Audi
squeaks past Piaget in USPA Eastern Challenge finals
By
Alex Webbe
Piaget (Melissa Ganzi, Moritz Gaedeke, Brandon Phillips
and Juan Bollini) took the early lead and held a 4-3 halftime edge before Audi (Grant
Ganzi, Marc Ganzi, Lucas Lalor and Mike Azzaro) staged a second half rally that
gave them the game in a narrow 8-7 win in the finals of the 2013 USPA Eastern
Challenge at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington Sunday morning.
Brandon Phillips converted a Safety for a goal in the opening
minutes of play followed by a goal from Piaget team captain Melissa Ganzi for a
2-0 first chukker lead. A miserly Piaget
defense kept Audi off of the scoreboard in the initial seven minutes of play.
Audi’s Grant Ganzi scored the first goal of the game for
Audi on a penalty conversion in the opening minute of the second chukker, 2-1. Phillips responded with a goal from the field
at the 5:08 mark, 3-1. Ensuing goals
from Mike Azzaro and Marc Ganzi closed out the chukker in a 3-3 deadlock.
Both defenses clamped down in the third, with Germany’s Moritz
Gaedeke scoring the only goal of the chukker with 1:11 left on the clock. At the end of the first half of play, Piaget
guarded a narrow 4-3 advantage over a pressing Audi foursome.
Lucas Lalor opened the second half of play with a goal
from the field in the opening thirty seconds of play for a 4-4 tie. It wasn’t until the three minute mark that
Gaedeke scored to give the lead back to Piaget, 5-4. Mike Azzaro came alive in the final two
minutes of the period, and scored two goals to give Audi their first lead of
the game, 6-5.
Melissa Ganzi opened the fourth chukker with her second
goal of the game at 7:11, but a goal from Lalor returned the lead to Audi. After five periods of play, Audi held a paper
thin 7-6 advantage.
Scoring was hard to come by in the final chukker of the
game. Phillips finally managed to break
through the Audi defense for his third goal of the game and a 7-7 tie. With neither team able to score through the
next three minutes it looked like it was it was going into sudden death
overtime until Lalor broke free and carried the ball through the Piaget goal
posts for the 8-7 win with must four seconds on the clock.
Lalor and Azzaro scored three goals apiece. Marc and Grant Ganzi each scored a goal in
the win. Phillips led the Piaget attack
with three goals. Melissa Ganzi and
Gaedeke added two goals each with Moritz Gaedeke being named MVP for his
efforts.
ELG/PALM
HOUSE TAKES ROUND-ROBIN
ELG/Palm House scored consecutive wins over Longfield
(4-3) and Pony Express (8-5) to take top honors in the consolation round of
play in the 2013 USPA Eastern Challenge Sunday afternoon at Wellington’s Grand
Champions Polo Club.
Pony Express and Longfield rode to a 4-4 tie in the
opening three chukkers of the three team round-robin as neither team was able
to establish dominance in the mini-match.
Pony Express received one goal by handicap and added to
it on a pair of goals from fourteen-year-old Justin Daniels (one on a penalty
shot) and a single goal from 4-goaler, Pancho Eddy. Longfield got a pair of goals from the field
from veteran Martin Estrada and single goals from Joey Casey and J. J. Celis
for the 4-4 finish.
Longfield stayed on the field to meet ELG/Palm House, and
after a scoreless opening chukker took a 2-1 lead on goals from J. J. Celis and
Joey Casey. A goal from ELG/Palm House’s
Carlucho Arellano kept them from getting shut out for the second consecutive
chukker, but Longfield held the lead, 2-1.
Celis scored again in the third period to put Longfield
on top, 3-1 when ELG/Palm House stormed back.
Tommy Biddle and Avery Chapman scored single goals from the field while
Arellano converted a penalty shot for the 4-3 victory.
A Pony Express lineup that saw thirteen-year-old Benji
Daniels replace brother Justin in the second chukker of play saw Justin Daniels
replace his father, Bob, in the third.
Benji was his in the elbow with a ball at the end of the chukker and
retired for the day, but the chemistry was lost as ELG/Palm House steamrolled
them8-5 for the win.
Glen Straub led the field with five goals in the final
three chukkers and was named MVP. Tommy
Biddle scored twice (once on a penalty shot) and Carlucho Arellano added a single
goal in the victory. Justin Daniels
converted a pair of penalty shots fr goals and Tomas Goti added a single goal
from the field in the loss.