2008 Pan American Junior Championships
Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
October 17-26

Puerto Rico - USA : 1 - 4

The United States of America kept their ambitions of a space in the semi-final alive with a not so impressive 4-1 win over their counterparts Puerto Rico on the fourth day of the Ninth Junior Pan AM Men's Hockey Tournament in Trinidad and Tobago, today.

Playing the first game of the five-match fixture on today at the National Hockey Centre (NHC) in Tacarigua, Will Holt contributed a hat-trick to pace the Americans to their much-needed success over to move into joint-second spot in Pool A with host nation Trinidad and Tobago. Both the home team and the visitors have six points from two and three matches, respectively. So, therefore, the winner between the two them tomorrow night on Day Five will join Argentina as Pool A representatives in the next round.

T&T were due to play the champs Argentina, who have already qualified for the semi-finals, following three consecutive triumphs, today.

USA, who needed the three points to bounce back into the tournament, following a 9-0 drubbing by the current champs on Monday morning, scored two goals on either side of the contest. Holt netted a pair in the second-half (40th and 55th minutes) via a field goal and a penalty corner to make it safe for his country. Earlier, Holt notched his opening item (a penalty corner) in the 17th minute, before Nicholas Szoke scored a field goal five minutes to the break .The halftime score line was 2-1 on the back of a low intensity first 35 minutes.

The second-half was of the same nature with the American apparently using the moment to fine their skills for their all-important clash with host T&T tomorrow. Manuel Fernandez Colon netted for the trying Puerto Rico team in the 32nd minute to cut the lead before the break, but the three points were always there for the taking by the more superior USA side.

Trinidad & Tobago - Argentina : 1 - 8

DEFENDING Argentina continued to take of business at the Ninth Edition of the Junior Pan Am Men�s Hockey Tournament being contested at the National Hockey Centre here in Trinidad and Tobago today. The victory put the champs at the top of Pool A, with a total of 12 points from four outings.

T&T and USA are now locked together on six points and from the same number of outings in a tussle for the second ticket to travel on to the semi-finals stage. Both counties will meet tomorrow night (Thursday), after Wednesday�s rest, in a most important game for both.

On the field of play, Tuesday afternoon, T&T started the game looking very interested after the opening five minutes of the proceeding. But moments later on, they dropped to a 4-0 disadvantage nearing the end of the half due to constant pressure from the fleet-footed and deft Argentines. The players from the South Americans line-up who hit the target in the first session were Leandro Tolini, who scored his first and third items of a three-goal performance in the eighth and 18th minutes, before completing his hat-trick deep into the second session. That effort also came from a penalty corner set play, just like the previous pair in the opening half.

Martin Guido Lopez Barreiros (11th minute) and Alejandro Augustin Mazzilli (20th) were the other two players to put their names on the sheet for the champs, before half -time. Mazzilli also added another in the 42nd minute to register a brace. In the remaining moments of the first-half, stand-in captain Mickel Pierre, who took over the captain�s armband from regular leader Akim Toussaint-who was rested for tomorrow's all-important encounter with the USA , managed to cut into the visitors� lead before half �time.

The speedy Defence Force player jumped in a nicely planned attack from around the half line on the left flank of the park -playing from South to North- to finish clinically to the delight of the local fans positioned on the south eastern side of the NHC. There was no other item in the period when both teams went off for their break, just before the rain that delay the start of the second stanza closed in on the NHC located on the eastern side of the country.

When the affair eventually resumed, T&T, who actually played the last seven minutes of the match with ten men after Evan Farrel was yellow carded for kicking the ball away, Coach Anthony Marcano replaced goalkeeper Karlos Stephen with Justin Pascal. But it was not long before he had to pick the ball from behind him the same number of times his teammate Stephen did in the first session.

Sebastian Zocchi (57th) and Felipi Oleastro (69th) assisted in the route on the host nation in the last period for the Argentina, who finished this phase with total of 42 items, while letting in a pair.

Brazil - Guyana : 2 - 0

Brazil stopped Guyana 2-0 to collect their first points of the Ninth Junior Pan Am Men's Hockey Tournament in Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday afternoon.

Playing at the National Hockey Centre in Tacarigua, the Brazilians got a goal on either side of the 70-minute affair each Patrick Heijden as early as the second minute courtesy of a field goal, while Yuri Heijden added other field item two minutes after the restart. That effort came in the 35th minute in a contest where the two counties were battling for their first taste of victory in Pool B.

The South Americans held the upper hand at 1-0 going into break after an evenly contested session, when both teams enjoyed equal amount of ball possession, without creating any clear cut chances.

Both sides will complete their fixtures on Thursday, following Wednesday's off day.

Barbados - Mexico : 4 - 7

Barbados turned in another creditable performance at the Ninth Junior Pan Am Men�s Hockey Tournament going in Trinidad and Topbago, despite suffering a 7-4 defeat at the hands of one of the best team in the tournament, Mexico, who made it four-in-four, with one game to go in Pool B. That contest will be a meeting with Chile, who were due to play Canada in a must-win game, later on tonight (Tuesday) to remove the strain off backs in that final game against the Mexicans. A triumph for the Canadians against the Chileans will put them in a very good position to grab the second-spot in the Pool, with a final against lowly Brazil, who picked up their maiden victory of the tournament against Guyana on Tuesday.

Improved Barbados can finish high up the standings if they get past their Caribbean neighbours Guyana, who are also showing small steps of improvement as the competition progresses, in their last game on Thursday morning.

In Mexico latest success in the best of the high-scoring affairs that went before, Ismael Enriquez Vasquez claimed a hat-trick in the sixth, 22nd and 65th minutes as the victors held a comfortable 4-0 spread at half �time.

In the second period, Che Warner struck three times to add some respectability to the Barbados�, who never showed any signs of nerves against a more physical and experience campaigner,final scoresheet. Fransisco Montoya Aquilar advanced his goals collection to a dozen via a brace in the 43rd and 51st minutes, while Edgard Silva Borquez (33rd) and Eduardo Joya Cabrera (fourth minute) had a hand in the win. Captain Dario Jordan netted the other item for Barbados and he should be please with his charges efforts, thus far.

Chile - Canada : 1 - 2

Stephen Bissett was the toast of all Canadians on Tuesday night as he netted the game�s winner for his country to enjoy a nice come-from-behind 2-1 triumph over Chile in surely the best game of the Ninth Junior Pan Am Men�s Hockey Tournament, to date, taking place at the National Hockey Centre in Trinidad and Tobago. With the outing which had a competitive edge to it throughout the time it lasted, Bissett found himself unmarked inside the "D" of Chile to deflect a long searching ball from distant past goalkeeper Daniel Olivares, who did not had time to attempt a save.

In the remaining six minutes or so, Chile sensing that their unbeaten record was coming to an end probed for the equalising item but their efforts either went wide of the mark or efficiently dealt with by the Canadian back line, including goalkeeper Geoffrey Houghton, who made a couple of great saves to secure all the glory for his team.

Earlier, Chile, who will now have to beat Mexico in their last match on Thursday night to streak a claim for a passage to be among the last four countries, took a 13th minute advantage through Jan Richter, who converted a penalty corner to take his personal tally to 11 goals and to hold down third�spot on the chart at the same time.

The setback did not encouraged the youngsters in all white to drop their chins against chest in any way whatsoever as they slowly took control of the game by stringing a number of dangerous attacks together on a regular basic. Two minutes before half-time, they were rewarded for their hard work and rightfully so, when they were given a penalty stroke in the 33rd minute, which Ame Oswald converted to level things at 1-1 at the interval.

The situation at the break was a correct one based on how things unfolded in the first 35 minutes of a game that kept the spectators interested from the first flick-off. It was quite evident that the tempo the Canadians closed off the first session with was still around at the resumption. During that time, they came close enough to increasing their lead more than their pinned-back opponents, but they were denied by their own inaccuracy at goal and at times solid goalkeeping by Olivares.

In other statistics, a total of 163 goals have been scored in the tournament after 20 matches. Leandro Tolini lead the goal scoring department with 14 items (13 penalty corners and one field goal). Fransisco Montoya Aguilar is in second 12 (seven field items and five penalty corners),while Richter occupy third-berth with ten penalty corners and a single penalty stroke.