Jan Pamela/Little Owl Wins Intercoastal Challenge Cup
By Alex Webbe
Jan Pamela/Little Owl took control of the game early in the finals of the Intercoastal Challenge Cup 12-goal Pro-Am, and rode it to a commanding 9-4 halftime lead on its way to a 12-9 win.
Jan Pamela/Little Owl got one goal by handicap to start the game and then added to it with goals from Wayne Garrison and Steve Dalton. A realigned EFG Bank team got a goal from the field from Pedro Lara and a 40-yard penalty goal from Hayden Walsh. The chukker ended with Jan Pamela/Little Owl leading, 3-2.
Jan Pamela/Little Owl got it rolling in the second chukker getting two more goals from Garrison and single goals from J. P. Uihlein and Joe Wayne Barry. EFG Bank responded with a single goal from Hector Galindo. Jan Pamela/Little Owl had stretched its lead to four goals, 7-3.
Garrison opened the third chukker with his fourth goal of the day. Walsh responded with a goal from the field for EFG Bank, and Dalton closed out the scoring for the period with a goal that gave Jan Pamela/Little Owl a five goal lead, 9-4.
EFG Bank charged into the second half, getting consecutive goals from Hector Galindo before Barry got Jan Pamela/Little Owl on the scoreboard with his second goal of the game. The lead was cut to four and Jan Pamela/Little Owl led, 10-6.
Two more goals from Galindo in the fifth period were answered by another Barry goal, and the score stood at 11-8 as EFG Bank continued to slowly cut into the Jan Pamela/Little Owl lead.
EFG Bank fought to get back into the game in the final seven minutes of play, but Jan Pamela/Little Owl rebuffed one attack after another. Barry scored his fourth goal of the match from the field followed by Galindo’s sixth. The game ended with Jan Pamela/Little Owl on the winning end of a 12-9 score.
Hector Galindo led all scoring with six goals. Walsh added two goals and Lara accounted for a single goal in the loss.
A balanced Jan Pamela/Little Owl attack had Garrison and Barry scoring four times apiece. Dalton, the team’s field general, added two from his command post on the field, and Uihlein scored once in the win.
The leadership of the sure-hitting Steve Dalton captured the MVP award while J. P. Uihlein’s gelding, Boy, was named Best Playing Pony.
MT. AIRY/WILLOW FARM 12, VALIENTE/BLANCO 8
Mt. Airy/Willow Farm charged out to a 9-4 halftime lead before riding off with a 12-8 win over Valiente/Blanco in the consolation round of the 2011 Intercoastal Challenge of the 12-goal Pro-Am Sunday afternoon at the International Polo Club.
Fueled by five goals from Brandon Phillips, Mt. Airy/Willow Farm led from start to finish as all players on the team scored,
Opening goals from Phillips and Adrian Wade (penalty conversion) had Mt. Airy/Willow Farm up 3-0 after the first chukker (they received one goal by handicap) as Valiente/Blanco struggled to find its offense.
Valiente/Blanco got goals from Bob Jornayvaz and Jeff Blake in the second, but a pair of goals from Garrick Steele and single goals from Phillips and Wade had Mt. Airy/Willow Farm leading 7-2 after just two chukkers of play.
Tom Sikes and Santiago Bottarro scored single goals for Valiente /Blanco in the third period, but goals from Phillips and Wade kept Mt. Airy/Willow Farm in front, 9-4.
Both defenses tightened in the fourth chukker, with Blake scoring the only goal of the period, and cutting the Mt. Airy/Willow Farm lead to four goals, 9-5.
Blake scored two more goals in the fifth while holding Mt. Airy/Willow Farm to a single goal from Phillips. Mt. Airy/Willow Farm continued to lead, but the advantage had been cut to three goals, with one chukker to play.
Mike Egan scored the first goal of the sixth chukker, followed by Phillips’ fifth, and Mt. Airy/Willow Farm extended its lead to five goals, 12-7. Bottarro scored the final goal of the game for Valiente/Blanco, but it was Mt. Airy/Willow Farm that would ride off with the 12-8 win.