Lucchese boots Hawks, 12-11
By Alex Webbe
A balanced attack and persistence gave Lucchese a 12-11 win over the Hawks Monday afternoon in Joe Barry Memorial Cup action at the International Polo Club in Wellington. The victory gave Lucchese a perfect 2-0 record and earned them a berth in Thursday’s tournament semifinals against a team yet to be named.
Andres Weisz scored the first goal of the game, but the Hawks responded with two back to back goals from Fred Mannix, Jr. to end the chukker on top, 2-1. Weisz scored two unanswered goals for Lucchese in the second period to regain the lead at 3-2 in the early going.
Goals from 10-goaler, Mariano Aguerre and Julian Mannix gave the Hawks the lead, briefly in the third chukker, and then the Lucchese team explodes. Two goals from the field by Pancho Bensadon and two penalty conversions from Luis Escobar gave them a three goal lead at halftime, 7-4.
“Pancho (Bensadon) and Andres (Weisz) played so well together,†said Escobar. “It was a strong team effort,†he added.
Cachi Garcia broke loose and fought his way through the Lucchese defense to score the first goal of the fourth chukker before Weisz responded with his fourth goal of the game, and then it was all Hawks. Julian Mannix scored once from the field, taking a beautifully passed ball from Aguerre from over 100 yards, and converted a penalty goal before his brother Fred tied it up at 8-8 with his first goal of the game. Escobar converted another penalty shot, and Lucchese left the field with a narrow 9-8 lead.
Bensadon drew first blood in the fifth chukker, putting Lucchese up by two goals, 10-8, but a second goal from Garcia cut the lead back to a single score, 10-9 as the period ended.
Both teams struggled for control of the game in the final chukker. Julian Mannix tied it at 10-10 with his fourth goal of the match, but a foul by the Hawks brought Escobar to the foul line once again where he converted his fourth consecutive attempt, retaking the lead, 11-10. Bensadon scored his fourth goal of the match to give Lucchese a two goal lead, 12-10 as the Hawks struggled to get back into the game. A final penalty goal was scored by Fred Mannix, Jr. late in the chukker, but it was too little and too late. Lucchese took the win, 12-11 and started preparing for Thursdays semifinals.
Weisz, Bensadon and Escobar scored four goals apiece in the Lucchese win. Aguerre scored once and Garcia added two goals with brothers Julian and Fred Mannix, Jr. scoring four goals apiece for the Hawks.
Zacara (2-0) and Patagones (2-0) had already won their respective brackets, earning them a trip to the semifinals, and by virtue of Monday’s win over the Hawks, Lucchese (2-0) moved forward as well. Ironically, in spite of the loss suffered by the Hawks, they, too, will be playing in the semifinals. While the three bracket winners automatically advance, the fourth playoff team was to be chosen from three 1-1 teams, decided on net goals scored (+6).
There will be a draw to determine the pairings for the semifinals of the Joe Barry Memorial Cup with game times set for 1 and 3 pm at the International Polo Club.