A Valiente Piaget Gold Cup Final
By Alex Webbe
Wins by both Valiente I (13-10 over
Coca-Cola) and Valiente II (12-8 over Piaget White) Thursday afternoon will
return both of the Colorado-based teams to the tournament finals on Sunday in a
re-match of their earlier meeting in the finals of the Royal Salute C. V.
Whitney Cup.
Valiente I became the first team to secure a berth in the
finals of the 2012 USPA Piaget Gold Cup by defeating Coca-Cola 13-10 at the
International Polo Club in Wellington.
The two teams got off to a slow start with the first goal
of the game coming nearly three minutes into play. Miguel Astrada converted a penalty shot for a
goal to put Valiente on top, 1-0. It
wasn’t until nearly four minutes later that Coca-Cola tied it up with a penalty
goal of their own by Julio Arellano. At
the end of the first chukker of play the game was all even at 1-1.
Nacho Astrada added two more goals to the Valiente I
total, and his brother Miguel Astrada notched his second goal of the game. Coca-Cola responded with single goals from
Arellano and Luis Escobar. After two
chukkers, Valiente I held a narrow 4-3 lead.
Both offenses sparked up in the third with Arellano
adding a goal from the field and a penalty goal while Coca-Cola team captain
Gillian Johnston added a goal with four minutes left in the period. The Astrada brothers answered for Valiente I
with Nacho Astrada and Miguel Astrada adding two goals apiece. Valiente I took an 8-6 to the sidelines with
them at the end of the first half.
Coca-Cola’s Hilario Ulloa scored the first goal of the
second half, about three minutes into the chukker, but Valiente I responded
with a vengeance. Miguel Astrada scored
a goal just a minute later and Polito Pieres added two more goals, including a
magnificent individual effort that had him carrying the ball over 200 yards
down the field for a goal. Valiente I
had extended their lead to four goals, 11-7 after four periods of play.
Coca-Cola scored two goals in the fifth-a goal from the
field from Ulla and a penalty goal from Arellano-while holding Valiente I to a
single scoring effort from Pieres. Coca-Cola
closed the gap a bit, but still trailed by three goals, 12-9.
Coca-Cola struggled to get back into the mix in the final
chukker, but Valiente I wouldn’t allow it.
Pieres scored his fourth goal of the day to put Valiente I up, 13-9. Ulloa scored the final goal of the game with
3:35 left in regulation time, and Valiente I rode off with the 13-10 victory
and a berth in Sunday’s finals of the 2012 USPA Piaget Gold Cup.
Miguel Astrada led the Valiente I attack with five goals
(two on penalty shots). Polito Pieres
and Nacho Astrada scored four goals apiece in a winning effort.
Arellano was credited with five goals (three on penalty
shots). Ulloa scored three times while Johnston
and Escobar added single goals for Coca-Cola.
VALIENTE
II 12, PIAGET WHITE 8
In Thursday’s Piaget Gold Cup finale, Valiente II ran up
a 6-4 halftime led on their way to a 12-8 victory and a position in the
tournament finals. This will not only be
Valiente II’s second major final of the year, but an opportunity to avenge
their earlier loss to Valiente I in the finals of the Royal Salute C. V.
Whitney Cup.
Valiente II wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard
with Adolfo Cambiaso converting a 40-yard penalty shot in the opening twenty seconds
of play. Pelon Stirling scored on a
difficult nearside neck-shot three minutes later to put Valiente II ahead 2-0. Sixty seconds later, Jeff Hall got Piaget
White on the scoreboard with a 60-yard penalty shot. After the opening chukker Valiente II held a
2-1 lead.
Nico Pieres tied it up for Piaget White with a goal from
the field in the first fifteen seconds of the second chukker. Cambiaso retaliated with a pair of goals to
put Valiente II back in the lead, 4-2. Stirling’s
second goal of the game had Piaget White leading by three goals, 5-3 with less
than three minutes left in the period.
Cambiaso struck again, converting a penalty shot for a goal, followed by
a goal from Piaget White’s Hall with two seconds on the clock. The period ended with Valiente II leading by
three goals, 6-3.
The game proceeded to pick up speed and get more physical
in the third period. Defense ruled with
Hall’s conversion of a 60-yard Safety shot for a goal. The potent Valiente II offense was silenced
for the first time all day. The first
half ended with Piaget White trailing 6-4.
Cambiaso opened the second half with a goal followed by a
pair of successful scoring efforts by Stirling.
An oppressive Valiente II defense held Piaget II scoreless in the
fourth. Piaget White trailed by five
goals going into the fifth, 9-4.
A reversal of fortunes found Piaget White taking
advantage of a handful of fouls by Valiente II.
Gonzalito Pieres converted two 40-yard penalty shots with Nico Pieres
adding a penalty goal of his own. After
five periods of play, Piaget White cut the Valiente II lead to two goals, 9-7.
Cambiaso scored on a pair of penalty shots in the sixth
and Hall countered with a penalty goal for Piaget, but could do no more
damage. Stirling scored the final goal
of the game in the last 90 seconds of the game for the 12-8 win.
The win not only catapulted Valiente II into the finals
of the 2012 USPA Piaget Gold Cup, but game them the opportunity of extracting
revenge on their opponent, Valiente I after suffering a disappointing loss in
the C. V. Whitney Cup.
Cambiaso scored seven goals (four on penalty shots). Stirling was credited with five goals on the
day.
Hall scored four penalty goals for Piaget White. Gonzalo Pieres converted two penalty shots
for goals and Nico Pieres scored on a penalty shot and added a goal from the
field in the loss.
The finals of the 2012 USPA Piaget Gold Cup on Sunday,
March 25 will be a reprise of last month’s Royal Salute C. V. Whitney Cup
finals, won by Valiente I, 10-8.