US Open semifinalists emerge from long day of polo
ByAlex Webbe
A full day of polo at the International Polo Club inWellington featured the quarterfinals of the 2012 Nespresso US Openchampionship with four teams emerging as the winners who will play inWednesday’s semifinals.
In the day’s finale, Facundo Pieres scored ten goals inleading Zacara to a 13-7 romp over a beleaguered Coca-Cola foursome
Magoo Laprida opened the scoring with a goalfrom the field followed by a pair of goals from Pieres. With just a minute left to play in thechukker, Coca-Cola’s Hilario Ulloa broke through the Zacara attack for a goalto end the period trailing, 3-1.
Two more goals from Pieres in the second period wentunanswered as the Zacara defense shut down any attempt to get near the Zacaragoal. After the first two chukkers ofplay, Zacara led by four goals, 5-1.
Coca-Cola got it going a bit in the third with anothergoal from Ulloa and a 40-yard penalty conversion from Julio Arellano. Two more goals from Pieres kept Zacara fourgoals ahead with a 7-3 halftime lead.
A renewed Coca-Cola team took to the field in the fourth,scoring three times in the first three minutes. Pieres scored on a penalty shot to keep Zacara from being blanked,cutting the lead to two goals, 8-6.
Zacara snapped back in the fifth period with goals fromMike Azzaro and a goal from the field from Pieres. Dogged defense shut out the Coca-Cola attackfor the second time as Zacara reclaimed its four goal lead, 10-6.
Arellano scored his first goal from the field, but thatwould be the end of the Coca-Cola offense. Laprida drove the ball through the goalposts from 80yards out with Pieresclosing out the scoring with two more penalty goals. The 13-6 victory boosted the team intoWednesday’s semifinals.
Pieres lit it up with ten goals on the day (three onpenalty shots). Laprida scored twice andAzzaro added a goal in the win.
Arellano (two penalty goals) and Ulloa scored three goalsapiece for Coca-Cola. Team captainGillian Johnston added a goal in a losing effort.
VALIENTEI 14, VALIENTE II 11
The match so many were waiting for with greatanticipation Sunday afternoon turned out to be a bust with 10-goaler AdolfoCambiaso being forced to resign after the first three chukkers due to apreviously injured mallet hand. Cambiasowas replaced by 10-goaler Pablo MacDonough, but the chemistry wasn’t the sameas they fell 14-11.
Pelon Stirling put Valiente II on top after the firstchukker with a goal from the field and a penalty goal. Valiente I responded with a goal from NachoAstrada, and trailed Valiente II, 2-1.
Second chukker goals from Stirling and Cambiaso hadValiente II in front by three goals, 4-1, with the two 10-goal stars playing asif they had played together all of their lives. A physical defense kept Valiente I from scoring as they fell behind bythree goals.
The wheels came off the wagon for Valiente II in thethird chukker with Valiente I putting five goals on the scoreboard whileholding Valiente II to a single goal from Stirling. Two goals from Nacho Astrada and single goalsfrom Miguel Astrada and Polito Pieres tied it up at 5-5 at the end of the firsthalf.
Bad news for Valiente II as it was learned thatCambiaso’s injury wouldn’t allow him to continue. Ten-goaler Pablo MacDonough’s team had beeneliminated from the Open earlier in the day, and he was pressed into service. Initially the addition seemed to be a boostto the Valiente II team. A pair ofpenalty conversions from Pieres was countered by single goals from AlejoTaranco and Stirling. MacDonough added agoal from the field and a penalty goal as Valiente II moved ahead, 9-7.
A vengeful Valiente I cadre showed a whole new face inthe fifth chukker, physically manhandling their opponents as they rang up fivegoals while limiting Valiente II to a single penalty goal. Fouls continued to get Valiente II intotrouble, having already given up four penalty scores in the last two chukkers. Nacho Astrada would score two of his threegoals from the penalty line while teammate Pieres would also convert a penalty shotfor a goal. Miguel Astrada added a goalfrom the field as Valiente I took a two goals lead, 12-10. Stirling scored Valiente II’s only goal on apenalty shot.
Two more penalty goals in the sixth chukker for ValienteI as Pieres and Nacho Astrada struck again were answered with a single penaltygoal from MacDonough for the final 14-11 score in the Valiente win.
Nacho Astrada scored a game high seven goals (four onpenalty shots). Pieres added fivepenalty goals and Miguel Astrada played brilliantly, adding two goals in thevictory.
Stirling accounted for six Valiente II goals (two onpenalty shots). Macdonough scored threetimes (twice on penalty shots). Cambiasoand Taranco scored single goals in the loss.
LECHUZACARACAS 13, ORCHARD HILL 11
Orchard Hill came out with their A-game, and kept itclose for much of the game, but a strong finish by Lechuza Caracas gave them a13-11 win and a berth in Wednesday’s semifinals of the 2012 Nespresso US OpenChampionship at the International Polo Club in Wellington.
Lechuza Caracas boasted two 10-goal players in theirlineup with Sapo Caset and Juan Martin Nero, and ran out to an early 2-0 leadon the strength of a pair of penalty goals from Caset. Orchard Hill responded with two goals fromthe field from their own 10-goaler, Pablo MacDonough, leaving it all even at2-2 after the first chukker of play.
Goals from Mariano Gonzalez and Lucas Criado had OrchardHill on top of a 4-2 score just three minutes into the second period. Nero cut the lead to a single goal with hisfirst score of the afternoon, 4-3. Gonzalezadded a penalty goal, extending the lead to two goals, 5-3. Caset and Nero closed out the scoring in thelast minute-and-a-half of the chukker with single goals for a 5-5 tie.
Criado scored in the first thirty seconds of the thirdchukker for a 6-5 Orchard Hill advantage. Caset converted a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal and a 6-6 score. Nero put Lechuza Caracas ahead, 7-6, with histhird goal of the day, but goals from Criado and MacDonough had Orchard Hillleading 8-7 at the end of the first three chukkers.
Lechuza Caracas owned the opening chukker of the secondhalf, picking up two goals from Caset; the first coming in the first threeminutes of the chukker and the second with just five seconds on the clock. The LechuzaCaracas defense held Orchard Hill scoreless, taking a 9-8 lead into the fifthperiod.
The two teams exchanged goals in the fifth, with MacDonoughand Gonzalez getting on the board for Orchard Hill and Caset adding a pair ofgoals for Lechuza Caracas. LechuzaCaracas continued to lead, 11-10.
Caset scored the opening goal of the final chukker togive Lechuza Caracas a 12-10 lead, but orchard Hill fought right back. A 60-yard penalty conversion from Gonzalezhad Orchard Hill breathing down their neck, 12-11. A final rush at the Orchard Hill resulted ina well-placed and authoritative shot through the goals posts by Lechuza Caracasteam captain Victor Vargas for the 13-11 win.
Caset scored nine times in the victory (four times onpenalties). Nero added three goals andVargas accounted for the final goal.
MacDonough and Gonzalez scored four goals each (two ofGonzalez’s goals were on penalty shots). Criado was credited with three goals.
ERG12, AUDI 10
ERG raced out to a three goal lead on a goal from AgustinMerlos and a pair of goals from Paco de Narvaez. Audi rallied with a pair of penalty goalsfrom Gonzalito Pieres and a goal from the field from Jeff Hall for a 3-3deadlock.
The two teams traded goals again in the second with NicoPieres scoring from the field and Gonzalito Pieres adding a penalty goal. Agustin Merlos responded with two goals ofhis own (one on a penalty shot) and the teams were tied up at 5-5.
A 60-yard penalty shot by Gonzalito Pieres in the thirdwas countered by individual goals from Sebastian Merlos and de Narvaez (in thelast 38 seconds) for a 7-6 halftime lead for ERG.
Audi fared no better in the second half with AgustinMerlos scoring on a penalty shot and Sebastian Merlos adding another goal fromthe field. Gonzalito kept Audi in thegame with a penalty goal, but ERG owned the 9-7 advantage.
A penalty goal from Gonzalito Pieres and a goal from the fieldfrom Marc Ganzi had it all even at 9-9, but a goal from Agustin Merlos with 48seconds left to play had ERG leaving the field to prepare for the final chukkerwith a narrow 10-9 advantage.
Sebastian Merlos gave ERG a two goal lead, 11-9, with apenalty conversion, and provided disciplined defense that kept Audi fromscoring for over three minutes. Audi fought back with a goal from Nico Pieres,11-10, but could get no closer. Sebastian Merlos scored the final goal of the game with 18 seconds on theclock for the 12-10 victory.
Gonzalito Pieres led all scoring with six penaltygoals. Nico Pieres added two goals andGanzi and Hall each chipped in a goal in the loss.
Five goals from Agustin Merlos set the pace for ERG. Sebastian Merlos added four goals and de Narvaezwas credited with three goals in the win.
The victories on the day set the stage for the NespressoUS Open semifinals with Lechuza Caracas meeting Valiente I in the 2pm contestwhile ERG faces Zacara at 4pm.