Piaget Black takes consolation match
By Alex Webbe
Piaget Black emerged victorious from Sunday afternoon’s round-robin consolation match in The Memorial presented by Piaget on the strength of net goals following a 1-0-1 record in the three team competition.
Piaget Black opened the day with a 3-3 tie with Pony Express, with Tomas Goti scoring the tying goal with just 18 seconds left on the clock in the final chukker.
After several minutes of scoreless play in the opening chukker, Ruben Gracida managed the first goal of the game with 18 seconds left in the chukker.
Piaget Black rallied with goals from Marc Ganzi and Lucas Lalor in the second. Shut-out defense kept Pony Express off the scoreboard and Piaget Black took a 2-1 lead after the second period.
Goti knotted it up at 2-2 in the third when Ganzi had Piaget Black out in front again with his second goal on the day. Pony Express fought and scrapped for the ball before Goti chukker-ending run that resulted in a tying goal.
Marc Ganzi scored twice for Piaget Black with teammate Lucas Lalor adding a goal. Goti supplied two goals for the Pony Express team. Gracida added a goal for the tie.
PONY EXPRESS 5, PIAGET WHITE 2
Ruben Gracida scored the first two goals in the contest between Pony Express and Piaget White, including a 170 yard scoring run, with Nic Roldan converting a goal for Piaget White. Pony Express left the field at the end of the chukker with a 2-1 advantage.
Goti had Pony Express ahead 3-1, but a second penalty goal from Roldan cut the lead to a single goal, 3-2 as the chukker ended.
Pony Express added two penalty goals in the final chukker that went unanswered with Goti and team captain Bob Daniels each converting for a goal. Piaget White struggled with its offense but fell, 5-2.
Goti and Gracida scored two goals apiece with Daniels adding a goal in the win. Roldan accounted for both of Piaget White’s goals, but by penalty shots.
PIAGET BLACK 7, PIAGET WHITE 3
A balanced attack by Piaget Black over-powered Piaget White 7-3, and by the narrowest margins of a single net goal, broke the 1-0-1 tie with Pony Express to win the consolation round of play in The Memorial presented by Piaget.
Roldan opened the scoring with a goal from the field and added a second goal on a penalty shot when teammate Melissa Ganzi was fouled on a scoring run directly in front of the Piaget Black goal.
Piaget Black responded with a pair of goals from Sugar Erskine, including the tying mark with five seconds left on the clock.
Piaget black ran all over Piaget White in the second period with Marc Ganzi scoring twice and teammates Lucas Lalor and Gene Goldstein adding single goals. The Piaget Black’s offense was compliment by a solid defensive effort that had them leading 6-2 after the second chukker.
Roldan broke loose in the third period, scoring his second goal from the field, but Piaget Black was quick to quell any thoughts of a comeback with Gene Goldstein scoring the most important goal of the game. Goldstein’s second goal of the match had Piaget Black winning by four goals, giving them a net +4 goals on the day with one win and one loss. Pony Express had an identical 1-0-1 record, but had accumulated only +3 net goals on the day, with Piaget Black emerging as the victor.
Goldstein, Erskine and Marc Ganzi led the Piaget Black scoring with two goals apiece. Lalor added a goal in the win.
American 8-goaler Roldan scored all three goals for Piaget White in the loss.
The finals of The Memorial by Piaget will take place on Sunday morning May 30th at 10 am, between Santa Clara and Tres Vinos followed by two youth exhibition matches featuring some of Wellington polo’s future stars.