Barbarossa Leather and Audi
in Wanderers Cup Finals
By Alex Webbe
Barbarossa Leather and Audi scored opening round wins in the 2009 Wanderers Cup to earn each of them a trip to Sundays finals at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington.
In Friday morning play, Audi manhandled an out gunned Boca Developers team in a 13-8 contest that was played at the Palm City Polo Club in Boca Raton.
A balanced attack had Audi taking an early 3-1 lead in the opening chukker with two goals from Juan Bollini and a single goal from team captain Melissa Ganzi. Boca Developers got a single goal in the chukker from Weston Gracida.
Audi came back to the field in the second period to score another three goals with Ganzi getting her second goal of the game while Stevie Orthwein and Trevor Allen added single goals. Diego Cossio kept Boca Developers from getting shut out with a single goal. Audi left the field with a commanding 6-2 lead.
Allen opened the third chukker with a penalty goal followed by another Bollini goal as Audi extended its lead to 8-2, but Boca Developers had finally found its attack. Goals from Cossio, J. J. Celis and Gracida cut the Audi lead to three goals at the half, 8-5.
Two more goals from Boca Developer’s Celis made it a one-goal game with Audi holding on to an 8-7 edge until Allen drove the ball through the goal posts to end the fourth chukker. Audi 9, Boca Developers 7.
The Audi team came back in the fifth chukker to answer the upstart Boca Developers with authority. Orthwein scored twice while Bollini and Allen added single goals. Holding Boca Developers scoreless, Audi drove off with a handy 13-7 advantage.
Cossio stole the ball from Orthwein in the final chukker and scored the last goal of the game as Audi celebrated a 13-8 win.
Bollini and Allen led the Audi attack with four goals apiece. Orthwein scored three goals and Melissa Ganzi accounted for a pair of goals in the win.
Cossio and Celis each scored three goals for Boca Developers. Gracida added a pair of goals.
Barbarossa Leather 6, GTP Polo 5
The second tournament game of the day took place on the Wanders Club field and saw Barbarossa Leather sneak past a disorganized GTP Polo attack 6-5.
Barbarossa Leather opened the game with goals from Leo Mandelbaum and Greg Keough for a 2-0 lead as GTP was unable to find the range on its shots at goal.
Both defenses tightened in the second period, and GTP’s team captain Marc Ganzi converted a penalty shot as the chukker ended with Barbarossa Leather holding on, 2-1.
GTP got single goals from Ganzi and Kampsen in the third chukker while blanking Barbarossa Leather and taking a 3-2 lead.
Goals from Charlie Muldoon and Luis Escobar gave Barbarossa Leather the lead again, 4-3, as its defense shut down the GTP attack. Barbarossa stayed just ahead of the GTP attack.
Marc Ganzi scored his third goal on another penalty shot in the fifth period but was countered by a penalty shot from Greg Keough. As both teams changed horses for the final chukker with Barbarossa Leather ahead, 5-4.
Both teams struggled for control of the game in the final seven minutes. Kampsen tied it with his second goal of the game, but was countered moments later with Mandelbaum scoring the winning goal in the 6-5 contest.
The victory boosts Barbarossa Leather into Sunday’s Noon finals against Audi. The tournament’s consolation round has been scheduled to be played at 10 am. Both matches will be played on the grounds of the Grand Champions Polo Club.