Goose Creek/Faraway and Jan Pamela score wins in Alligator Challenge
By Alex Webbe
Devon Polo/Willow Farm jumped out to an early 3-0 lead but collapsed in the second half as Goose Creek/Faraway rode on to capture a 10-9 game in the Alligator Challenge at the International Polo Club in Wellington Friday morning.
Rob Stenzel scored two in the first and teammate Brandon Phillips converted a 60-yard penalty shot for Devon Polo/Willow Farm as Goose Creek/Faraway found themselves in the hole, 3-0, after the opening chukker of play.
Maureen Brennan scored the only goal of the second chukker, as Goose Creel/Faraway cut into the Devon Polo/Willow Farm lead, trailing by two goals, 3-1.
Santiago Cernadas cut the lead to a single goal, 3-2, in the third, but Phillips closed out the scoring with his second goal of the game and Devon Polo/Willow Farm left the field at the end of the first half with a 4-2 lead.
Brennan opened the second half for Goose Creek/Faraway with a goal from the field followed by a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal from Cernadas. Phillips got Devon Polo/Willow Farm on the board, but goals from Cernadas and Julian Daniels had Goose Creek in the driver’s seat with a 6-5 lead and the momentum. Stenzel scored first in the fifth period, but Goose Creek/Faraway snapped back with consecutive goals from Santiago Cernadas (two) and Brennan. The fifth chukker ended with Goose Creek/Faraway boasting a three goal lead, 9-6.
Devon Polo/Willow Farm scored the first two goals of the final chukker with Phillips converting a penalty shot for a goal and Scott Devon (who’s had a two year hiatus and has had more comebacks than Mickey Rooney) adding a goal from the field, and cutting the Goose Creek/Faraway lead to a single goal, 9-8. Cernadas scored his sixth goal of the contest in the final chukker to put Goose Creek/Faraway back on top10-8.
Stenzel’s fourth goal of the game brought Devon Polo/Willow Farm to within a goal at 10-9 when time expired.
Cernadas led all scoring with six goals. Brennan added three goals for the win and Daniels scored once.
Phjillips and Stenzel scored four goals apiece for Devon Polo/Willow Farm. Devon scored once.
JAN PAMELA 11, EFG BANK 10
To borrow a phrase from Charlie Sheen, Steve Dalton did what he has been doing all season in the medium goal ranks, “winningâ€. Wayne Garrison scored the first goal of the game for Jan Pamela and got supporting goals from Nick Manifold and Dalton. Tommy Biddle scored all three of EFG Bank’s first chukker goals and took advantage of one goal by handicap to leave the field with a 4-3 lead.
Both teams battled up and down the field in a scoreless second chukker, missing goal shots by inches and showcasing their defensive prowess. The score stood at 4-3, EFG Bank.
Dalton broke the bank in the fourth, scoring four straight goals to lead Jan Pamela to a 7-4 lead. Biddle managed a single goal from the field, but the first half ended with Jan Pamela on top, 7-5.
Dalton converted a penalty shot for a goal in a quiet fourth period. Biddle responded with a penalty goal of this own. Jan Pamela maintained its two goal lead, 8-6.
Max Secunda and John Walsh each scored a goal in the fifth as the EFG Bank defense held. At the end of five chukkers of play eh score was all even at 8-8.
Biddle converted a penalty shot for a goal in the sixth, for EFG Bank’s first lead of the half, 9-8, but Dalton responded with a penalty goal and a goal from the field, 10-9, Jan Pamela. Biddle’s seventh goal of the day knotted it up at 10-10, but Dalton would have the final word of the day, scoring his ninth goal of the game, Dalton led Jan Pamela to an 11-10 win.