ByAlex Webbe
Piaget (Melissa Ganzi, Avery chapman, Mariano Gonzalezand Juan Bollini) received two goals by handicap and ran up an 8-6 halftimelead, but a resilient Flat Out foursome (Paul Knapp, Joaquin Panelo, BrandonPhillips and J. J. Celis) bounced back in the second half of Sunday afternoon’sfinal. Outscoring Piaget 5-2, Flat Outtook the lead and held on for the 11-10 win and the USPA Fall Classic title.
Brandon converted a penalty shot in the first chukkerthat was countered by a goal from the field from Mariano Gonzalez. On the strength of two goals that Piaget wasawarded by handicap from the 15-goal Flat Out team, the held an early 3-1 lead.
Paul Knapp opened the scoring in the second period with agoal from the field, but Piaget continued hold the advantage, 3-2. Consecutive goals from Joaquin Panelo firsttied and then moved Flat Out ahead, 4-3 to end the chukker.
Piaget put flat Out on the defensive from the opening ofthe third, taking advantage of a couple of penalties that were converted intogoals by Gonzalez. Piaget was back infront, 5-4. Bollini’s first goal of theday made it 6-4 and Gonzalez’s third goal of the chukker ended the first halfwith Piaget on the winning end of a 7-4 score.
Piaget continued to roll in the fourth with Melissa Ganzigiving her team an 8-4 lead with a goal from the field. Knapp converted a penalty shot for a goal andPhillips ended the chukker with another scoring effort, but Flat Out trailed,8-6.
A resurrected Flat Out contingent picked up goals fromPanelo and J. J. Celis in the fifth chukker while its defense held Piagetscoreless. The game was tied at 8-8 atthe end of the fifth, and Flat Out had the momentum going in its direction.
Goals from the field from Knapp and Panelo gave Flat Outa 10-8 advantage before Piaget could respond, with a penalty conversion fromGonzalez cutting the lead to a single goal, 10-9. Celis scored from the field as Flat Outextended its lead to two goals again, 11-9. Piaget continued to attack the Flat Out goal, with Melissa Ganzi scoringonce again, but there wasn’t enough time left as Flat Out took the win in an11-10 USPA Fall Classic victory.
Gonzalez led all scoring with five goals. Melissa Ganzi added two goals and Bolliniadded a goal in the loss. The teamreceived two goals by handicap.
Panelo led the Flat Out attack with four goals and wasnamed MVP for his efforts while Juan Bollini’s six-year-old Chestnut mare, River, was honored As Best Playing Pony.
NEWPORT12, RUBY Q 9
In earlier action, seven goals by Newport team (MarcGanzi, Gene Goldstein, Nic Roldan and Jason Crowder) captain Gene Goldsteincarried his team to a 12-9 win over a one-dimensional Ruby Q (Misha Rodzianko,Diego Cossio, Tommy Biddle and Joey Casey) attack in the consolation round ofthe USPA Fall Classic.
Ruby Q took an early 1-0 lead on a penalty goal fromTommy Biddle in an opening chukker that saw no scoring from the field.
Biddle converted another penalty shot for a gaol in thesecond but was answered by a pair of goals from the field from Gene Goldsteinfor a 2-2 tie. Single goals fromGoldstein, Jason Crowder and Nic Roldan (penalty goal) were countered by twomore penalty goals from Biddle as Newport held on to a tenuous 5-4 halftimeadvantage.
Goals from Goldstein and Crowder in the fourth wentunanswered as Newport rode out to a 7-4 lead after four chukkers of play.
Roldan converted a penalty shot in the fifth, but Biddleresponded with two penalty goals and a goal from the field. Newport continued to lead, but the margin wascut to a single goal with one chukker of regulation time left in the game.
Biddle registered his eighth and ninth goals of the gameon penalty shots in the sixth, but three more goals from the field fromGoldstein and a goal from Marc Ganzi for the 12-9 final.
Goldstein’s seven goals set the pace for the Newportwin. Roldan and Crowder scored two goalsapiece. Ganzi added a single goal.
Biddle scored all nine goals for Ruby Q, with eight comingon penalty shots and one from the field in a losing effort.
Tournament action is scheduled to continue at the GrandChampions Polo Club this coming weekend with the 2012 Kay Colee Memorial Cup.