KIG wins 2012 Pedro Morrison Memorial Cup
By
Alex Webbe
A couple of hundred polo enthusiasts and friends of the
late Pedro Morrison showed up fieldside at the Grand Champions Polo Club Sunday
afternoon to watch KIG and Piaget face off in the finals of the After leading
5-4 at halftime, KIG needed a last chukker rally to score a 10-9
come-from-behind win over Piaget in the finals of the 2012 Pedro Morrison
Memorial Cup.
KIG enjoyed a 5-4 halftime lead but needed a last chukker
rally to take the cup in a hard-fought 10-9 game. An interesting under-theme of the match had
Juan Bollini and Melissa Ganzi playing on the Piaget team while their sons, Juancito
Bollini and Grant Ganzi, filled out the KIG roster.
Playing without team captain Bash Kazi, KIG (Jason
Crowder, Juancito Bollini, Grant Ganzi and Kris Kampsen) jumped out to an early
3-0 lead in the first chukker, picking up single goals from Jason Crowder,
Grant Ganzi and Juancito Bollini. Piaget
(Melissa Ganzi, J.J. Celis, Juan Bollini and Joey Casey) was unable to score in
the opening seven minutes of play.
Goals from the field from Juan Bollini and Joey Casey cut
the lead to a single goal, 3-2. Crowder’s
second goal of the game ended the second period and gave KIG a 4-2 edge after
two chukkers.
Juan Bollini scored the first goal of the third and
teammate J.J. Celis tied it up at 4-4, with his first goal of the day. Kris Kampsen gave KIG the halftime lead, 5-4,
his first goal of the afternoon.
Kampsen scored again in the fourth to put KIG on top by
two goals, 6-4, but Piaget showed new life as Celis added two more goals to
even it up at 6-6.
Piaget added three more goals in the fifth. Casey scored his second goal of the game and
Celis added a goal from the field and another on a penalty shot. Kampsen scored on a penalty shot for KIG’s
only score of the chukker. Piaget rode
off the field with a two goal lead, 9-7, with one period left to be played. The sixth chukker belonged to KIG as a
determined defense kept them off the scoreboard for the final minutes of
play.
Kampsen scored the opening goal of the final chukker,
cutting the Piaget lead to a single goal, 9-8.
Grant Ganzi tied it up on a brilliant following a pin-point pass from
Kampsen, and Crowder put it away with the final goal of the game for the 10-9
win.
Celis led all scoring with five goals; teammates Juan
Bollini and Casey scored two goals apiece in the loss.
Kampsen set the scoring pace for KIG with four
goals. Crowder scored three times, Grant
Ganzi added two goals and Juancito Bollini added a goal in the win.
Crowder was named MVP for his efforts while Vegas, a six-year-old Dark Bay Thoroughbred
played by Grant Ganzi in the first and sixth chukkers was honored as Best
Playing Pony.
EQUINE
LAW 9, AUDI 8
In earlier competition, Equine Law fell behind early but
rebounded for a 9-8 win over Audi to capture the Tato’s Mallets Challenge Cup
behind eight goals from 6-goaler Tommy Biddle.
Marc Ganzi scored the only goal of the first chukker, on
a penalty shot to put Audi on top, 2-0 (Audi received one goal by handicap from
the 14-goal Equine Law team).
Two goals from Biddle in the second chukker went unanswered,
as Audi was kept on the defensive as Equine Law leveled attack after attack on
their goal. After two periods of play
the score was all even at 2-2.
Biddle gave Equine Law a 3-2 lead with the opening goal
of the third chukker and his third goal of the game, but the lead was
short-lived. Carlitos Gracida converted
a penalty shot for the tying goal, 3-3, and Marc Ganzi put Audi on top, 4-3,
with his second goal of the game to end the first half.
Jeff Hall scored to put Audi ahead 5-3 to open the fourth
chukker when Biddle and his Equine Law teammates took over. Biddle converted two more penalty shots for
goals and added another from the field as Equine Law rode off the field at the
end of the period with a 6-5 advantage.
Ruben Gracida extended the Equine Law lead to two goals,
7-5, with a penalty conversion when Hall scored on a spectacular individual
play, weaving through the opposition and drilling the ball through the
goalposts for the score, 7-6. Another
penalty goal from Biddle had Equine Law on top, 8-6, with one chukker left to
play.
Biddle’s eighth goal of the day gave Equine Law a
comfortable 9-6 lead as time was running out for Audi. Carlitos Gracida scored a goal from the field
and Marc Ganzi scored on a penalty shot, but that was where the rally stalled. Equine Law took the game by a final score of
9-8.
Biddle led all scoring with eight goals, earning MVP
honors along the way. Ruben Gracida added
a single penalty goal in the win.
Marc Ganzi scored three goals for Audi. Jeff Hall and Carlitos Gracida each scored a
pair and the team received one goal by handicap.
Buddha,
ridden by Equine Law’s Joaquin Panelo was named Best Playing Pony.
FLAT
OUT 8, NEWPORT/RUBY Q 7 OT
In the opening match of the day, Paul Knapp led his Flat
Out team to an 8-7 overtime win over Newport/Ruby Q for the Prisa Invitational
Cup in a game that was played at the Palm City Polo Club in Boca Raton.
Newport/Ruby Q received one goal by handicap and went up
2-0 on a goal from the field from Gene Goldstein. Mariano Gonzalez countered for Flat Out with
a goal, but they trailed Newport/Ruby Q 2-1 after the first chukker.
Second period goals from Goldstein and teammate Nic
Roldan were answered by a single goal from Paul Knapp. Newport/Ruby Q held a 4-2 advantage.
The Flat Out defense stepped it up in the third chukker,
shutting out Newport/Ruby Q
and picking up a single goal from Knapp. At the end of the first half Flat Out
trailed, 4-3.
Goldstein and Brian Street extended the Newport/Ruby Q
lead to three goals, 6-3, as each scored once from the field. Knapp scored one goal, 6-4, for Flat Out as
they struggled to stay in the game.
Flat Out kept Newport/Ruby Q off the scoreboard for the
second time on the day with Knapp adding two more goals. After five chukkers of play it was all even
at 6-6.
Knapp’s sixth goal of the game looked to seal Newport/Ruby
Q’s fate when Roldan scored the tying goal to make it 7-7 and force the game
into sudden death overtime.
A foul by Newport/Ruby Q put Flat Out’s Paul Knapp at the
penalty line where he missed the penalty attempt, but a whistle had
sounded. Not all of the Newport/Ruby Q players
had left the field and Flat Out was given a second attempt which Knapp didn’t
miss and Flat Out celebrated the 8-7 win.
Knapp led all scoring with seven goals and was named
MVP. Gonzalez scored the other goal for
Flat Out.
Goldstein led the Newport/Ruby Q offense with three goals. Roldan added two goals, Street scored once
and the team received one goal by handicap.