Casablanca scores in
overtime to win North American Cup
By Alex Webbe
In one of the most exciting games of the fall season at
Grand Champions Polo Club Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Kris Kampsen, Nic Roldan and
Jeff Blake) fought their way to a 10-9 overtime win over Palm Beach Polo (Glenn
Straub, Brandon Phillips, Jeff Hall and Tommy Biddle) in overtime to capture
the 2014 USPA North American Cup.
Palm Beach Polo received two goals by handicap from the
20-goal Casablanca team and went up 3-0 following an early goal from Tommy
Biddle. Nic Roldan scored for Casablanca
with less than a minute left in the chukker giving Palm Beach Polo the early
lead, 3-1.
Kris Kampsen scored a goal from the field at the 4:18 mark
and added another on a penalty conversion with two minutes on the clock. Palm Beach Polo was held scoreless with the
chukker ending in a 3-3 tie.
Both defenses stepped it up in the third chukker with shots
being deflected by astute defensive moves and others just missing the
mark. At the end of the first half the
score remained even at 3-3.
Brandon Phillips opened the second half with a goal from the
field that put Palm Beach Polo in the lead, 6-5, but the rest of the period
belonged to Kris Kampsen and Casablanca.
Consecutive penalty conversions from Kampsen were followed by a goal
from the field. At the end of the
chukker Casablanca found themselves on top, 6-4.
The two teams traded goals in the fifth. Palm Beach Polo picked up single goals from Phillips
and Jeff Hall to tie it at 6-6.
Casablanca took advantages of Palm Beach Polo fouls as Kampsen converted
twice. With one chukker left in
regulation time Casablanca led, 8-6.
Phillips cut the lead to a single goal, 8-7 with just two
minutes into the sixth period, but Casablanca answered back with a goal from Kampsen,
9-7. Phillips caught fire in the waning
minutes of the period scoring twice and knotting the score at 9-9 for the final
scores of the period and forcing a sudden-death overtime.
It didn’t take long for Casablanca to cash in on a Palm
Beach Polo foul. With the Casablanca
players attacking the Palm Beach Polo goal, the umpire’s whistle blew, awarding
Casablanca another penalty opportunity.
Kampsen took careful aim and drove the ball through the goalposts for
the 10-9 win and the 2014 USPA North American Cup title.
Kampsen led all scoring with nine goals (five on penalty
shots). Roldan scored once but was an
integral part of the Casablanca attack and was named MVP. Phillips scored five goals for Palm Beach
Polo with single goals from Hall and Biddle. Palm Beach Polo also received two
goals by handicap in the loss.
Jeff Hall’s six-year-old Chestnut mare, Texas Two Step, was
honored as Best Playing Pony.