Argentina Upsets Djibouti In Watermelon Cup Final
Brendon Cristobal’s hat trick, followed by Alan Reiter’s perfectly placed ping, led Argentina to a furious, come-from-behind win in tonight’s Watermelon Cup final at Long Lots Field. The Argentines — ranked #2 — had fallen behind 3-0 to #1 seed Djibouti, before mounting their remarkable comeback.
Preston Hirten, Jake Krosse and Colin Nangle staked Djibouti to the 1st-half lead.
The semifinals, played right before the final, were equally exciting. Nangle’s golden goal earned his side a berth in the final. A goal very late in regulation time had drawn #4 Rhodesia level with the favored Djiboutians.
On the adjacent field, Argentina held off a determined #3 Papua New Guinea by a 5-3 count.
This was by far the most competitive and well-played Watermelon Cup season ever. Younger players stepped up their game nicely, while the college and older players’ strength and experience added an important element.
Congratulations to Watermelon Cup champion Argentina: Alan Reiter (captain), Brendon Cristobal, Dylan Evans, Tim Frassetto, Brad Green, Court Lake, Jake Malowitz, Alex Tonsberg, Bryan Wolgast, Luke Yeager and Zach Schwarz.
QUICK KICK: Brendon Cristobal and Brad Green also played on Monday’s Super Watermelon Liga winner Team USA — the team that captured the 2007 and ’08 Watermelon Cups. So those 2 Staples ’07 graduates have now won 4 Watermelon Cups each.
Watermelon Cup champ Argentina. Front row (from left): Alex Tonsberg, Tim Frassetto, Jake Malowitz, Dylan Evans. Standing: Brad Green, Brendan Cristobal, Luke Yeager, Alan Reiter, Brian Wolgast.
Click here for scores, and final regular season standings.
