Mexico, Puerto Rico and USA teams on fast track

CHULA VISTA, California, October 4, 2013 – Men’s teams from Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United States went 2-0 on the first day of pool play on Friday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. The event is the eighth on the 2013 NORCECA Beach Circuit.

In Pool F, Puerto Rico’s Hector Soto and Roberto Rodriguez defeated Canada’s Michael Plantiga and Cameron Wheelan, 21-14, 21-14. They later beat Marc Anthony Lomeli and Anthony Scott Pippen of U.S. Virgin Islands, 21-12, 21-16.

Soto, who is in his first year competing on the beach side after many years with Puerto Rico’s indoor national team, is happy with his progression.

“It’s a lot better now than it was back in March,” he said. “I’m looking forward to see how I will be with another year of experience.”

In Pool E, Mexico’s Mario Barrragan Medel and Julio Manrique Espejel won matches over Guatemala’s Julio Anibal and Recinos Ocana, 21-19, 21-12 and Cullen Diehl and Austin Pitten of U.S. Virgin Islands, 21-9, 21-12.

In Pool H, the United States’ Nick Lucena and Theo Brunner defeated their U.S. compatriots Tri Bourne and John Hyden, 21-15, 21-15. Lucena and Brunner went on to beat Trinidad & Tobago’s Daniel Williams and Simon Blake, 21-10, 21-14.

Pool play will continue on Saturday along with the first round of single elimination play. Semifinals and finals will be played on Sunday.

Men

Pool E: GUA d NCA 2-1 (20-22, 21-17, 10-15), MEX d GUA 2-0 (21-19, 21-12). NCA d ISV-B 2-0 (21-11, 21-13), MEX d ISV-B 2-0 (21-9, 21-12) Pool F: PUR d ISV-A 2-0 (21-12, 21-16), CAN d LCA 2-0 (26-24, 21-16), LCA d ISV-B 2-1 (17-21, 21-18, 15-12), PUR d CAN-B 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) Pool G: CAN-A d CRC 2-0 (21-9, 21-13), DOM d USA-C (21-0, 21-0), CRC d DOM 2-0 (21-13, 21-15), CAN-A d USA-C 2-0 (21-16, 22-20), Pool H: TTO d HON 2-0 (21-16, 21-17), USA-B d USA-A 2-0 (21-15, 21-15).