Lucchese and ERG Remain Undefeated in Pacific Coast Open Play

Lucchese and ERG Remain Undefeated


By Alex Webbe


 


Tournament favorite Lucchese remained undefeated but it wasn’t for Mansour’s lack of trying.  Mansour ran out to an early 6-4 lead before dropping a close one to Adolfo Cambiaso and company, 13-12 in the second round of play in the 2010 Bombardier Pacific Coast Open tournament at the Santa Barbara Polo Club.


Jason Crowder scored the first two goals of the game for Lucchese, but a four goal output by Mansour had the high-riding foursome suddenly humbled with Santiago Toccalino scoring a twice from the field and teammates Luis Escobar and Martin Zegers adding single goals for an early 4-2 lead.


Cambiaso converted two penalty shots for Lucchese in the second chukker, but Toccalino was  on fire, drilling two more goals from the field.  At the end of the second chukker of play, Mansour found itself on top of a 6-4 score.


Cambiaso and Lucchese came alive in the third period, scoring four goals while holding Mansour to two scores.


Cambiaso scored three goals in the comeback, and Andres Weisz scored his first goal of the game to knot it up at 8-8.  Mansour was held to two goals from Escobar as both teams repaired to the sidelines for the halftime intermission.


The fourth chukker was all Lucchese.  Cambiaso added two more goals and Crowder added his third of the game.  A resolute defense kept Mansour off the scoreboard as Lucchese took an 11-8 advantage.


Mansour fought their way back into it with single goals in the fifth from Toccalino and Zegers while holding Lucchese to a single Cambiaso penalty conversion.  Lucchese continued to lead, but the margin was cut to two goals, 12-10.


Cambiaso’s ninth goal of the contest had Lucchese up 13-10, with time running down, but Mansour continued to press the attack.  A goal from Mansour team captain Ben Soleimani and another from Escobar had them close, but time expired as Lucchese held on for the 13-12 victory.


Cambiaso led all scoring with nine goals.  Crowder added three goals and Weisz was good for a goal in the win.


Toccalino led the Mansour attack with five goals.  Escobar scored four times; Zegers twice and Soleimani added a goal in the loss.


ERG 11, ZACARA 10 OT


“We just made too many mistakes,” offered Zacara 8-goaler, Jeff Hall when asked about his team’s 11-10 loss to ERG (2-0).  “They’re a very good team, but we just had too many penalties to overcome.”


Zacara had eighteen penalties called on it in the course of the match, with ERG converting eight of them for goals.  In comparison, only four of Zacara’s ten goals came via penalty shots.


“It’s (ERG) a very well-balanced team,” said Zacara coach Steve Crowder,” they’re a very tough team.”


The teams were tied after the first chukker (2-2) and again after the second (4-4) before a pair of goals from Zacara 9-goaler Hilario Ulloa and a single goal from team captain Lyndon Lea gave them a 7-5 halftime lead.  ERG was held to a single penalty goal from Paco De Narvaez in the period.


ERG bounced back in the fourth, getting goals from De Narvaez and team captain, Scott Wood, while holding Zacara scoreless, and it was all even, 7-7.


ERG went up, 8-7, after De Narvaez scored on a penalty goal, but Ulloa’s fourth goal of the day ended the chukker in an 8-8 deadlock.


Hall converted two penalty shots in the sixth, and De Narvaez did the same, as the game was forced into sudden-death overtime.


Santi Torres scored the winning goal in the overtime period, and ERG took a perfect 2-0 record off the field with them.


Zacara (1-1) suffered just its first loss of the tournament.


De Narvaez scored all of his game high eight goals on penalty shots.  Torres added two from the field and Wood added a single goal in the win.


Hall scored five times for Zacara.  Ulloa added four goals and Lea chipped in a goal in the effort.


VALIENTE 13, PIOCHO 12


Nacho Astrada and Kris Kampsen delivered a one-two punch Thursday afternoon as Valiente (1-1) knocked off Piocho (0-2) in a 13-12 shootout that saw Julio Gracida return to the Piocho lineup. 


Three first chukker goals from Carlos Gracida had Piocho on top, 3-0, after the first chukker, before giving up two unanswered goals from Astrada in the second.  Valiente cut the lead, 3-2.


The Gracida family provided four goals in the third chukker (two from Carlos and single goals from Memo and Julio) to take a 7-5 halftime lead as Valiente had to settle for a pair of goals from Kampsen and a single goal from Astrada.  After three chukkers of play, Piocho led 7-5.


Astrada took control of the ball in the fourth period, scoring four goals from the field.  Piocho was held to a single goal from Memo Gracida as Valiente moved ahead, 9-8.


A penalty goal from Carlos Gracida and a goal from the field from brother Memo Gracida gave the lead back to Piocho, 10-9, in the fifth, but Valiente wasn’t through.  Taking advantage of penalty situations, Astrada and Kampsen each converted a penalty shot for a goal, and Valiente maintained the lead at the end of five, 11-10.


Scoring went bak and forth in the final chukker of play, with Carlos Gracida scoring twice for Piocho while Valiente got single goals from Astrada and Kampsen.  Time ran out on Piocho with Valiente claiming a 13-12 win.


Astrada scored nine goals from Valiente with teammate Kampsen adding four in the win.


Carlos Gracida scored eight times for Piocho.  Memo Gracida accounted for three goals and Julio Gracida scored once.


GRANTS FARM 13, AUDI 9


Grants Farm (1-1) team captain Andy Busch returned to the lineup Thursday afternoon to see his team score a 13-9 win over the beleaguered Audi (0-2) foursome as Pacific Coast Open action continued.


Audi took the early lead on a pair of goals from Juan Bollini, while holding Grants Farm to a single goal from Jeff Blake in the opening chukker.


Three unanswered goals from Sugar Erskine had Grants Farm on top, 4-3 after the second chukker, and it looked as though it was going to be a long afternoon for the winless foursome.


Blake added three more goals to the Grants Farm total in the third, but single goals from Marc Ganzi, Lolo Castagnola and Bollini kept it close, with Grants Farm holding a 7-5 lerad after the first three chukkers of play.


Audi tied it at 7-7 in the fourth on goals from Ganzi and Bollini, but Blake’s fifth goal of the game gave Grants Farm a narrow 8-7 advantage after four periods of play.


The fifth chukker proved to be the difference in the game.  Grants Farm got single goals from Erskine, Blake and Busch while holding Audi scoreless for an 11-7 lead, and Audi never came back.


The two teams exchanged a pair of goals apiece in the final frame with Cachi Garcia-Velez and Erskine getting on the scoreboard for Grants Farm and Ulysses Escapite and Castagnola answering for Audi.  Final score, Grants Farm 13, Audi 9.


Play will continue in the 2010 Bombardier Pacific coast Open on Sunday with Lucchese (2-0) playing Audi (0-2); ERG (2-0) meeting Valiente (1-1); Zacara (1-1) facing Piocho; and Grants Farm (1-1) mixing it up with Mansour (1-1).