USPA North American Cup final set
By Alex Webbe
A balanced
Casablanca attack (Grant Ganzi, Kris Kampsen, Nic Roldan and Jeff Blake)
rebounded from a 7-4 halftime deficit to beat a talented Flight Options polo
team (Patrick Uretz, Hector Galindo, Mason Wroe and Juan Bollini) Tuesday
afternoon in the semifinal of the 2014 USPA North American Cup at the Grand Champions
Polo Club in Wellington.
Earlier in the
day Palm Beach Polo (Glenn Straub, Brandon Phillips, Jeff Hall and Tommy
Biddle) staged a last chukker rally that lifted them past Grand Champions polo
team, 11-8, to earn the other spot in the tournament final.
Flight Options
received three goals by handicap from Casablanca and charged out to a 7-4
halftime lead.
Hector Galindo and Patrick Uretz each scored a
goal in the opening chukker for Flight Options while Casablanca got single
goals from Kris Kampsen and Nic Roldan. With the benefit of three goals by
nandicap, Flight Options sat on top of a 5-2 lead after the first period.
Grant Ganzi and Kampsen scored goals n the
second, cutting the lead to a single goal, 5-4, Uretz added a goal for Flight
Options as they left the field with a 6-4 edge.
The Flight Options defense shut down the
Casablanca attack in the third, and picked up another goal from Galindo. At the
end of the first half Flight Options were in front by three goals, 7-4.
Consecutive goals from Jeff Blake, Grant Ganzi
and Nic Roldan tied the game at 7-7 halfway through the fourth chukker.
Casablanca closed out the period with a goal from the field from Hector Galindo
and a penalty conversion from Mason Wroe. With two chukkers left to play,
Flight Options were defending a 9-7, two goal lead.
Both attacks stalled in the opening minutes of
the fifth period, with Grant Ganzi scoring the first goal of the chukker at the
4:26 mark, 9-8, Kris Kampsen tied it at 9-9 in the final mninute of play as the
Flight Options attack was grounded by a disciplined Casablanca defense.
Jeff Blake;s second goal of the game came in
the opening 30 seconds of the sixth chukker and broke the tie and gave
Casablanca a one goal lead, 10-9. Roldan iced it with his third goal of the day
while Flight Options was held scoreless for the second consecutive chukker and
found themselves on the short end of an 11-9 score,
Grant Ganzi, Kris
Kampsen and Nic Roldan scored three goals apiece. Jeff Blake added two goals
for the win. Hector Galindo led the Flight Options offense with three goals,
Patrick Uretz scored twice and Mason Wroe was credited with a goal in the loss.
Flight Options also received three goals by handicap from the 20-goal
Casablanca lineup.
The victory boosts Casablanca into the
tournament final on Sunday against Palm Beach Polo. Flight Options and Grand
Champions are slated to meet in the consolation match, Game times are 1PM and
3PM.