White Birch Over Black Watch in OT
By Alex Webbe
Pancho Bensadon scored nine goals for White Birch in the course of the game but it was 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre’s fourth goal of the game in sudden-death overtime that won the 15-14 game in the second round of US Open play at the International Polo Club in Wellington late Saturday afternoon.
White Birch jumped on Black Watch early and posted a 4-1 lead after the opening chukker of play that shocked hundreds of spectators that surrounded the field.
Aguerre added two goals and Jeff Blake scored once in the second chukker with Black Watch answering with two goals from Luis Escobar as White Birch extended its lead to four goals, 7-3.
“They (Black Watch) are a very good team,†said Aguerre, “but they were a bit disorganized early on and we took advantage of them. Later on the got organized and before we knew it we were trailing by three goals,†he added.
Fred Mannix, Jr. opened the third chukker with a pair of goals that gave life to the Black Watch team. Escobar scored his fourth goal of the game to cut the lead to a single goal before Bensadon closed out the first half with a penalty conversion with 1:32 on the clock.
“We have to concentrate on the fourth chukker,†said Black Watch 7-goaler Sugar Erskine before the game, and concentrate they did.
Bensadon opened the second half with a goal from the field for White Birch before Black Watch rattled off four unanswered goals.
Escobar converted a penalty shot and took the ball on the ensuing throw-n then drilled a pass downfield to Erskine who carried it through the goal. Escobar scored on another penalty shot to tie the game at 9-9 with Erskine’s second goal of the chukker giving Black Watch a 10-9 lead at the end of the fourth period.
Mannix opened the fifth chukker with a goal followed by a 180-yard breakaway play by Nacho Figueras whose 100-yard shot carried through the goal posts to give Black Watch a 12-9 edge.
“At that point we decided that we had to go back to basics,†said Aguerre, “and decided to go for it.â€
Hustle and teamwork resulted in two more goals by Bensadon as White Birch ended the chukker trailing by a single goal, 12-11.
Refreshed and recharged, White Birch took the field and tried to wrest control of the game from Black Watch. Bensadon opened with a White Birch Goal to tie it at 12-12 but Erskine galloped right back into it with a goal for a 13-12 Black Watch lead. Bensadon converted a penalty got for a goal and another tie, 13-13, and then put White Birch back on top, 14-13, with his ninth goal of the game. With less than two minutes to play Figueras managed to push the ball through the White Birch goal and regulation time expired in a dead head, 14-14.
A brief intermission was broken by the break-neck speed that the two teams had established in the previous six chukkers. When a whistle was sounded in the Black Watch end of the field and White Birch lined up for a 40-yard penalty shot. Bensadon’s shot went wide, however, and the game waged on.
The ball finally found its way to Aguerre’s mallet, and he veteran Argentine superstar carried it through the goal for the win with two Black Watch players doing everything in their power to stop him.
Bensadon led all scoring with nine goals. Aguerre added four goals and Blake and Rob Stenzel each accounted for a single goal.
Escobar led the Black Watch team with six goals. Erskine and Mannix scored three goals apiece while Figueras added two goals in the loss.
The victory keeps White Birch undefeated (2-0) while the talented Black Watch (0-2) team suffered its second straight setback.
US Open action continues on Sunday with a noon match between Lechuza Caracas and Las Monjitas while Zacara will meet Pony Express in the stadium for the 3pm feature match.