Aspen Valley wins
Grand Champions opener
By Alex Webbe
Aspen Valley Polo
Club (Grant Ganzi, Juan Bollini, Jr., Wes Finlayson and Guille Aguero) won the
opening tournament of the fall season at the Grand Champions Polo club in
round-robin competition Sunday afternoon in front of an enthusiastic crowd of
polo fans that welcomed the mallet set back to Wellington.
Aspen Valley
unloaded on Newport (Gene Goldstein, Brandon Phillips, Kris Kampsen and Leo
Mandelbaum) in opening chukker play for a two goal lead. Grant Ganzi scored the first goal of the game
countered by a goal from Kris Kampsen, 1-1.
Consecutive goals from Juancito Bollini and Wes Finlayson made it 3-1,
Aspen Valley.
Four second
chukker goals from Aspen Valley went unanswered as Newport fell behind by six
goals. Two more goals from Grant Ganzi
and single goals from Juancito Bollini and Wes Finlayson (penalty conversion)
had Aspen Valley on top of a 7-1 score.
Gene Goldstein
scored two goals for Newport in the third with teammate Brandon Phillips adding
a goal, but it was a case of too little too late. Single goals from Grant Ganzi and Juancito Bollini
hade Aspen Valley celebrating the 9-4 win in the opening three chukkers of the
tournament’s round-robin.
AUDI 5, NEWPORT 3
Newport held the
field for the next three chukkers as they faced a hard-hitting Audi team (Melissa
Ganzi, Marc Ganzi, Roberto Gonzalez and Juan Bollini).
Gene Goldstein
scored the first goal of the game but Audi countered with a pair of goals from
the field from Marc Ganzi. At the end of
the first chukker it was Audi, 2-1.
Defenses
tightened on both sides in second period action. Audi’s Roberto Gonzalez scored the only goal
of the chukker as Audi increased their lead to two goals, 3-1.
Third chukker
goals from Gonzalez and Marc Ganzi had Audi on the winning end of a 5-1 score
when Newport fought back. Kris Kampsen
scored twice for Newport to cut the Audi lead a=back to two goals, 5-3, but
that was where the rally stalled. Audi
held on for the 5-3 victory and would face Aspen Valley to determine the
tournament winner.
ASPEN VALLEY 4, AUDI 4
Both Aspen Valley
and Audi had registered wins over Newport and held identical 1-0 records. Aspen Valley had scored a total of nine goals
while Aspen scored five times in their win.
A win by Audi would give them the
tournament. A loss would give the tournament
to Aspen Valley, and a tie would eliminate Audi by virtue of gross goals
scored.
Aspen Valley took
the early lead on a pair of goals from Wes Finlayson (one on a 60-yard penalty
conversion). Melissa Ganzi got Audi on
the scoreboard with a penalty goal. At
the end of the first chukker Aspen Valley held a fragile 2-1 advantage.
Audi’s Marc Ganzi
tied it at 2-2 in the second period, but Juancito Bollini responded with a goal
as Aspen Valley ended the second chukker guarding the narrow 3-2 lead.
Grant Ganzi converted a 30-yard penalty shot in the
third that extended the Aspen Valley lead to two goals, 4-2, but Audi wasn’t
giving up. Roberto Gonzalez responded
with a goal from the field, and Marc Ganzi scored on a penalty goal, 4-4, and
that’s where it ended. On the strength of
total gross goals, 15-9, Aspen Valley Polo Club was declared the winner.
The Tackeria Invitational is the beginning of a nine week long season that
includes the US Trust Cup, the USPA Kay Colee Memorial Cup, the USPA Fall
Classic, the USPA Fall Plates, the Pedro Morrison Memorial as well as a pair of
20-goal tournaments in the USPA North American Cup and the USPA National
20-Goal.
The season will be capped with the 2014 International Cup in which a select US
side will compete in international high-goal competition.