Valiente I remains undefeated; Piaget wins in OT

Valiente I remains undefeated; Piaget wins in OT

By
Alex Webbe

Valiente II 
remained undefeated at 2-0 after downing a scrappy Orchard Hill (0-3) foursome
that staged a second half rally that nearly upset Bob Jornayvaz and his teammates
in competition for the 20-goal, Joe Barry Memorial Cup at the International
Polo Club in Wellington Wednesday afternoon.

Valiente II rang up four goals in the first chukkers with
Julio Gracida and Nacho Astrada registering single goals from the field.  Toto Collardin added a pair for the 4-2
lead.  Orchard hiss got two goals from
Facundo Obregon (one from the field and one on a penalty shot).

Second chukker goals from Collardin Astrada and Gracida
had Valiente II boasting a 7-3 lead after two chukkers of play.  A single goal from Obregon was all the
offense Orchard Hill could muster as they struggled to find a successful rhythm
to their play.

The Orchard Hill defense slowed down the Valiente II attack
in the third chukker, holding them to a single Astrada goal.  Kris Kampsen converted a 40-yard penalty shot
for Orchard Hill’s only goal.  At the end
of the first half, Valiente II held on to an 8-4 lead.

Valiente ran it up to 10-4 in the fourth chukker, with
both Gracida and Astrada scoring single goals. 
Orchard Hill fought to stay in the game but received only a single
penalty goal from Obregon.  At the end of
four chukkers Valiente II led by five goals, 10-5.

For the first timer all day Orchard Hill outscored
Valiente II.  Fifth chukker combat
continued with Obregon scoring twice while Lucas Criado scored his first goal
of the afternoon.  Collardin scored a
goal from the field for Valiente II and Gracida added a penalty goal to end the
chukker with Orchard Hill trailing, 12-8 with seven minutes left in regulation
time.

Obregon added two goals from the field and two goals on
penalty shots in the fourth, cutting deeply into the Valiente II lead.  Astrada replied with a goal from the field
and a converted penalty shot for the final 14-12 win.

Obregon led all scoring with ten goals.  Criado and Kampsen added singe goals.

Astrada scored six goals for Valiente II.  Collardin and Gracida scored four goals
apiece in the win.

PIAGET
8, VALIENTE I  7  OT

Piaget (1-1) scored an 8-7 win over Valiente I (1-2) in
Wednesday’s 3pm contest with the winning goal coming on a goal from Jason
Crowder in sudden-death overtime.

Valiente I scored the first five goals of the game before
Piaget answered in the second chukker.

Valiente I got started with first chukker goals from Jeff
Hall, Santiago Bottaro and Santiago Toccalino while Piaget struggled to
organize its defense. 

Bottaro opened the second period with a goal from the
field while Toccalino converted a 60-yard penalty shot.  Miguel Astrada scored Piaget’s first goal
from the field, adding a second score on a penalty shot.  After two chukkers of play Valiente I held a
5-3 advantage.

The Piaget defense stiffened in the third chukker, and
Valiente I found itself expending more time defending than mounting
attacks.  A defensive foul by Valiente I
resulted in a foul that enabled Astrada to convert a penalty shot for a
goal.  Valiente I continued to lead, but
the lead had been cut to two goals, 5-3, to end the half.

The Piaget defense continued to clamp down on Valiente I
in second half action, pitching a second consecutive shutout “inning”.  Astrada added a goal from the field, and at
the end of the fifth chukker Valiente I found itself trailing by a single goal,
5-4.

Toccalino finally got Valiente I on the scoreboard in the
fifth with a goal from the field. Jason Crowder scored his first goal of the
match.  Piaget continued to trail by a
single goal, but the momentum had shifted and Valiente I wasn’t happy with it.

Sixth chukker play saw Astrada tie it up at 6-6 for
Valiente I, but Toccalino scored his fourth goal of the game (penalty shot) with
less than two minutes to play to give Valiente I a 7-6 advantage.  The teams battled furiously with precious
seconds remaining when Astrada broke loose with the ball.  He carried it through the Valiente defenders
to score, 7-7, and find himself scoring the tying goal as the horn sounded.

After a brief intermission the teams returned to the
field for a throw-in that Argentine 9-goaler Miguel jumped all over.  Astrada drove the ball down the field and
galloped after it with a Valiente I player in hot pursuit.  A finishing shot at the Valiente goal it the
goalpost and bounced back onto the field where a trailing Crowder drove it
through the goalposts for the 8-7 win.

Astrada led the Piaget attack with six goals.  Crowder scored twice, including the game
winner in overtime.

Toccalino was credited with four goals for Valiente
I.  Bottaro scored twice and Hall
registered one goal on the day.