Ylvisaker Cup finals a family affair
By Alex Webbe
It looks like it’s going to be a family affair in thefinals of the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup at the International Polo Club on Sundayafternoon with Melissa’s Piaget team scoring a 13-12 semifinal overtime winover Lucchese while husband Marc Ganzi’s Audi team downed Coca-Cola 10-6 inWednesday’s other semifinal.
Both Audi and Coca-Cola approached Wednesday’s YlvisakerCup cautiously with the first score not coming until the sixth minute ofplay. Audi’s Nic Roldan converted apenalty shot for the first score of the match with Julio Arellano making goodon a penalty shot for Coca-Cola in the final second of the chukker for a 1-1tie.
Rodrigo Andrade, the “Brazilian cannonâ€, put Audi on topwith a goal in the opening minute of the second period. Both teams had unsuccessful runs at goalbefore Coca-Cola got into foul trouble. Roldan made good on a penalty shot at goal at the 3:24 mark of thechukker, adding a second penalty goal in the period with just 18 seconds leftto play. Two chukkers into the game,Audi held a 4-1 lead.
Julio Arellano got Coca-Cola on the scoreboard with apenalty conversion to open the third, cutting the Audi lead to two goals,4-2. A couple of minutes later 3-goalerMason Wroe carried the ball 200 yards down the field for another Coca-Colascore, and the Audi was cut to a single goal, 4-3. Roldan closed out the first half with hisfourth goal of the game and a 5-3 Audi advantage.
Audi wasted little time getting back to work in thesecond half. Roldan scored another goalfrom the penalty line and Andrade scored from the field. With two-and-a-half minutes left in thechukker, Audi’s lead had grown to four goals, 7-3. A last second goal from Wroe kept Coca-Colafrom getting shut out, but they continued to trail, 7-4.
Andrade stole the ball from a Coca-Cola player in the openingminute of the fifth chukker and centered a pass to a streaking Roldan. Roldan drove it through the goalposts for afour goal, 8-4 lead. With time runningout in the period, Arellano scored on a penalty goal. After five chukkers Coca-Cola continued totrail Audi, 8-5.
Audi ran it up to 9-5 on a goal from Roldan in theopening minutes of the final chukker. Sugar Erskine scored a goal from the field for Coca-Cola, but time wasrunning out and Audi held a comfortable 9-6 lead. Andrade took the final throw-in 150 yards forthe final score as Audi captured a berth in Sunday’s Ylvisaker Cup finalsagainst their stable-mate Piaget team.
Nic Roldan led the Audi attack with seven goals. Andrade scored three times in the win.
Arellano scored three penalty goals for Coca-Cola. Wroe added two goals from the field and
Erskine scored once in the loss.
PIAGET13, LUCCHESE 11 OT
Earlier in the day, Miguel Astrada’s twelfth goal of thegame came in overtime as Piaget made their way into the finals of the 2012Ylvisaker Cup finals on the strength of a 13-12 win Wednesday afternoon at theInternational Polo Club in Wellington.
Piaget took control early with Astrada scoring the firstgoal of the game on a penalty conversion. Less than two minutes later Astrada added a goal from the field for a2-0 lead. Lucchese fought their way backinto the game on a pair of goals from Santi Torres, knotting it up at 2-2. The final goal of the chukker came on apenalty shot with Astrada converting for the 3-2 advantage.
Piaget continued to press the attack into the secondperiod with Lucchese committing fouls in an effort to halt the pressure. Consecutive penalty goals from Astrada hadPiaget up 5-2 before Lucchese finally answered. A penalty goal from Pelon Stirling was followed by a goal from the fieldfrom Cote Zegers, cutting the lead to a single goal, 5-4. Astrada closed out the scoring, however, withhis sixth goal of the game, giving Piaget a two goal, 6-4 lead.
Defenses tightened in the third with a more cautiousLucchese team working their magic on the field. Stirling was the first to score, followed by a beautifully executedbackhand shot taken by Torres as he rode parallel to the Piaget goal. The Lucchese defense had finally managed toblank the powerful Piaget attack, and at the end of the first half the scorewas all even at 6-6.
Astrada opened the second half with a goal from the fieldfor a 7-6 Piaget lead, but Stirling responded with a goal for Lucchese,7-7. Both offenses were stymied for thebalance of the period.
Crowder converted a penalty shot to open the scoring inthe fifth chukker with Astrada following with another penalty goal. Lucchese suddenly found themselves trailingby two goals, 9-7, with the momentum shifting in favor of Piaget. Stirling tried to rally the Lucchese attackby plucking the ball out of the air and driving it through the Piaget goalposts, cutting the lead back to a single goal, 9-8. Foul trouble came back to haunt the Luccheseteam once again with Astrada converting to close the chukker. At the end of five periods of play, Piagetsat on top of a 10-8 score.
Astrada scored the opening goal of the sixth chukker toextend the Piaget lead to three goals, 11-8, when Lucchese came stormingback. Goals from Stirling (penalty shot)and Torres cut the Piaget lead down to a single goal, 11-10. With 2:21 left in regulation time, Stirlingconverted a penalty shot to tie it up at 11-11. Piaget regrouped and rode on the Lucchese goal. Melissa Ganzi was carrying the ball acrossthe front of the Lucchese goal when she was fouled. The infraction put Astrada at the penaltyline once again where he scored for the eleventh time, giving Piaget the leadonce again, 12-11. Lucchese refused togive up, and with time running out, a Piaget foul gave Lucchese the chance theyneeded. Stirling drive the ball throughthe Piaget goal posts with :26 left on the clock, and the game was slated forsudden-death overtime.
After a brief intermission that allowed the players tochange onto fresh horses, the teams returned to the field. Piaget took early possession of the ball, andin an effort to stem the tide, a Lucchese player committed a foul. Astrada converted the 60-yard penalty shot,and an elated Piaget team rode off of the field on the wings of a 13-12overtime win.
Astrada led all scoring with twelve goals (eight onpenalty shots). Crowder added a goal inthe win.
Stirling scored seven times for Lucchese. Torres added four goals and Zegers scoredonce in a losing effort.