Argentina
holds off USA for Super Nations Cup win
By
Alex Webbe
Mike Azzaro reminded the polo community of just how
frightened the English were of his presence on the US team in the 2009
Westchester Cup match. An injury that
sidelined him just days before the match led to a narrow 10-9 win. Azzaro opened the scoring with a 30-yard
penalty conversion followed by a goal from the field for a 2-0 USA lead. Argentina rebounded with a goal from the
field from Juan Ambroggio at the 3:48 mark.
Just one minute later, Raul Laplacette tied it up on a penalty shot, 2-2
to end the first chukker.
Jeff Hall opened the second chukker with a 30-yard
penalty goal to put the USA back on top, 5-2, but the lead was
short-lived. Argentina peeled off four
consecutive goals over the course of three minutes to surge ahead, 6-3. Single goals from Ambroggio and Laplacette
(penalty conversion) and a pair of goals from Marcos Araya (one by penalty, one
from the field) had Argentina taking a 6-3 lead into the third chukker.
The United States tightened up its defense in the third,
shutting Argentina out for the first time, but couldn’t generate any offense of
its own. With neither team scoring, the
first half ended with the USA falling behind, 6-3.
Neither team could score for the opening minutes of the
fourth chukker until Hall scored on a penalty shot at 4:39, but Araya answered
with a penalty conversion of his own, 7-4.
A last second foul by Argentina allowed Azzaro to convert a 60-yard
penalty shot and the period ended with Argentina in front, 7-5.
Scoring is at a premium in the fifth, with both defenses
playing well. Kampsen clips teammate
Azzaro’s horse and sends him to the ground.
Time is halted while he is taken to the team tent for treatment before
returning to the field to play on. An Argentine
foul puts Hall at the penalty line at 6:17 where he converts a 30-yard penalty
shot for a goal. That would be the only
scoring of the chukker as the US cut the lead to a single goal, 7-6.
Mason Wroe opened the final chukker with the tying goal,
7-7, but Laplacette responds less than a minute later with a gal from the field
to regain the lead, 8-7. The USA presses
the attack, but Argentina turns aside one rush after another. Santiago Cernadas extends the led to two
goals, 9-7 with his first goal of the game with 1:28 left to play, but the USA
continues to attack. Kris Kampsen
finally scored to cut the lead to a single goal once again, 9-8, but time ran
out on them and Argentine took the cup with the 9-8 win.
Araya and Laplacette scored three goals apiece for
Argentina. Ambroggio added two goals and
Cernadas scored once in the win.
Azzaro and Hall each scored three times. Kampsen and Wroe added single goals in the
loss.
Azzaro was named MVP while the New Zealand bred Montana, out of the Wanstead Polo Club
in Central Hawkes Bay, and played by the Argentine team, was honored as Best
Playing Pony.
“We killed ourselves,†said Kampsen after the game. “After Cernadas scored in the sixth, there
just wasn’t enough time left for us.â€
Kampsen did score the final goal of the game in the
hard-fought game with 39 seconds left in regulation time. The two teams returned to midfield but
Argentina won the throw-in and with it, the game as time expired.