Facundo Obregon leads Orchard Hill to victory with ten
goals!
By Alex Webbe
A record 16 teams are competing in this year’s Ylvisaker
Cup at the International Polo club in Wellington, with six of them kicking off
the competition on Thursday as Orchard Hill, Valiente I and Circa scored
opening victories in the 20-goal competition.
Orchard Hill opened the day with a rousing 15-7 win over
Pony Express behind ten goals from Facundo Obregon in the one-sided romp.
“The team went well,†smiled team captain Steve Van Andel
following the win. Everything was working
for us,†he added.
Pony Express received one goal by handicap and added another
on a penalty goal from Tomas Goti in the first chukker, but goals from Lucas
Criado and Obregon had it all even at 2-2 at the end of the period.
Goti opened the second with a goal from the field but
Criado converted a penalty shot for a goal to keep it all even at 3-3 as the
chukker ended.
Obregon got it going in the third period with three
consecutive goals to put Orchard Hill on top, 6-3. Goti responded with a pair of penalty
goals. Obregon scored his sixth goal of
the game on a penalty conversion for a 7-5 halftime lead.
Obregon opened the fourth chukker with a goal from the
field that was promptly countered by Goti for Pony Express. A goal from Criado ended the period with
Orchard Hill stretching its lead to three goals, 9-6.
Three more goals in the fifth and shutout defense had
Orchard Hill galloping off to a 13-6 advantage, picking up a pair of goals from
Obregon and a single goal from Pablo Spinacci.
After five periods of play, Orchard Hill held a commanding 12-6 lead.
Two final chukker goals from Criado and a tenth goal from
Obregon ended the Orchard Hill charge in the 15-7 win. Agustin Grossi managed a single goal in the
closing chukker for Pony Express.
Obregon led all scoring with ten goals. Criado scored four times and Spinacci
accounted for one goal in the victory.
Goti set the pace for Pony Express with five goals. Grossi added a goal and the team received one
goal by handicap.
VALIENTE
1 10, METALTEK 8
In a see-saw battle between Valiente I and Metaltek, Valiente
I held on for the hard-fought 10-8 win that wasn’t decided until the final
minute of play.
First chukker goals from Metaltek’s Will Johnston and
Sebastian Merlos (penalty conversion) were answered by goals from Santiago
Bottaro and Santiago Toccalino for Valiente as the first period ended in a 2-2
tie.
The teams stayed even after the second chukker at 4-4
with Valiente I getting single goals from Toccalino and Bottaro while Carlucho
Arellano and Merlos countered with goals for Metaltek.
In a defensive-oriented third chukker, Toccalino managed
the only goal on a penalty shot for the narrow 5-4 halftime lead.
Second half action began with Arellano tying it up at 5-5
on a penalty conversion. Jeff Hall kept
Valiente in front, 6-5 with a penalty conversion that ended the chukker.
Arellano opened the fifth chukker with a penalty goal to
tie it at 6-6, but Valiente I quickly responded as he took the ensuing throw-in
150 yards for the go-ahead score, 7-6.
Robert Jornayvaz scored his first goal of the match to give Valiente I a
two goal lead, 8-6. Arellano added a
goal from the field to keep Metaltek within striking distance, 8-7, as the
chukker ended
Arellano tied it up again in the final period of play at
8-8, but Valiente I stormed right back.
Jornayvaz hammered the ball through the Metaltek goal for a 9-8 lead
with two minutes left in regulation play.
Metaltek continued to mount a successful attack, but the Valiente I
defense was u to the task. A final
Metaltek four put Bottaro at the penalty line with seconds left on the
clock. The shot was good for the 10-8
final score and a Valiente I win.
A balanced Valiente I attack saw Bottaro score four
times; Toccalino add three goals; Jornayvaz registered two goals and Hall added
a goal for the victory.
Arellano accounted for four goals for Metaltek. Merlos scored three times and Johnston
tallied once.
CIRCA
14, ALEGRIA 11
Hilario Ulloa led a determined Circa attack back from a
two goal, 7-5 halftime deficit to a convincing 14-11 win over a talented
Alegria team, after scoring eight goals for the cause.
Alegria’s Julian Mannix and Circa’s Martin Pepa exchanged
opening goals before Alegria stormed back with consecutive goals from Mannix
and Aguerre for a 3-1 Alegria lead. Three
consecutive goals (two from Hilario Ulloa and one from Guille Aguero) gave
Circa a 4-3 lead to end the chukker.
A determined Alegria returned to the field in the second
period as they put up four straight goals without a peep coming from
Circa. Mannix and Aguerre scored two
goal apiece before Circa finally got on the scoreboard with a single goal from
Pepa. After two periods of play, Alegria
took a 7-5 lead.
Pepa scored a goal from the field to open the third
chukker and Ulloa converted a 40-yard penalty shot to deadlock the game at 7-7,
but the score was temporary. Alegria responded
with a penalty goal from Mannix and a goal from the field from Aguerre, and
Alegria took a two goal, 7-5 lead off the field with them at the end of the
first half of play.
Once again, Circa tied it up in the fourth on goals from Pepa
and Ulloa. Alegria countered with goals
from Mannix and Aguerre, once again, and ended the chukker with its two goal
lead, 9-7.
Circa controlled the fifth period, picking up a pair of
goals from Ulloa (one from the field and one on a 60-yard penalty conversion)
and a single goal from Pepa. Mannix
scored the final goal of the chukker, but Alegria continued to trail by two
goals,12-10.
Another penalty goal from Ulloa and a goal from the field
from Pepa extended the Circa lead to four goals, 14-10 before Alegria (0-1) connected
on any successful offense of its own. A
goal from the field from Mannix, however, was all it could muster. A final goal from the field from Guille
Aguero ended the contest in a 15-11 Circa (1-0) victory.
Ulloa scored eight times to lead the Circa attack. Pepa accounted for five goals and Aguero
added two goals in the win.
Mannix let the Alegria team with six goals. Aguerre contributed four goals and Grossi
scored once in the loss.