Audi Wins Opener in OT
By Alex Webbe
It took six chukkers of polo and a penalty shoot-out before Audi was able to ride off the field with a hard-fought 9-8 win over GTP Polo Thursday morning in the first round of the Fall Classic being staged by the Grand Champions Polo Club.
Audi received one goal by handicap, and following a goal from GTP’s Sugar Erskine, ran the score to 3-1 on the strength of two goals from the field by Audi team captain Melissa Ganzi. GTP’s Marc Ganzi closed out the scoring in the first chukker with two goals for a 3-3 tie.
The two teams traded goals in the second chukker with Melissa Ganzi accounting for two more goals for Audi while Marc Ganzi converted a penalty shot and Erskine added another goal to keep the score all even at 5-5.
Goals were harder to come by in the third chukker, with Marc Ganzi putting GTP Polo ahead 6-5 for the only scoring of the period.
Melissa Ganzi added another goal in the fourth frame that was answered by Cachi Garcia, as GTP held on to a narrow one-goal lead going into the fifth chukker.
Erskine’s third goal of the game put GTP up 8-6 in the fifth, but goals from Joey Casey and Melissa Ganzi knotted it up again at 8-8 as time expired.
An overtime shoot-out was set up with Audi’s Carlos Baez scoring the winning goal.
Melissa Ganzi led all scoring with six goals. Teammates Joey Casey and Carlos Baez scored single goals and Juan Bollini was scoreless in the win.
Marc Ganzi led the GTP Polo team with four goals. Erskine scored three times and Cachi Garcia scored a single goal.
The 2009 Fall Classic will continue on Friday, October 16 at 4:30 pm when Patagones (Gonzalo Avendano, Kris Kampsen, Weston Gracida and Trevor Allen) meets Grand Champions (Leo Mandelbaum, Charlie Muldoon, J. J. Celis and Marianno Gracida).