Las Monjitas Rallies for Win; Johnston Leads Bendabout to Victory
By Alex Webbe
Las Monjitas fell behind 7-3 after the first three periods of play but managed to rally in the final chukker to tie the game, and go on to beat Equuleus in sudden-death overtime. The Friday afternoon victory lifts Las Monjitas into Wednesday’s semifinals of the 2011 Iglehart Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington.
The score was 2-2 after the opening chukker with Alejandro Astrada and Santiago Toccalino scoring single goals for Las Monjitas while Marianito Obregon and Adam snow each connected on a scoring shot for Equuleus.
Equuleus got two more goals from Obregon while holding Las Monjitas coreless. Equuleus took control of the game with a 4-2 lead.
Following an early third chukker goal from Toccalino, Mariano Gonzalez added a pair of goals and Obregon chipped a shot for another score. Equuleus continued to dominate Las Monjitas, and held a 7-3 advantage at the end of the first half.
A different Las Monjitas team took the field in the second half, getting two goals from Astrada and a single goal from Toccalino. The powerful Equuleus offense was unable to score, and the chukker ended with Equuleus guarding a narrow one goal lead, 7-6.
Astrada tied it at 7-7 in the fifth, but Equuleus responded with a great individual effort from Gonzalez to take the lead back, 8-7. Obregon ended the chukker with a penalty conversion for another Equuleus goal and a 9-7 score.
The momentum seemed to shift as sixth chukker action began. Shots at goal were going wide for Equuleus while Las Monjitas was more effective and efficient. Goals from Astrada and Toccalino tied it as time expired.
A brief intermission was allowed as the players changed horses, but it was clear that Las Monjitas was on a roll, and Equuleus would need a quick goal if it was going to stem the tide.
Equuleus took early possession of the ball in the sudden-death overtime period, and seemed poised to score the winning goal when Toccalino stole the ball and passed it up the field to a streaking teammate, Brad Blake. Blake carried it nearly 200 yards for the winning goal and a berth in Wednesday’s semifinal against Bendabout.
BENDABOUT 11, EFG BANK 9
In earlier competition, team captain Gillian Johnston scored four times as Bendabout rang up an 11-9 win over EFG Bank to earn a spot in Wednesday’s semifinals against Las Monjitas.
Taking early control of the game, Bendabout put seven goals on the scoreboard before EFG scored.
Bendabout took an early 2-0 lead on a pair of goals from Gillian Johnston, and quickly ran it up to 6-0 in the second period with Johnston and Lucas Criado adding two more goals apiece. The score stood at 6-0 at the end of two.
Criado scored to open the third chukker with a goal before Weisz finally got EFG bank on the scoreboard. Nevins closed out the scoring with another goal and at the end of the first half of play, Bendabout held a commanding 9-1 advantage.
Inaki Laprida scored the only goal of the fourth chukker as both defenses tightened. Bendabout held on to a comfortable 9-1 advantage going in to the fifth period.
Criado opened the fifth chukker with a goal from the field for Bendabout followed by three penalty goals from Kris Kampsen. Weisz and Kampsen closed out the scoring individual goals and cutting the Las Monjitas lead to 10-6.
Chris Nevins scored to open the final chukker before Weisz responded with a pair of goals for EFG. With Bendabout cruising through the final chukker, and EFG struggling to stay in the tournament, EFG managed a final penalty goal from Kampsen for the 11-9 Las Monjitas win.