Valiente I wins in OT; MetalTek takes Pony Express Apart
in Ylvisaker Cup
By
Alex Webbe
Second round play in the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup at the
International Polo Club in Wellington got underway Sunday afternoon with
Valiente I running its record to 2-0 with overtime win at the expense of
Orchard Hill (1-1) while MetalTek (1-1) finally got into the winning column
with a 16-8 victory over Pony Express (0-2).
In an opening chukker that saw six penalties whistled, Valiente
I fought Orchard Hill to a 2-2 tie with Santiago Toccalino converting a pair of
60-yard penalty shots for goals in the opening chukker. Orchard Hill responded with a goal from the field
from Pablo Spinacci and Facundo Obregon (penalty conversion).
Orchard Hill shutout the Valiente I attack in the second
period while picking up two goals from Lucas Criado for a 4-2 advantage after
two chukkers of play.
Jeff Hall and Toccalino scored single goals in the third
for Valiente I, but Orchard Hill was up to the challenge. Criado responded with two goals as orchard
Hill maintained a two goal lead after the first half of play, 6-4.
The umpire’s whistles continued to sound throughout the
fourth chukker with five more fouls being called. Toccalino scored a penalty goal for Valiente
I in the opening twenty seconds of play, followed by a goal from the field from
Hall two minutes later, and it was all even at 6-6. Spinacci scored on a penalty shot and added a
goal from the field on a perfectly executed tail shot to end the chukker. Orchard Hill continued to lead, 8-6.
Ten more penalties were whistled in the fifth with
Toccalino converting two of them and having two of them blocked. A third goal from Toccalino cut the Orchard
Hill led to a single goal, 10-9, as Spinacci and Obregon managed single goals.
Toccalino tied it again at 10-10 in the first fifty
seconds of the sixth period, but Obregon gave the lead back to Orchard Hill,
11-10 just a minute later on a penalty goal.
Toccalino converted a 40-yard penalty shot midway through the period
resulting in an 11-11 tie that would force the game into sudden-death overtime.
Hall took the opening throw-in in overtime down the field
to the Orchard Hill goal where a foul on the goal line gave Valiente I a
penalty shot from less than a yard away.
Toccalino stroked the ball through the goal posts for the Valiente I
win.
Toccalino led all scoring with ten goals (seven on
penalty shots). Hall scored twice.
Spinacci and Criado scored four goals apiece for Orchard
Hill. Obregon added three goals in the
loss.
METALTEK
16, PONY EXPRESS 8
MetalTek and Pony Express fought to 3-3 tie after the
first chukker, but caved in the third when MetalTek put four goals on the
scoreboard on their way to a 16-8 win.
Pony Express received one goal by handicap from the
20-goal MetalTek team and added two more on goals from Juan Garcia Grossi. MetalTek countered with single goals from
Sebastian Merlos, Carlucho Arellano (40-yard penalty conversion) and Will
Johnston.
Arellano added two more goals (one from the field and one
from the penalty line) in the second frame.
Pony Express answered with a penalty conversion from Tomas Goti. MetalTek held a narrow 5-4 advantage.
Goti scored on another penalty goal in the third, but
MetalTek fired back with three goals from the field from Merlos and another
penalty goal from Arellano. At the end
of the first half, MetalTek held a comfortable 9-5 edge.
The MetalTek attack continued to harass the Pony Express
defenders in the fourth, converting on just one goal in three attempts, but the
pressure was on. Bob Daniels converted a
penalty shot for Pony Express with the period ending with MetalTek maintaining
its four goal lead, 10-6.
Merlos converted a 60-yard penalty goal to open the
scoring in the fifth chukker, but that would be the end of their attack. Goals from Daniels and Grossi ended the
period with Pony Express trailing by only three goals, 11-8.
If there was ever any doubt about the final result of the
match, MetalTek put an end to the speculation in the sixth. A pair of goals from Stevie Orthwein and
three goals from Arellano (one penalty goals and a goal from the field) were
combined with lights-out defense that kept Pony Express off of the scoreboard
for a 16-8 final.
Arellano led the field with eight goals (six on penalty
shots). Merlos added five goals. Orthwein accounted for two goals and Johnston
scored once in the win.
Grossi led the Pony Express offense with three
goals. Daniels and Goti scored two goals
apiece and the team received one goal by handicap.