Travieso runs over FlexJet in USPA North American Cup final
By Alex Webbe
A well-balanced Travieso lineup (Tony Calle, Jesse Bray, Facundo Obregon and J.J. Celis) ran out to an 8-4 halftime lead over FlexJet (Melissa Ganzi, Jason Crowder, Nic Roldan and Juan Bollini) before rolling on to a 12-6 win in the final of the 20-goal USPA North American Cup at the Grand Champions Polo Club in a Sunday morning match.
FlexJet spotted Travieso two goals on handicap with Melissa Ganzi scoring the first goal of the game to cut the Travieso lead in half, 2-1. Jesse Bray scored twice from the field for the only other goals of the opening chukker. Going into the second period it was Travieso with the 4-1 advantage.
The two teams traded goals in the second period with FlexJet getting single goals from Nic Roldan and Jason Crowder. J.J. Celis scored his first goal of the day and Bray added his third. Travieso maintained their three goal lead, 6-3.
Tony Calle sent a 70-yard neck shot across the field to teammate Bray who raced down the field toward the FlexJet goal. Slowed down by the FlexJet defense, Bray found a streaking Calle headed toward the goal, and connected with him on a pinpoint pass that he converted for a score, 7-3. Roldan countered with a goal from the field for FlexJet, 7-4. Bray scored the final goal of the first half with 1:04 on the game clock and Travieso left the field leading by four goals, 8-4.
Both defenses tightened up as play resumed in the second half, and goals were hard to come by. Bray accounted for the only score in the period as Travieso stretched their lead to five goals, 9-4.
Celis opened the fifth chukker with a goal from the field at the 6:51 mark and followed it up with a 40-yard penalty conversion with 3:14 left in the chukker. Calle picked up his second goal of the match with 1:35 in the period and with one period left in regulation play, FlexJet trailed by eight goals, 12-4.
FlexJet continued struggling to find its offense in Sixth period action as the Travieso side shifted into defensive mode. Nearly five minutes passed before Roldan put a goal on the scoreboard for FlexJet that cut the Travieso lead back to seven goals, 12-5. Roldan added a 60-yard penalty goal at the 1:40 mark for the final goal of the game in an impressive 12-6 victory for the Travieso team.
Bray scored all five of his game-leading five goals from the field, and earned MVP honors for his efforts. Celis scored three times; Calle added two goals and the team received two goals by handicap. Roldan’s four goals set the pace for the FlexJet offense. Ganzi and Crowder scored single goals in the loss.
J.J. Celis’s 8-year-old Dark Bay mare was named Best Playing Pony.
(Photo by Alex Pacheco)