Las Monjitas and Alegria score Armour Cup wins
By Alex Webbe
Las Monjitas scored a hard-fought 9-8 win over Audi Friday
morning at the International Polo Club in Wellington in the Les Armour Cup (the
subsidiary of the 26-goal C. V. Whitney Cup).
Ten-goaler Eduardo Astrada scored the first goal of the
contest, converting a penalty shot for a 1-0 Las Monjitas lead. Audi responded with a 60-yard penalty goal
from Jeff Hall. Inaki Laprida put Las
Monjitas back on top, 2-1, on a well-directed shot through the Audi goalposts. A second penalty goal from Hall had it all
even at 2-2 at the end of the chukker.
The Audi attack got into gear in the second period with
Nico Pieres scoring twice, for a 4-2 advantage, while Las Monjitas fought to
get control of the ball. Eduardo Astrada
answered with a goal for Las Monjitas, but Gonzalito Pieres scored the final
goal of the chukker for a 5-3 Audi lead.
Both teams settled into the game by the start of the
third chukker with a premium being put on defense as charge after charge was
turned aside. Javier Astrada managed to
score the only goal of the period on a 60-yard penalty conversion. At the end of the first three chukkers of
play, Audi was ahead, 5-4.
Hall and Javier Astrada exchanged goals from the field to
open the second half, with Audi missing an important penalty shot. With two chukkers left to play, Audi continued
to lead, 6-5.
Las Monjitas caught fire in the fifth, picking up two
goals from Javier Astrada (one from the field and one on a penalty shot) and a
single goal from Eduardo Astrada. Lights
out defense kept Audi off of the scoreboard and Las Monjitas rode out in front,
8-6.
Gonzalo Pieres scored a goal from the field to cut the
Las Monjitas lead to a single goal, 8-7, but Javier Astrada converted a penalty
shot for goal and a 9-7 lead. Hall
scored the final goal of the game, cutting the lead to a single goal once
again, 9-8, and Audi seemed to be on the upswing when time expired in a Las
Monjitas win.
Javier Astrada led all scoring with five goals. Eduardo Astrada added three goals and Laprida
scored once.
Hall and Nico Pieres were credited with three goals
apiece. Gonzalito Pieres added two goals
in the loss.
ALEGRIA
10, LECHUZA CARACAS 9
Alegria jumped out to a 7-3 halftime lead over Lechuza
Caracas Friday afternoon in Les Armour Cup competition and held on to win a
10-9 game in the 26-goal tournament.
Mariano Aguerre scored the first goal of the game for
Alegria, followed by a 40-yard penalty conversion from Fred Mannix for an early
2-0 advantage. Lechuza Caracas 10-goaler
Sapo Caset got his team on the scoreboard with a penalty goal, 2-1, to end the
first chukker.
A goal from the field from Facundo Obregon and another
penalty goal Caset were combined with a disciplined defense that held Alegria
scoreless in the second period. After
two chukkers Lechuza Caracas led, 3-2.
The Alegria foursome demolished Lechuza Caracas in the third. A well-executed goal from the field from Julian
Mannix tied it at 3-3, and a following goal from his brother Fred Mannix had
gave the lead back to Alegria, 4-3. Two
more goals from Fred Mannix (one from the field and one on a penalty shot) were
accentuated by a chukker closing score from Julian Mannix. With five unanswered goals, Alegria rode out
to a 7-3 halftime lead.
Proving that they were up to the task, a refreshed
Lechuza Caracas team took the field in the fourth chukker scoring four straight
goals. Caset led the charge with three
goals (two on penalty shots) and team captain Victor Vargas scored once. A resolute defense held Alegria scoreless, and
at the end of four chukkers, the game was all even at 7-7.
Juan Martin Nero scored the only goal of the fifth
chukker as both teams battled heroically in an effort to take the
momentum. Lechuza Caracas carried an 8-7
lead into the final chukker of play.
Aguerre tied it up at 8-8 early in the sixth chukker on a
penalty conversion followed by a well-coordinated scoring effort that saw
Aguerre pass the ball down the field to Fred Mannix who passed it to his
brother Julian Mannix who carried it 150 yards down the field for a score and a
9-8 lead. Tomas Garcia Del Rio converted
a 40-yard penalty shot for his first goal of the game and a 10-8 advantage as
Lechuza Caracas struggled to get back into the game. Caset cut the lead to a single goal, 10-9,
but that would be as close as they would get.
Time expired as Alegria held on for the win.
Caset led the field with six goals. Teammates Vargas, Obregon and Nero scored
single goals in a losing effort.
Fred Mannix scored five times in the Alegria win. Julian Mannix accounted for three goals while
Aguerre and Del Rio scored once.