USPA Piaget Gold Cup: Black Watch vs. Las Monjitas

March 14, 2009 Game Reports 0

Black Watch Posts Wins Gold Cup Win


By Alex Webbe


 


With two seconds left on the clock and Las Monjitas taking a penalty shot just yards from its own goal, Black Watch’s Freddie Mannix, Jr. jumped on the play and stole the ball from Nacho Astrada, carried the ball across in front of the Las Monjitas goal and hammered a neck shot through the goal posts for the winning goal in the opening round of play in the 2009 USPA Piaget Gold Cup played at the International Polo Club Saturday afternoon.


 


“It was an amazing goal,” said Black Watch 6-goaler Nacho Figueras.  “The win was very important for us.”


 


The game was slow to get started with Black watch holding early leads of 1-0 after the first chukker and 3-1 after the second.  The teams were tied at four goals apiece at halftime before Las Monjitas took a 7-5 lead after the fourth chukker.


 


“They’re a super team,” said Mannix of the Las Monjitas foursome,  “They have a warrior-like attitude, they go all out.  I was very pleased with the way we played today,” he added.


The two teams swapped goals in the fifth chukker, with Black Watch getting scores from Sugar Erskine and Luis Escobar while Adam Snow and Nacho Astrada scored for Las Monjitas.  Black Watch left the field trailing 9-8.


 


Both defenses tightened in the sixth period.  Play stopped when Las Monjitas’ 9-goaler, Eduardo Astrada, was struck in the face with the head of a horse and suffered cuts.  Las Monjitas was awarded a penalty shot when play resumed, but Black was able to block the shot and return it downfield.  An infraction was called on the Black Watch team in the vicinity of the Las Monjitas goal, and a “spot foul” (a penalty shot awarded at the spot of the foul) was awarded to Las Monjitas.


 


Nacho Astrada tapped the ball once, and before he could make a second play on it, it was stolen by Freddie Mannix, Jr., who stroked it through the goal posts for the win.


“The attitudes of the players on the team are positive,” offered Black Watch Number 4, Luis Escobar.  “Nobody wanted to make a mistake in the game, and we were all very patient.” 


 


Mannix led Black Watch with four goals, Escobar and Sugar Erskine scored three goals apiece.


 


Nacho Astrada’s six goals led all scoring on the day.  Adam snow scored twice and Eduardo Astrada added a single goal for Las Monjitas.