Grand Champions in Tackeria Spring Invitational Finals
By Alex Webbe
Isabella Wolf, the 18-year-old phenom from Middleburg, Virginia proved that her MVP honor in last week’s South Beach Women’s Polo Cup was no fluke. She showed great form and seasoned teamwork as she scored four goals in helping Grand Champions to an 11-9 win over Pony Express in Friday afternoon’s match. The Victory vaults Grand Champions into a position in Sunday’s finals of the 2009 Tackeria Spring Invitational at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington.
“This is my first 16-goal grass game,” said the Virginia native, “I’m a little nervous but really looking forward to it,” she added.
There seemed to be little for her to be nervous about as she scored two of her team’s four first chukker goals.
Pony Express rode onto the field with US polo’s latest 9-goaler in Nick Roldan, but could do little to stop the scoring of Wolf.
On the strength of Wolf, two goals from Kris Kampsen and a goal from Charlie Muldoon, Grand Champions rode out to a 6-5 lead over Pony Express, after surrendering two goals by handicap.
Grand Champions maintained the single goal lead, 7-6, after four chukkers of play. Brandon Phillips scored twice in the last two chukkers for Pony Express, and Marc Ganzi added a single goal, but Wolf and Kampsen each scored a pair of goals for the final 11-9 score.
Kampsen led all scorers with six goals. Wolf scored four times and Muldoon added a single goal for the win.
Bob Daniels scored once for Pony Express while teammates Ganzi, Roldan and Phillips each chipped in a pair of goals.
PORT MAYACA OVER AUDI 8-7
In an earlier game, Port Mayaca Polo Club’s Stevie Orthwein and Audi’s Leo Mandelbaum faced off in a shootout to decide the outcome of a match that ended in a 7-7 tie after six chukkers of play.
Audi received two goals by handicap from the 16-goal Port Mayaca Polo Club and quickly made it 3-0 on the strength of a penalty conversion from Mandelbaum. Port Mayaca got on the board with two goals from Julio Gracida to end the first period of play with Audi ahead, 3-2.
The pace picked up in the second chukker but the defenses were equal to the task. Audi’s Joey Casey accounted for the only goal to give Audi a 4-2 advantage.
Port Mayaca turned it up a notch in the third with Stevie Orthwein scoring two goals from the field while turning in a brilliant defensive effort. The teams left the field after the first half in a 4-4 tie.
Orthwein opened up the fourth period with a goal followed by another tally from Julio Gracida. Mandelbaum kept Audi in the game by converting another penalty shot, but Port Mayaca held on to a narrow 6-5 lead as time ran out in the period.
Weston Gracida split the goal posts with a well-placed backhander to give Port Mayaca a two goal lead in the fifth at 7-5, but Juan Bollini brought Audi back to within a goal with a scoring shot that ended the period. Port Mayaca held a 7-6 lead.
Both teams carried the ball from end to end throughout the sixth chukker with near misses by both Audi and Port Mayaca. Just when it seemed that Port Mayaca would escape with the victory in regulation time, Mandelbaum scored his third goal of match to even it at 7-7 as the final horn sounded.
Both teams agreed on a penalty shoot-out to decide the game with Orthwein saddling up for Port Mayaca and Mandelbaum taking back to the field fro Audi. Orthwein converted two of three attempts for Port Mayaca to score the win and earn Port Mayaca a berth in Sunday’s finals.