Mt. Airy/Willow Farm Charges Past Valiente/Blanco 11-8
By Alex Webbe
Valiente/Blanco looked to have everything going its way Sunday afternoon, scoring three unanswered goals in the opening two chukkers of play with Mt. Airy/Willow Farm in the 2011 Intercoastal Challenge 12-goal Pro-Am at the International Polo Club.
First chukker goals by Jeff Blake and Zenon Cardoner went unanswered by an impotent Mt. Airy/Willow Farm foursome, and another goal from Blake in the second seemed to go unnoticed as Valiente/Blanco took an early 3-0 lead, but that all changed in the third.
Brandon Phillips exploded for three goals and fed the ball forward to teammates Adrian Wade and Garrick Steele as the Mt. Airy/Willow Farm attack got on track.
Steele and Mike Egan added goals in the third chukker as Mt. Airy/Willow Farm quickly erased the earlier deficit and ended the first half with a 5-3 advantage.
Valiente/Blanco bounced back with three consecutive goals in the fourth as Bob Jornayvaz, Cardoner and Blake added goals to the team total. The chukker ended with Valiente/Blanco holding on to a precarious 6-5 lead.
Cardoner added two more goals in the fifth, but Mt. Airy/Willow Farm was ready. Egan and Steele scored on penalty shots and Wade added a goal from the field. Mt. Airy/Willow Farm tied it up at 8-8 as the chukker ended.
The final chukker belonged to Mt. Airy/Willow Farm as they rode roughshod over Valiente/Blanco. Two goals from Wade and another penalty goal from Steele sealed the deal. Mt. Airy/Willow Farm rode away with the 11-8 victory.
“We didn’t get off to a good start,†admits Mt. Airy/Willow Farm 5-goaler Brandon Phillips, “but we got it together in the third chukker and finished up the last two chukkers with a rush.â€
Mt. Airy/Willow Farm outscored Valiente/Blanco 6-2 in the last two chukkers with a balanced attack that saw every member of the team score.
“Everyone scored because everyone contributed,†said Phillips. Our offense finally got on track and our defense stiffened as the game wore on. It was a great team victory.â€
JAN PAMELA/LITTLE OWL 8, EFG BANK 4
The highlight of the morning contest for the EFG Bank team might have been the appearance of “America’s Most Wanted†host John Walsh as the previously undefeated team fell to Jan Pamela/Little Owl 8-4 in Intercoastal Challenge play.
An opening chukker accident that had horse and rider (Argentine 6-goaler Martin Espain) crashing to the ground had the EFG Bank team scrambling for a replacement player, and coming up with 4-goaler Jose Villamil.
As play continued, the EFG Bank team put together a three goal attack in the second with Villamil picking up a pair of goals from the field with Josh Shelton adding a goal as well.
Joe Wayne Barry scored the only goal of the first two chukkers for Jan Pamela/Little Owl as they went into the third chukker trailing 3-1.
Jan Pamela/Little Owl picked up the pace in the third, outscoring EFG Bank 2-0 on goals from Wayne Garrison and Steve Dalton and tying the score at 3-3 at the end of the first half.
The Jan Pamela/Little Owl went into overdrive for the balance of the match, pitching shutout chukkers in the fourth and fifth as they ran the score up to 6-3.
J. P. Uihlein picked p a pair of goals and Garrison added another as Jan Pamela/Little Owl continued to outgun the EFG Bank team
Villamil finally broke the EFG Bank scoreless streak by getting on the scoreboard in the sixth, but a penalty conversion by Dalton and a final goal by Garrison had Jan Pamela/Little Owl keeping its perfect record in tack with the 8-4 win.
Garrison led the Jan Pamela/Little Owl team with three goals. Uihlein and Dalton scored two goals apiece and Barry added a goal from the field.
Villamil scored three times for EFG Bank and Josh Shelton added a goal in a losing effort, with John Walsh and Max Secunda appearing on the EFG Bank team for the first time this season.
EFG Bank (2-1) and Jan Pamela/Little Owl (3-0) will face one another in next week’s finals on Sunday, January 30 while Mt. Airy/Willow Farm and Valiente/Blanco will meet in the Intercoastal Challenge consolation match.