Invitational opener, 13-11
By Alex Webbe
The Grand Champions Polo Club opened their 2013 Fall Season
with a match in the Prisa Invitational between Casablanca (Grant Ganzi,
Juancito Bollini, Wes Finlayson and Mike Azzaro) and Newport (Gene Goldstein,
Guille Aguero, Luis Escobar and Marc Ganzi) Thursday afternoon on the grounds
of the Palm City Polo Club in Boca Raton,, with Newport rallying from five goal
deficit to register a 13-11 win.
Casablanca received two goals by handicap but Marc Ganzi
scored the opening goal on a 60-yard penalty shot for a goal. Casablanca scored three times on goals from
the field from Wes Finlayson, Grant Ganzi and Mike Azzaro. Marc Ganzi slipped in a second goal but it
was Casablanca in the lead, 5-2, at the end of the first chukker.
Bollini stretched the Casablanca lead to four goals with his
second score of the day and Finlayson’s second goal had them in front by five
goals, 7-2. Marc Ganzi and his son Grant
Ganzi exchanged goals to end the period with Newport trailing, 8-3.
Defense set the tone for the third chukker as neither team
was able to score. At the end of the
first half Casablanca sat on top of a comfortable 8-3 advantage.
Newport’s Gene Goldstein got his team back into the game
with three consecutive goals in the fourth period, cutting the lead to 8-6. Finlayson closed out the chukker with his third
goal on the day. Casablanca continued to
lead, 9-6.
Grant Ganzi stretched the Casablanca lead to four goals to
open the fifth, but Marc Ganzi replied in force. Three straight goals ended the chukker with
Newport breathing down the neck of the Casablanca team, 10-9.
Marc Ganzi tied it up in the sixth at 10-10 and Goldstein
gave Newport their first lead of the game, 11-10. Grant Ganzi knotted it at 11-11 but Goldstein
hammered through the go-ahead goal, 12-11, with time running out, and Guille
Aguero scored the insurance goals just before the final horn sounded in an
exciting 13-11 Newport victory.
Marc Ganzi led all scoring with seven goals. Goldstein added five goals and Aguero scored
once for the win. Grant Ganzi led the
Casablanca attack with four goals.
Finlayson scored three times while Bollini and Azzaro each added a goal
in a losing effort.
Prisa Invitational action is slated to continue with a 10am
game Friday morning at the Palm City Polo Club with Paladin (David Krantz, Leo
Mandelbaum, Nic Roldan and Juan Bollini) facing Beluga (Misha Rodzianko,
Carlitos Gracida, Joey Casey and Brandon Phillips).