The semifinalists in both the men’s and women’s competitions clinched their top two seeds in their pools after the second day of action of the PALA Sixes Cup in Kingston, Jamaica.
Puerto Rico and Panama won their pools in the men’s competition, and were joined in the semifinals by the Dominican Republic and Mexico. Overall, Puerto Rico earned the biggest win of the day, downing Jamaica Gold 14-8, which was enough of a scoring margin to claim the top seed and knock the hosts out of the Cup.
In the women’s competition, the Haudenosaunee and Puerto Rico won their pools, and the second place finishers to make the semifinals were Jamaica and Argentina. Argentina defeated Mexico in a close game for the second day in a row.
The men’s semifinals are set for 8:00 a.m. and the women’s will begin at 9:15 a.m. (ET) in Kingston tomorrow.
Puerto Rico takes on the Dominican Republic while Panama takes on Mexico. The stage could be set for a rematch of the overtime thriller between Puerto Rico and Mexico on day one, or two of the teams without world championship experience, in the Dominican Republic and Panama could make a massive statement.
The Haudenosaunee, who have rolled through pool play with a +58 goal differential, will look to keep their momentum going against Argentina in the women’s semifinals. Puerto Rico will try to keep its 4-0 record going and dispatch Peru to set up a potential heavyweight clash for the title with the Haudenosaunee.
A full recap of the day’s games will be posted soon.
Women’s Competition
Puerto Rico started the day with its second win in a row, a 22-11 takedown of Argentina.
Peru showcased its defensive aptitude to pick up a key second win that sealed a semifinal berth in Pool A, defeating the U.S. Virgin Islands, 12-2.
Argentina held off a stern test from Mexico to win 16-13 and clinch its spot in the semifinals.
The Haudenosaunee displayed their prowess again with a 24-9 victory over Jamaica that wrapped up a 3-0 pool play campaign.
Puerto Rico put a stamp on its pool play schedule with a 21-5 rout of Mexico that sealed the top spot in Pool B, and followed that up with a 12-2 win over Argentina to stay unblemished.
Men’s Competition
Puerto Rico held off a fierce effort from the U.S. Virgin Islands in the first men’s game of the day, winning 21-16.
Panama wrapped up its impressive display in Pool A with a 26-9 win over Brazil that secured the top spot in the pool.
The Dominican Republic stamped its ticket to the semifinals with a 17-10 win over the Jamaica Green squad.
Puerto Rico then claimed the win of the tournament so far, a 14-8 win over Jamaica that clinched the top spot in Pool B.
Mexico needed to win to make sure it took the last semifinal spot, and took care of business against the U.S. Virgin Islands, 25-10.
Jamaica Gold defeated Jamaica Green, 22-12, in a placement matchup to advance to the fifth place game.
The U.S. Virgin Islands, after a series of close losses in pool play, won its first game in Kingston. The USVI prevailed over Brazil, 20-10, to advance to the fifth place game and set up a rematch of the one-goal game with Jamaica on day one.
Top Performances
Matthew Chalastawa had a had trick to help Puerto Rico close out Jamaica. He also had three goals in the win over the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Samuel Colon had five goals to power the Dominican Republic to its crucial win over Jamaica Green.
Josh Sanchez had eight goals in Mexico’s win over the USVI.
Cassandra Kitchen netted a hat trick for Peru in a win over the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Mercedes Oneil poured in five goals for Argentina in a three-goal win over Mexico.
Puerto Rico won three times on the day, and in the 21-5 win over Mexico, Sky Carrasquillo scored seven goals.
