Valiente II and Lechuza flex muscles in Piaget Gold Cup
wins; Piaget downs Las Monjitas
By Alex Webbe
Wins by Piaget, Lechuza and Valiente II highlighted the
second day of play in the 2012 USPA Piaget Gold Cup at the International Polo
Club in Wellington.
In the opening game of the day Piaget led a talented Las
Monjitas team throughout most of the game before having to stage a last chukker
rally to capture a 10-9 victory.
Javier Astrada scored the first goal of the game on a
penalty conversion, but was quickly answered by a goal from the field from
Gonzalito Pieres and a penalty goal from Jeff Hall. The early lead went to Piaget, 2-1.
Javier Astrada tied it at 2-2 in the second chukker with
a goal from the field, but Nico Pieres went to work, scoring twice for Piaget for
a 4-2 advantage.
Gonzalito Pieres put on an exhibition in ball control to
open the third period, carrying the ball through, around and past all
opposition before depositing it between the Las Monjitas goal posts for a 5-2
lead. An oppressive defense kept Las
Monjitas from scoring while Hall added another penalty goal to the Piaget
total. At the end of the first half,
Piaget was sitting on top of a 6-2 score.
A determined Las Monjitas ream took the field in the
fourth chukker determined to get back into the game. A penalty goal from Javier Astrada and a goal
from the field from Eduardo Astrada cut the Piaget lead to two goals, 6-4. Hall closed out the chukker with a goal from
the field and a 7-4 Piaget lead.
Eduardo Astrada cut the Piaget lead to two goals with the
opening goal of the fifth. Gonzalito
Pieres responded with a goal from the field and Hall converted a penalty shot to
lead, 7-4. Eduardo Astrada scored the
last goal of the chukker, but Piaget continued to lead, 9-6.
A refreshed Las Monjitas team returned to the field for
the final chukker of the game. Ten-goaler Eduardo Astrada scored two quick
goals for Las Monjitas, and the Piaget lead was cut to a single goal, 9-8. With 42 seconds left in regulation play,
Javier Astrada took advantage of a Piaget foul to tie it up on a penalty
conversion, 9-9. Time was running out,
neither team had managed to break through for the tie-breaker until a long
drive down field put Hall in position to drive the ball through the Las
Monjitas goal posts for the 10-9 win.
Hall’s four goals (two on penalty shots) led the Piaget
attack with Gonzalito Pieres and his brother Nico Pieres scoring three times
apiece in the victory.
Javier Astrada and Eduardo Astrada scored for goals each
(three of Eduardo’s goals were on penalty conversions). Laprida added a goal.
LECHUZA
CARACAS 15, COCA-COLA 8
Lechuza Caracas flexed their
muscles in Thursday afternoon’s USPA Piaget Gold Cup contest by embarrassing a
veteran Coca-Cola team 15-8.
An aggressive Lechuza Caracas
attack kept Coca-Cola on their heels as the entire lineup pummeled the anemic
defense and ran up a 4-1 first chukker score.
A penalty goal from Sapo Caset got the party started followed by a pair
of well executed goals from Facundo Obregon for a 3-0 lead. Julio Arellano finally got Coca-Cola on the
scoreboard, but a final goal from Juan Martin Nero gave Lechuza Caracas the 4-1
lead.
Three straight goals from
Lechuza Caracas increased the lead to six goals, 7-1 before Hilario Ulloa broke
the ice with his first goal of the day.
The Lechuza Caracas lead stood at five goals, 7-2, after the first two
chukkers of play.
Lechuza Caracas team captain
Victor Vargas scored a goal from the field in the third that was sandwiched between
a pair of penalty goals from Caset. A
stalwart defense held Coca-Cola scoreless in the third chukker; with Lechuza
Caracas taking a commanding 10-2 lead at the end of the first half.
Goals from Caset and Nero in
the fourth were countered by a single penalty goal from Luis Escobar, and the
chukker ended with the Lechuza Caracas lead ballooning to nine goals, 12-3.
Two goals from the field
from Caset ran the score to 14-3, but Coca-Cola didn’t give up. Team captain Gillian Johnston scored from the
field followed by a 60-yard penalty conversion from Arellano. The period ended with Coca-Cola trailing by
nine goals, 14-5.
Coca-Cola added three more
goals in the sixth chukker with two of them coming from Johnston. Escobar scored his third goal of the
afternoon, but that would be where the Coca-Cola rally would end. Caset converted a 40-yard penalty shot to end
the match in a 15-8 Lechuza Caracas win.
Caset led all scoring with
nine goals (three on penalty shots). Obregon
accounted for three goals; Nero scored twice; and Vargas added a goal in the
victory.
Johnston and Escobar led the
Coca-Cola offense with three goals each.
Ulloa and Arellano added single goals in the loss.
VALIENTE
II 16, ORCHARD HILL 7
In an impressive display of teamplay and expert mallet work,
Valiente II scored a decisive 16-7 win over a struggling Orchard Hill team as
USPA Piaget Gold Cup play continued.
Valiente II might have suffered an embarrassing loss in the
finals of the C. V. Whitney Cup last week, but they took early control of their
match, running up a 6-1 lead after the first two chukkers.
A pressing Valiente II attack forced Orchard Hill fouls
that were quickly converted into goals.
Three straight penalty gals were scored by 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso
before Orchard Hill could react. A closing
penalty conversion from Mariano Gonzalez got Orchard Hill on the scoreboard,
but after one chukker they trailed 3-1.
For the second straight chukker Valiente II scored the first three goals
of the period, registering single goals from Alejo Taranco, Cambiaso and Pelon
Stirling. A 40-yard penalty goal from
Gonzalez kept Orchard Hill in the hunt, trailing 6-2.
Whether Valiente II decided to rest on their laurels or
Orchard Hill had a good chukker, the game tightened in the third. The Orchard Hill defense shut out the
powerful Valiente II team for the first time all afternoon and scored four
unanswered goals to tie it up at 6-6.
Penalty goals from Gonzalez and 10-goaler Pablo MacDonough and a pair of
goals from the field from Lucas Criado had it all even at the half, 6-6.
What a difference a short intermission can be for a
talented polo team that needs to get reorganized. Valiente II charged onto the field in the
fourth, scoring three straight goals (Cambiaso, Taranco and Robert Jornayvaz)
before a goal from MacDonough interrupted their run. A 60-yard penalty conversion from Cambiaso
ended the chukker with Valiente II defending a 10-7 lead.
Four more Valiente II goals went unanswered with Jornayvaz
adding two more goals from the field while Taranco and Stirling added single
goals. The Orchard Hill offense was
silenced as Valiente II found themselves on the winning end of a 14-7 score.
Cambiaso and Stirling scored the final two goals of the
16-7 win.
Cambiaso led the field with seven goals. Jornayvaz, Taranco and Stirling scored three
goals apiece.
Gonzalez scored three times for Orchard Hill. Criado and MacDonough added single goals in a
losing effort.