USPA Piaget Gold Cup: White Birch vs. Black Watch

March 22, 2009 Game Reports 0

White Birch Stages Winning Rally in Gold Cup Play


By Alex Webbe


 


After trailing throughout the first four chukkers of the game, White Birch rallied to score seven goals in the final two periods of play for a 12-11 win Sunday afternoon in USPA Piaget Gold Cup competition at the International Polo Club in Wellington.


 


Black Watch took an early 2-1 lead on goals from Sugar Erskine and Luis Escobar.  White Birch’s Pancho Bensadon accounting for their only goal.


 


Nacho Figueras scored the first two goals of the second chukker with Bensadon converting a penalty shot and scoring from the field for White Birch.  Black Watch held the 4-3 lead at the end of the chukker.


 


Fred Mannix and Escobar added single goals for Black Watch in the third chukker.  Ten-goaler Mariano Aguerre responded with a goal from the field for White Birch.  Black Watch left the field with a 6-4 edge.


 


White Birch patron Peter Brant was forced to leave the game at halftime with a shoulder injury and was replaced by Canadian 2-goaler Rob Stenzel. 


 


Play see-sawed back and forth in the fourth chukker with Bensadon adding two more goals while Black Watch picked up single goals from Mannix and Escobar, and held a two goal lead, 8-6.


 


The fifth chukker belonged to White Birch.  Goals came from Bensadon, Jeff Blake and Aguerre.  Black Watch was held scoreless for the first time all afternoon and trailed for the first time all day, 9-8.


 


“I don’t think it was the goal (his goal) that turned the game in the fifth chukker,” said Aguerre, “I think it was a change in strategy.”


 


Escobar opened the sixth chukker with a goal on a penalty shot to tie the game, 9-9,  but Bensadon answered with a well placed shot through the Black Watch goal posts to retake the lead, 10-9.


 


White Birch continued to press the attack with Stenzel scoring his first goal of the game followed by another goal from Bensadon, giving White Birch a three goal lead, 12-9.


 


Not ready to give up, Mannix showed great individual effort on a scoring drive followed by a valiant effort from Erskine who scored the final goal of the game.  With White Birch patron Peter Brant on the sidelines, Black Watch fell, 12-11.


 


“Every goal is important when you need goals,” said MVP Bensadon, “It was not enough to get us into the finals.”


Aguerre’s 13-year-old Bay, Califa, was named Best Playing Pony.


 


Despite the loss, Black Watch moves into Wednesday’s semifinals on net goals scored.