Realigned Audi Beats Orchard Hill, Crab Orchard Sneaks by Black Watch
By Alex Webbe
Audi 8-goaler, Santiago Chavanne, scored five goals in his first appearance with the team as they blew past Orchard Hill 17-11 in United States Open competition at the International Polo Club in Wellington Saturday afternoon
Audi (1-1) had replaced Juan Bollini with the quicker Chavanne in an effort to shake things up on the team, and it worked, but Chavanne wasn’t the biggest story on the field. Nine-goaler Gonzalito Pieres scored twelve times in the one-sided match that had Orchard Hill (0-2) trailing 6-2 after only two chukkers of play.
The physically spirited competition was riddled with twenty-two fouls that included the ejection of Orchard Hill’s Jeff Hall and Audi’s Chavanne for the remainder of the second period following a dangerous mallet swinging incident.
Audi led the game 9-6 at halftime and extended the lead to 13-6 after the fourth chukker.
“The addition of Chavanne made a big difference in the Audi attack,†said polo veteran Jack Whittemore. “He’s quick and has very good mallet skills, he added.
As easily as goals seemed to come for the Audi team, it was that difficult for Orchard Hill to score goals.
After being shutout in the fourth chukker Hall converted two penalty shots for Orchard Hill and Lucas Criado added a goal from the field, but a goal from Chavanne and two goals from Pieres cancelled out the effort.
Trailing 16-7, going into the final chukker, Orchard Hill’s Hector Galindo scored his first goal of the match and Hall converted another penalty shot for a goal. Pieres added his twelfth goal, however, and Orchard Hill was eliminated from Open competition in the 17-11 Audi romp.
CRAB ORCHARD 12, BLACK WATCH 11
In earlier US Open action, Crab Orchard (2-0) slipped past Black Watch (1-1) 12-11 to earn itself a berth in next weekend’s quarterfinals.
Adolfo Cambiaso and Jeff Blake scored five goals for Crab Orchard in a game that wore two different faces to it.
In the opening chukker, Cambiaso scored twice and Blake added a goal for an early 3-0 lead.
Matias MacDonough got Black Watch on the scoreboard to open the second period before the Crab Orchard attack really got going. Blake scored two goals while Cambiaso converted two penalty goals. Single goals from brothers Pablo and Matias MacDonough reminded Crab Orchard that the Black Watch attack was still alive, but trailing 7-2.
The teams traded single goals in the third chukker, and Crab Orchard left the field at halftime leading 8-3.
The Black Watch attack finally got on tract in the fourth period with Matias MacDonough scoring twice and Nacho Figueras adding a goal. Blake’s fourth goal of the game kept Crab Orchard in front 9-6 after four periods of play.
Black Watch was sent reeling as 9-goaler Matias MacDonough suffered a torn riding muscle and 8-goaler Mariano Gonzalez was brought in to replace him.
“We nearly lost the game when that happened,†said Blake. “The action stopped for fifteen minutes or so. We rode to the end of the field and got a cold drink, and I was afraid that we might lose our momentum.â€
Nachi Heguy scored his second goal of the game to open the fifth chukker. Two goals from Pablo MacDonough cut the Crab Orchard lead to 10-8, and a goal from Gonzalez left Crab Orchard on top of a 10-9 score.
The pace seemed to pick up in the final chukker. but the Black Watch could get no closer than within a goal. The teams could manage no more than to trade goals a couple of times with Crab Orchard taking the game 12-11.
US Open action will continue on Sunday with a noon match between White Birch and Las Monjitas. At 3pm, Lechuza will face Pony Express.