Flight Options
struggled with Team USPA in National Twenty Goal final
By Alex Webbe
Flight Options (Melissa Ganzi, Kris Kampsen, Nic Roldan and
Juan Bollini) outlasted a determined Team USPA (Jared Sheldon, Patrick Uretz,
Jesse Bray, Felipe Viana and Jeff Blake) to win the 2014 USPA National Twenty
Goal Championship in a high-scoring, 14-13 win Sunday afternoon at the Grand
Champions Polo Club.
Team USPA received two goals by handicap from the 18-goal
Flight Options team and watched as American 8-goaler Nic Roldan quickly tied it
up with a goal from the field and a penalty conversion. Felipe Viana countered with a 40-yard penalty
conversion, 3-2. With twenty-one seconds
on the clock, Roldan tied it up with his third goal of the chukker to end the
first period all even at 3-3.
Flight Options continued to pound the young Team USPA in the
second with Kris Kampsen opening with a penalty goal followed by a goal from
the field to move ahead, 5-3. Team USPA
continued to put pressure on the Flight Options resulting in a pair of
penalties that were converted by Viana.
The score was deadlocked at 5-5.
Roldan took early possession of the ball in the third,
blistering it through the Team USPA goalposts from over 90-yards out, 6-5. Viana added another 40-yard penalty goal,
6-6. Goals from Roldan and Juan Bollini
put Flight Options on top, 8-6. Viana
scored the final goal of the chukker to bring Team USPA to within a goal of the
lead, 8-7, at the end of the first half.
A minute into the fourth chukker Roldan blasted the ball
through the goalposts from over a hundred yards out, 9-7Goals from Viana and
Jesse Bray tied it at 9-9, and Jeff Blake’s first goal of the game put Team
USPA in the lead, 10-9. A great
individual effort by Kampsen tied the game once again with just eight seconds
on the clock. At the end of the fourth
it was deadlocked at 10-10.
Both defenses stepped it up in the fifth. Viana scored the first goal of the chukker at
the 5:01 mark for an 11-10 advantage as the pace of the game continued to
escalate. Two minutes later Kampsen tied
it with the final goal of the chukker, 11-11.
Bollini scored the first goal of the sixth chukker just two
minutes into the final chukker, 12-11, and Kampsen’s fourth goal of the day had
Flight Options in the lead, 13-11, but Team USPA fought back. Just thirty seconds later Viana answered
Kampsen’s goal with a penalty conversion, 13-12, and tied it with another
penalty shot at 13-13 with just under three minutes left in regulation
time. A costly foul by Team USPA sent
Roldan to the penalty line at the 2:23 mark where he scored the final goal of
the game for a hard-fought 14-13 win.
Viana led all scoring with nine goals (eight on penalty
conversions). Bray and Blake added
single goals and the team received two goals by handicap. Roldan led the Flight Options attack with
eight scores (two on penalty shots) and was named MVP for his efforts. Kampsen scored four times and Bollini added
two goals for the victory.
Zorrito, a Bay
Gelding owned by Halo Polo and played by Jesse Bray, was named Best Playing
Pony.
Palm Beach Polo 16,
Casablanca 14
In a high-scoring fast-paced game earlier in the afternoon
Palm Beach Polo (Glenn Straub, Guille Aguero, Jeff Hall and Brandon Phillips) ran
out to an 11-5 halftime score before hanging on to record a 16-4 win over
Casablanca (Marc Ganzi, Grant Ganzi, Julio Arellano and Juan Jose Brane).
Casablanca received one goal by handicap and made it 2-0 on
a goal from the field from American 9-goaler Julio Arellano. Jeff Hall and Marc Ganzi traded goals as
Casablanca held the lead, 3-1. A goal
from the field from Guille Aguero and a penalty conversion from Hall closed out
the chukker with the teams tied at three goals apiece, 3-3.
Grant Ganzi scored the first goal of the second period on a
well-executed neck shot at a severe angle, 4-3.
Hall took the ensuing throw-in and raced down the field to tie it at
4-4. Consecutive goals from Brandon
Phillips had Palm Beach Polo in the lead, 6-4.
Marc Ganzi scored from the field to cut the led to a single goal,
6-5. With under a minute left in the
period, Phillips scored his third goal of the game to extend the Palm Beach
Polo lead to two goals, 7-5.
Palm Beach Polo owned the third chukker. Shutout defense was complimented by a pair of
goals from Aguero, a goal from Glenn Straub and a goal from Phillips. At the end of the first half it was Palm
Beach Polo with a commanding 11-5 advantage.
A goal from Hall opened the second half, 12-5, when
Casablanca found their rhythm. Single
goals from Arellano, Marc Ganzi and Grant Ganzi ended the period as Casablanca
began to cut into the Palm Beach Polo lead, 12-8.
The two teams traded goals in the fifth with Aguero and
Phillips (penalty conversion) scoring for Palm Beach Polo while Casablanca
responded with single goals from Grant Ganzi (penalty shot) and Marc
Ganzi. The Palm Beach Polo remained in
front by four goals, 14-10.
Guille Aguero’s fifth goal of the game put Palm Beach Polo
in front by five goals, 15-10. Arellano
responded 30 seconds later with a goal from the field, 15-11. Phillips made it 16-11 Consecutive goals from
Grant Ganzi and Arellano cut further into the Palm Beach Polo lead, 16-13, but
time was running out. A Penalty 1 was
called against Palm Beach Polo with just seconds on the clock, awarding them a
goal, but it wasn’t enough. Time expired
as Palm Beach Polo rode off with the win, 16-14.
Phillips led the Palm Beach Polo attack with six goals (two
on penalty shots). Aguero added five
goals; Hall scored four times and Straub added a goal for the win. Arellano, Grant Ganzi and Marc Ganzi scored
four goals apiece. Casablanca received
one goal by handicap and another on a Penalty 1.