Coca-Cola and Zorzal the winners in Maserati US Open play
By Alex Webbe
The 2013 Maserati U. S. Open Championship at theInternational Polo Club in Wellington got off to an exciting start withCoca-Cola scoring a come-from-behind 12-11 win over Audi while in the secondgame on the day, Zorzal managed to eke out a 10-8 win over ERG.
Audi got the ball rolling in the opening chukker againstCoca-Cola with a single goal from the field from Nico Pieres with only 43seconds left on the clock. At the end ofthe first chukker, Audi drove off with a narrow 1-0 advantage.
Single goals from Nico Pieres, his older brotherGonzalito Pieres and Jeff Hall in the second chukker were countered by a pairof penalty conversions from Julio Arellano. Coca-Cola trailed by two goals, 4-2, going into the third.
The play of Audi 10-goaler Gonzalito Pieres continued tobe electrifying in third period action. Atextbook pass to his brother Nico Pieres registered the first goal of thechukker less than 30-seconds into the chukker. Sugar Erskine scored his first goal of the game for Coca-Cola, butensuing scores from Nico Pieres and Jeff Hall extended the Audi lead to fourgoals, 7-3. Sebastian Merlos added twomore goals to the Coca-Cola total while Hall scored Audi’s final goal of thechukker for the 8-5 halftime lead.
The two teams traded goals in the fourth, with Arellanoscoring with a goal from the field and converting a 60-yard penalty shot forCoca-Cola. Hall and Gonzalito Pieresscored their third goals of the match. After four chukkers of play, Audi maintained its three goal lead, 10-7.
Coca-Cola managed to assert its offense and take controlof the game in the fifth chukker. Shutout defense and single goals from the field from Gillian Johnstonand Arellano had Coca-Cola within a goal of Audi, 10-9.
Erskine tied it up at 10-10 with an opening goal in thesixth, but Audi’s Hall responded with a nicely lofted ball that cut just insideof the goal posts for an 11-10 Audi advantage. Erskine tied it up once again at 11-11, and four minutes into thechukker, Merlos drove a deep neck-shot through the goal posts for the winninggoal in the 12-11 victory.
Arellano led the Coca-Cola team with five goals. Merlos and Erskine added three goals apiecewhile Johnston came up with a single goal in the win. Nico Pieres and Hall scored four goals eachfor Audi. Gonzalito Pieres scored threetimes in the loss.
ZORZAL10, ERG 8
Opening goals from Zorzal’s Freddie Mannix (40-yardpenalty goal) and Jason Crowder were complimented by excellent defense in thefirst chukker of Thursday’s second Maserati U. S. Open match. Zorzal left the field with a 2-0 lead.
Both ERG and Zorzal focused on their defense in thesecond, with Marianito Obregon scoring the only goal of the chukker for a 3-0Zorzal lead. ERG struggled to find itsoffense and found themselves in the hole by three goals.
Both offenses got cranked up in the third with Crowderconverting a penalty shot and scoring another from the field. Mannix scored his second goal of the day fora 6-3 Zorzal advantage. ERG kept pace,however, with a single goal from Eduardo Astrada and two more goals fromAgustin Merlos. ERG continued to trailat the end of the first half, 6-3.
ERG stormed back into the game as the second halfbegan. A pair of goals from ERG’s Pacode Narvaez (one on a penalty shot) and a penalty goal from Merlos had ERGwithin a goal of Zorzal, 7-6. Obregon scoredZorzal’s only goal of the chukker.
Obregon’s third score of the game in the fifth was sandwiched between ERG goals from Merlos and de Narvaez. After five chukkers of play the game wasdeadlocked at 8-8 with one period of regulation time left to play.
Zorzal put out the fire in the final chukker of play. Two goals from Crowder went unanswered in the10-8 opening round win.
Merlos scored four times for ERG. De Narvaez added three goals and Astradascored a goal in the loss. Crowderscored five times for Zorzal. Obregon added three goals and Mannix scored twice in the 10-8 victory.