Valiente and LasMonjitas score wins
By Alex Webbe
A misty rain didn’t slow down Joe Barry Memorial Cup actionat the International Polo Club Thursday afternoon as Valiente (Bob Jornayvaz,Santi Torres, Sapo Caset and Roberto Zedda) made their 2014 debut by defeatingLechuza Caracas (Victor Vargas, Mariano Gracida, Pablo MacDonough and NicoEspain) 13-10 followed by a 10-6 Los Monjitas (Camilo Bautista, GeronimoObregon, Eduardo Astrada and Alejandro Astrada) victory over Flight Options(Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini, Miguel Astrada and Fred Mannix).
In the opening match of the day, a swaggering Lechuza Caracasteam took the field, fresh from their championship win in the finals of theseason-opening 20-goal Herbie Pennell Cup, to meet the Colorado-based Valientefoursome. Nico Espain put LechuzaCaracas on the scoreboard just two minutes into the game on a goal from thefield, 1-0. Sapo Caset responded with anexpertly fashioned nearside neck shot that tied it up, 1-1. Santi Torres put Valiente in the lead, 2-1,with the final goal of the chukker.
Four consecutive goals from Valiente left Lechuza Caracastrailing 6-2 after the second. Casetopened the scoring with a 40-yard penalty conversion followed by a goal fromthe field. Torres added a goal from thefield and Caset converted a 60-yard penalty shot for the 6-1 advantage. Pablo MacDonough scored Lechuza Caracas’ onlygoal of the chukker on a penalty shot. Valiente led by four goals, 6-2.
The two teams traded goals in the third, with Valiente’sRoberto scoring twice from the field and Lechuza Caracas getting single goalsfrom Victor Vargas and Mariano Gracida. Valiente left the field at the end of the first half on top of an 8-4score.
Two fourth chukker penalty goals from Lechuza Caracas10-galer, Pablo MacDonough were answered by a single goal from Valiente’s SantiTorres. Lechuza Caracas cut the Valientelead to three goals, 9-6.
Caset and MacDonough each scored a pair of goals in thefifth. Caset scored twice from the fieldwhile MacDonough scored one from the field and once on a 60-yard penaltyshot. Lechuza Caracas trailed by three goals, 11-8.
Caset scored twice in the opening minutes of the finalchukker for a 13-8 Valiente lead, and in spite of a Herculean effort by LechuzaCaracas team captain Victor Vargas that netted them two more goals, fell to Valiente13-10.
Caset led all scorers with seven goals. Torres scored four times and Zedda added twogoals for the win. MacDonough wascredited with five goals (four on penalty shots). Vargas scored three times while Gracida andEspain added single goals in the loss.
LAS MONJITAS 10, FLIGHT OPTIONS 6
In a math that was highlighted by the appearance of three
Astradas on the field, Las Monjitas (Camilo Bautista, Geronimo Obregon, Eduardo
Novillo Astrada and Alejandro Astrada) scorched Flight Options (Melissa Ganzi, Juan
Bollini, Miguel Novillo Astrada and Fred Mannix) 10-6 as both teams opened
their respective 20-goal seasons.
Making a triumphant return to the International Polo club
fields after one year’s absence, Camilo Bautista led his orange-clad teammates
to a 7-2 halftime score before cruising to the 10-6 victory.
Alejandro Astrada scored the first two goals of the contest
scoring the first goal three minutes into the game before adding a penalty goal
less than a minute later. A pair of
penalty goals from Miguel Astrada tied it up at 2-2 to end the first chukker.
Las Monjitas scored six consecutive goals over the course of
the next three chukkers as Flight Options continued to struggle with their
offense. Two goals from Geronimo Obregon
in the second and a penalty goal from Alejandro Astrada had Las Monjitas on
top, 5-2. Two more goals in the third
(Eduardo Astrada and Alejandro Astrada) were complimented by shutout defense by
Las Monjitas for the 7-2 halftime lead.
Flight Options was held scoreless once again in the fourth
chukker as Alejandro Astrada converted another 60-yard penalty shot to give Las
Monjitas an 8-2, six goal advantage.
Flight Options managed to score twice in the fifth on goals
from Miguel Astrada (one on a penalty conversion), shutting down the Las
Monjitas attack for the first time all day.
Las Monjitas continued to lead, however, 8-4.
Sixth chukker goals from Miguel Astrada and Fred Mannix (penalty
conversion) were countered by a pair of goals from Eduardo Astrada as Las
Monjitas rode away with the 10-6 victory.
Alejandro Astrada scored five times (three on penalty shots)
for Las Monjitas. Eduardo Astrada added
three goals and Obregon scored twice for the win. Miguel Astrada scored five of the six Flight
Options goals (three on penalty conversions).
Mannix added a goal on a penalty shot in the loss.
Action in the 20-goal Joe Barry Memorial Cup continues on Friday with a 3PM contest between Palm Beach Illustrated (Jared Zenni, TommyCollingwood, Magoo Laprida and Facundo Obregon) and Coca-Cola (GillianJohnston, Jeff Hall, Julio Arellano and Nick Morrison).