Circa wins semifinal berth; Heathcote remains undefeated
By Alex Webbe
Circa trailed 6-4 at the end of the first half but
charged back into the fray to score a tooth-and-nail 10-9 win over Alegria,
winning Bracket III, and securing a spot in next week’s semifinals to determine
who will face the winner of Bracket I in the Joe Barry Memorial finals at the
International Polo Club in Wellington Friday afternoon.
“We didn’t play well,†said an exhausted Hilario Ulloa,
following the game. “We’re going to have
to play better if we’re going to expect to move on.â€
Circa’s Guille Aguero scored the opening goal of the game
for Circa about halfway through the first chukker, but a foul put Alegria’s
Julian Mannix at the penalty line, and the converted shot tied it up at 1-1.
Aguero took a pass from Hilario Ulloa in the second
period and drove it through the goal posts for an early 2-1 advantage, but
Alegria stormed back into the game.
Another penalty goal by Mannix was followed up by a goal from the field
from Alegria 9-goaler Mariano Aguerre. The second chukker ended with Alegria
defending a narrow 3-2 lead.
Circa’s Aguero
tied it up at 3-3 in the opening minute of the third chukker on a penalty
conversion. Mannix put another Alegria goal
on the scoreboard, 4-3, on a pass from Naco Taverna. Aguerre’s second goal of the game had Alegria
in front 5-3, but with 1:30 left in the chukker, Martin Pepa scored from the
field to cut the Alegria lead to a single goal, 5-4. With seconds on the clock, Aguerre made it
6-4 to end the first half.
Ulloa took advantage of an Alegria foul for a penalty
goal in the fourth, but Alegria looked to be taking control of the game. Ulloa added another goal in the period, but a
pair of goals from Mannix and a penalty goal from Naco Taverna ended the period
with Alegria sitting on the winning end of a 9-6 score.
The fifth chukker, however, belonged to Circa as Alegria
muffed one opportunity after another and Circa continued to press the
attack. A pair of goals from Ulloa went
unanswered and Circa had cut the lead to 9-8.
Alegria tried desperately to get back into the game in
the final period, but it was Circa that put two more goals on the board. Ulloa tied it at 9-9 on a goal from the
field, and then won it on a penalty goal with 1:38 left in regulation
time. For the second consecutive
chukker, the Alegria attack had been blanked and Circa rode on for the 10-9
win.
Ulloa led Circa (3-0) in scoring with six goals (two on
penalty conversions). Aguero added three
goals and Pepa scored once in the win.
Mannix set the pace for Alegria (1-2) with five goals (three
on penalty shots). Aguerre scored three times
and Taverna scored one goal.
HEATHCOTE
12, ZACARA 9
Earlier in the day Tommy Biddle scored ten goals in
leading Heathcote (2-0) to a 12-9 win over Zacara (0-2) in Bracket II
competition. The win will set up Sunday’s
3pm contest between Heathcote and Coca-Cola to see who will qualify for
semifinal play.
Biddle opened the scoring on a 60 yard penalty conversion
followed by charges up and down the field before Zacara’s Marcos Llambias tied
it up at 1-1 on a goal from the field.
Biddle closed out the chukker with a scoring shot. Heathcote took the early 2-1 lead.
Zacara took charge in the second chukker, as Llambias
scored three consecutive goals (two from the field and one on a penalty
shot). Heathcote was shut out, and
trailed 4-2 after two chukkers of play.
Heathcote struggled with its offense in the third, with
Llambias scoring his fourth consecutive goal of the game for a 5-2 advantage. Biddle converted another penalty shot at
2:16. At the end of the first half of
play, Zacara rode off the field with a5-3 halftime lead.
Biddle added two more goals in the fourth, but Gonzalo Del
Tour and Zacara team captain, Lyndon Lea, responded with single goals, and the two
goal lead held with Zacara ahead 7-5 after four chukkers.
Long drives down the field on offense and deliberately
positioned backhanders from the hard-hitting Biddle had turned Zacara’s backs
to the play, and Heathcote took charge in the fifth chukker. A goal from the field from Jeff Blake was
countered by four goals from Biddle (three on penalty shots, one from the field),
and Heathcote regained a lead it hadn’t had since the first chukker, 9-8.
Lucas Monteverde was on the end of a pass from the throw-in
at the start of the sixth chukker resulted in a 10-8 Heathcote lead with Zacara
trying to find an answer. A penalty goal
from Biddle was followed by a goal from the field from Nick Manifold, and
Heathcote led by four goals, 12-8 with time running out. Del Tour scored the final goal of the game on
a great individual effort, but it was Heathcote that rode of the field with the
12-9 victory.
Biddle scored an amazing ten goals in the Heathcote
win. Teammates Manifold and Monteverde
each added a goal for the win.
Llambias scored five times for Zacara. Del Tour scored two goals and Lea and Blake
each added a goal.