FlatOut captures 2011 USPA North America Cup
ByAlex Webbe
Nic Roldan scored the first goal of the game and set upteammate Brandon Phillips with a pass that scored the winning goal as Flat Outdefeated Barbarossa Leather as time expired in the 2011 USPA North America CupSunday afternoon at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington.
In a neck-and-neck game that was short on offense andlong on defense, Roldan’s opening goal was followed up by a goal fromBarbarossa Leather’s Hector Galindo and the first chukker ended in a 1-1deadlock.
Brandon Phillips converted a penalty shot for a goal inthe second chukker, accounting for the only scoring in a hotly contested matchthat saw Flat Out leaving the field at the end of the second period with anarrow 2-1 advantage.
Phillips added a goal from the field in the third, butRuben Gracida responded by converting a penalty shot for a goal. Neither team dominated play, and at the endof the first half Flat Out guarded a narrow one goal, 3-2 lead.
Team captain Paul Knapp opened the scoring for Flat Outin the second half for a 4-2 lead, but Barbarossa Leather kept pace with a goalfrom J. J. Celis. The fourth chukkerended with Flat Out maintaining the one goal advantage over a relentlessBarbarossa Leather foursome.
Phillips scored the opening goal of the fifth chukker followed by a beautifully executed angle shot through the goal posts fromGalindo. Roldan converted a penalty shotfor a goal, and Flat Out was in front, 6-4. Penalties cost Flat Out a pair of goals in the waning minutes of thechukker with Leo Mandelbaum converting twice for his Barbarossa Leather team,and the score was all even at 6-6 as the period ended.
The pace continued to escalate with Roldan and Phillipspressing the Flat Out attack. Roldan scoredthe go-ahead goal, but Galindo kept Barbarossa Leather in the race with histhird goal of the game. With the scoretied up at 7-7 and time running out, Roldan took control of the throw-in anddrove the ball down field to a waiting Phillips. With an opposing player on his hip, Phillips drovethe ball through the goal posts with a nearside shot as time expired.
A jubilant Flat Out team celebrated the hard-fought 8-7win and the 2011 USPA North America Cup title.
Phillips set the pace for Flat Out with five goals and
was named MVP for his efforts. Roldan
scored three while Flat Out team captain Knapp added a single goal in the win.Galindo scored three goals for Barbarossa Leather and had his chestnut mare, Faith, honored as Best Playing Pony. Mandelbaum added two goals and Gracida andCelis each scored a goal in a losing effort.
ELANGENIRANCH SCORES ROUND-ROBIN WIN
In earlier play, Elangeni Ranch scored a win inround-robin competition that included Audi and Piaget in the consolationbracket of the USPA North America Cup action.
Audi and Piaget played the first three chukkers of the three team round-robin with Audi scoring a narrow 5-4 victory on the strengthof two penalty goals from team captain Marc Ganzi; a pair of goals from thefield from Gene Goldstein and a single goal from 7-goaler Sugar Erskine.
Piaget responded with two goals from Jason Crowder (onefrom the field, one on a penalty shot); and single goals from Melissa Ganzi andJoey Casey.
Piaget battled Elangeni Ranch to a 2-2 draw in the second three chukkers. Piaget team captain Melissa Ganzi scored both goals for her team while Elangeni Ranch got single goals from Diego Cossio and Luis Escobar.
The final round of play had Elangeni Ranch taking a 5-3 matchup with Audi. Escobar scored three times. Teammates Martin Estrada and Diego Cossio added single goals for the win. Jota Chavanne scored all three goals for Audi.