Lucchese goes to 3-0 with second half rally
By Alex Webbe
Lucchese received one goal by handicap but fell behind early as a potent Mt. Brilliant attack put four goals on the scoreboard in the first chukker of Saturday afternoon’s Ylvisaker Cup contest at the International Polo club in Wellington.
A second half rally by the Lucchese (3-0) team kept them undefeated as they went on to score a 12-11 win over hapless Mt. Brilliant (1-1) and secure a position in the tournament semifinals.
“We just didn’t play well in the opening chukkers,†offered Lucchese 7-goaler Luis Escobar. “They (Mt. Brilliant) came out on their top horses, and we made some mistakes and put ourselves in a hole.â€
Lucchese trailed 4-1 after the first seven-and-a-half minutes of play as Mike Azzaro scored the first goal of the game for Mt. Brilliant followed by three goals from teammate Nic Roldan (two on penalty shots, one from the field). The only point Lucchese had came by handicap.
Three more Mt. Brilliant goals in the second chukker (two from Azzaro, one from Roldan) were answered by a single goal from Lucchese’s Kris Kampsen field long run, and the period ended with Mt. Brilliant leading by five goals, 7-2.
Luis Escobar started the Lucchese rally in the third, scoring the first two goals of the chukker. Roldan added a goal from the field for Mt. Brilliant, as they rode off the field with an impressive 8-4 halftime lead.
“Luis (Escobar) did a masterful job at halftime,†said team captain John Muse. “He told the team that we had made some mistakes in the first half, but could turn it around. He charged everyone up without lost emotion and redirected the team’s efforts for the second half,†said Muse. “He did a masterful job as field general,†Muse added.
The fourth chukker was all Lucchese as the Texas-based team galloped out of the hole they had dug for themselves and reversed the momentum of earlier play.
Kris Kampsen scored the first goal of the second half on a penalty shot, followed by goals from Escobar and Andres Weisz. Kampsen added another penalty goal to the pot followed by two more goals from Weisz. The momentum had definitely shifted as a recharged Lucchese team outscored Mt. Brilliant team 6-0 in the chukker and took their first lead of the game, 10-8.
“I told the guys to hit the ball,†said Escobar. “I told them that as long as Mt. Brilliant was coming at us, they were very dangerous, but once we started driving the ball down the field they would have their backs to us, and we would take control of the game.â€
The strategy worked perfectly, as a bewildered Mt. Brilliant team struggled to find the offensive punch it had displayed earlier. Consecutive Mt. Brilliant goals from Roldan and Bo Goodman were countered by a single goal from Escobar in the fifth, and Lucchese took an 11-10 lead into the final chukker.
“I was comfortable with our play in the final chukker,†said Escobar, “and had confidence in the team. It was a total team effort, with everyone playing an important part in the win.â€
Escobar’s fifth goal of the game made it 12-10 with time running out, but Mt. Brilliant continued to press the Lucchese defense. Roldan brought Mt. Brilliant to within a goal with his seventh goal of the game, but the team’s last ditch effort to tie it up and force overtime were foiled by a last second shot that went wide of the goal.
“I am so proud of this team,†said Muse. “I am so impressed with the manner in which they played today,†he added,†I couldn’t be happier.â€
The victory gave Lucchese a perfect 3-0 record and set them atop their bracket of play, assuring them of a berth in the tournament semifinals. Mt. Brilliant’s record falls to 1-1, with two games left to play.
FARAWAY 12, VALIENTE 10
In earlier Ylvisaker Cup action, Valiente (0-2) relied on penalty goals as the ream rode out to a 6-5 first half lead before falling to Faraway 12-10 at the International Polo Club.
Marianito Gracida (son of former 10-goaler Carlos Gracida) scored the first goal of the game for Valiente before Faraway (1-2) came storming back, Two goals from the field from Marianito’s cousin Julio Gracida (son of Hall of Famer, Memo Gracida) and a penalty goal from 9-goaler Julio Arellano had Faraway up 3-1 after the first chukker.
Faraway found itself in penalty trouble in the second period, committing six penalties that resulted in three penalty goals for Valiente (Miguel Astrada). Arellano scored one goal from the field for Faraway, for the 4-4 tie.
Jeff Hall converted a 60-yard penalty shot in the third, followed by a goal from the field for a two goal lead, 6-4, but Arellano’s third goal of the match kept the score close at 6-5 as the first half ended.
Faraway took control in the fourth chukker scoring five unanswered goals 3 from Julio Gracida and single goals from Arellano and Gaston Laulhe) for a 10-6 lead as the Valiente offense failed to show up.
Two more goals in the fifth (Laulhe and Arellano) were countered by a single goal from Hall. And Faraway led 12-7 going into the final chukker.
Valiente finished strong, getting goals from Hall, Marianito Gracida and Astrada, but it was Faraway that took the game by a final 12-10 score.
Ylvisaker Cup play will continue with two Sunday matches. At noon, Bendabout (0-1) will face Zacara (1-1), followed by a 3 pm stadium game featuring ERG (1-1) and Lechuza (0-1).