Audi
and Coca-Cola in Ylvisaker Cup finals
By
Alex Webbe
Audi scored a convincing 17-12 win over Lucchese and
Coca-Cola deliver a 16-11 knockout punch to Lechuza Caracas Wednesday afternoon
to set the stage for Sunday’s finals of the 2013 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup at the
International Polo Club in Wellington.
Nic Roldan was electric Wednesday afternoon in scoring
eleven goals as he lead Audi to a convincing 17-13 win over Lucchese in the
first semifinal of the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup at the International Polo Club.
Andres Weisz scored the first goal of the game in the opening
minute of play and Agustin Merlos (filling in for the injured Sebastian Merlos-ribs)
converted a penalty shot for a goal, but Roldan responded with a goal from the
field and a 60-yard penalty shot for a goal.
The two teams left the field at the end of the first chukker knotted up
at 2-2.
Merlos scored the opening goal of the second period in
the first nineteen seconds of play followed by a pair of 60-yard penalty
goals. Audi answered back with a goal
from the field from Marc Ganzi and a penalty goal from Roldan. After two chukkers Lucchese moved out in
front, 5-4.Roldan added three more goals in the third, two on penalty shots and
a goal from the field. Lucchese answered
with single goals from Andres Weisz, Kris Kampsen and Merlos (penalty conversion). Lucchese took a narrow 8-7 lead after the
first half.
A penalty goal from Merlos in the fourth was offset by a
pair of penalty goals from Roldan. Audi
and Lucchese entered the fifth chukker all even at 9-9.
Roldan and Nico Pieres added two goals apiece in the
fifth period while holding Lucchese to a single penalty goal from Merlos. With one chukker left to be played in
regulation time, Audi was driving off with a 13-10 advantage.
Roldan converted a penalty shot for his eleventh goal of
the game followed by a goal from teammate Mariano Gracida, 15-10. Merlos countered with a 40-yard penalty
conversion but Audi wasn’t through. Nico
Pieres scored on a 90-yard neck-shot and added another goal from the field. Kampsen closed out the scoring with a goal,
but it would be Audi who would ride their 17-13 win into Sunday’s Ylvisaker Cup
finals.
Roldan scored seven of his 11 goals on penalty
shots. Pieres added four goals, while
teammates Ganzi and Gracida scored single goals.
COCA-COLA
16, LECHUZA CARACAS 11
With polo fans still mesmerized over Roldan’s eleven goal
production in Audi’s win over Lucchese, American 9-goaler Julio Arellano scored
thirteen times as he lifted Coca-Cola to a 16-11 win over a stunned Lechuza
Caracas foursome.
Lechuza Caracas opened the game like gangbusters as
Polito Pieres scored twice from the field and added a penalty goal. Lechuza Caracas was also awarded a goal on a
Penalty 1 and led 4-1 at the end of the first chukker. Julio Arellano supplied the only Coca-Cola
goal of the first period.
Coca-Cola rallied behind a pair of goals from the field
by Arellano, but was summarily answered by two goals from Pieres. The second chukker ended with Lechuza Caracas
maintaining a three goal lead, 6-3.
Goals were hard to come by in the third. Three minutes into the period Pieres added
his sixth goal of the game from the field.
Sugar Erskine scored Coca-Cola’s only goal of the period, and the first
half ended with Lechuza Caracas on the winning end of a 7-4 score.
A re-energized Coca-Cola took the field in the second
half, scoring four consecutive goals to take an 8-7 lead. Arellano added two penalty goals and scored
another from the field. Gillian Johnston
added a goal as well. Pieres scored on a
penalty shot for a goal and the score was tied at 8-8 at the end of the
chukker.
Three more goals from Arellano in the fifth, including a
240 yard run of the field for a goal, were answered by a pair of goals from
Pieres (one from the field). Coca-Cola had
inched ahead of Lechuza Caracas, 11-10.
Coca-Cola showed no mercy to Lechuza Caracas in the sixth
chukker as they scored five straight goals (four by Arellano and one by Johnston). Adam Snow closed out the game with a gal from
the field in the final seconds of the game.
Arellano’s 13 goals (five on penalty shots) led all
scoring on the day. Johnston scored
twice and Erskine added a goal in the win.
Pieres scored six of his nine goals from the field for Lechuza
Caracas. Snow scored once and the team
received one goal on a Penalty 1.
The win will put Coca-Cola on the stadium field against
Audi on Sunday for the Ylvisaker cup finals.