6 with one chukka left to play.
The offence from the duo sides was cooled down and they remained blank in the last seven minutes of the game. With final whistle of the time-completion, Devon-Willow rode away the field with a 9-6 triumph.
Stenzel and Phillips were among the leadings scorers of the game with three notches apiece while Egan and Devon marked two and one goal respectively in the victory.
Gallego lit the lamp three times but to no avail. Escobar and Cochran accounted for a single goal in the loss.