RH comes out on top after first week of Silver Air Pacific Coast Open
Restoration Hardware (RH) rode into their first match of the Silver Air Pacific Coast Open with confidence having just won the USPA America Cup the previous weekend defeating Farmers & Merchants Bank 11-9. With their first two wins of the Pacific Coast Open under their belts, RH is leaving nothing to chance in hopes of claiming the title in 2018.
The five team, three-week tournament follows an everybody plays everybody format with four of the five teams advancing to the semi-final round. RH emerged as the dominant team with a blemish free 2-0 record, their second victory coming from a narrow victory over Lucchese 13-12. Brothers Facundo Obregon and Geronimo Obregon put on a show of their handy stick work and brotherly competition throughout the game. Geronimo Obregon, rated at 4 goals, has been working hard to capitalize on the team’s chemistry. “I think we have a good rhythm as a team and are reading each other well on the field. Iñaki has been very accurate from the penalty line and I try and put as many goals on the board from the field as I can. We played them close today, the score was within one or two most of the game.”
Farmers & Merchants Bank recorded their first victory of the tournament against Sol de Agosto after beginning with the bye. Nico Escobar kicked off the scoring for Sol de Agosto, stepping up to the penalty line and accurately sending the ball through the posts twice in the first chukker of play. Tomy Alberdi answered back in the following chukker with a forceful penalty goal. Scoring bounced back and forth between Sol de Agosto and FMB each scoring to match their opponent. The early two goal lead created by Sol de Agosto held through the end of the second chukker.
Farmers and Merchants Bank hit their stride in the third, with each member of the team scoring to bring their total to six goals and tying the match up after a goal each by Narvaez and Escobar. Alberdi dominated the fourth chukker, opening up the game and scoring three times from the field. The remainder of the game was fast, open and evenly matched, but Alberdi’s three goal addition held FMB above Sol de Agosto, 11-9.
Lucchese tallied their first win of the tournament against Klentner Ranch, winning 10-8 on Friday. Lucchese took a quick lead in the first chukker out scoring Klentner Ranch 2-0. The fell behind in the second as Remy Muller, Mariano Obregon and Jesse Bray each added a point for Klentner Ranch pushing them ahead 3-2. They maintained their one goal advantage for the next chukker with both teams scoring twice before the half. Players on both sides struggled to score in the fourth chukker. A single goal from Facundo Obregon off of a penalty two tied the score at five goals each. Fouls continued to bog down play over the next two chukkers. Of the teams’ combined eight goals scored in the fourth and fifth chukker, six came from the penalty two line. A final goal from the field by Facundo Obregon eased Lucchese ahead of Klentner Ranch 10-8.
The tournament continues on Wednesday with two games, RH vs. Klentner Ranch and Lucchese vs. Sol de Agosto.
Silver Air Pacific Coast Open Rosters
Klentner Ranch
Jesse Bray 6
Mariano Obregon 6
Remy Muller 3
Justin Klentner 1
Farmers and Merchant Bank
Danny Walker 2
Lucas Criado 8
Tomas Alberdi 4
Nachi Viana 2
Lucchese
Carlos Ulloa 3
Facundo Obregon 6
Jeff Hall 7
John Muse A
Restoration Hardware
Ben Soleimani A
Santi Von Wernich 5
Iñaki Laprida 7
Geronimo Obregon 4
Sol de Agosto
Francisco de Narvaez 1
Paco de Narvaez 7
Adam Snow 5
Nico Escobar 3