Semifinals Set for 2012 Ylvisaker Cup
ByAlex Webbe
The semifinals of the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup at theInternational Polo Club in Wellington are set for next Wednesday with Lucchese(4-0) and Piaget (3-1) facing off at 1 pm while Audi (4-0) and Coca-Cola taketo the field in a 3 pm contest to decide this year’s finalists.
Lucchese was the first team to lock up a berth in thesemifinals of the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup with a solid 14-11 win over a competitiveOrchard Hill foursome.
Pelon Stirling scored the first goal of the game andteammate Cote Zegers made it 2-0 with a first chukker goal. Facundo Obregon kept Orchard Hill from beingshut out with a penalty conversion. Atthe end of the first period, Orchard Hill trailed 2-1.
Stirling added three penalty goals in the second, withSanti Torres scoring his first goal of the game on a shot from the field. Orchard Hill managed single goals fromObregon and Lucas Criado (penalty conversion), but Lucchese extended its leadto three goals, 6-3.
Orchard Hill staged a third chukker rally that tied itup, picking up two penalty goals from Hector Galindo and single goals from thefield from Criado and Obregon. Stirlingscored Lucchese’s only goal of the period on a penalty goal. At the end of the first half the score wasall even at 7-7.
Stirling opened the scoring in the second half with agoal from the field, but Galindo answered back with a goal for Orchard Hill tokeep it knotted up at 8-8. Stirlingconverted a penalty shot for a goal and added two more goals from the field asLucchese left the field at the end of the chukker with an 11-8 advantage.
Orchard Hill stormed onto the field in the fifth andcontinued to press their attack. Obregonconverted two more penalty shots for goals to come within a goal of the lead,11-10 when Lucchese woke up. Goals fromZegers and Torres closed out the period with Lucchese carrying a three goal,13-10 lead into the final chukker of play.
As both teams battled for control of the ball, Obregonslipped through the Lucchese defenses and scored. Torres responded with a Lucchese goal, inwhat would be the final score of the game. Time expired with Lucchese taking the game by a 14-11 score and becomingthe first team to qualify for the semifinals of the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup nextWednesday.
Stirling led the field with nine goals. Torres scored three times and Zegerscontributed two goals to the win.
Obregon’s six goals led the Orchard Hill attack. Galindo added three goals and Criado scoredtwice in a losing effort.
PIAGET14, CIRCA 9
Undefeated Circa rode into the second quarterfinal of theday with a perfect 3-0 record in Ylvisaker Cup competition and scored theopening three goals of the game, but it would be Piaget who would ride off withthe game in a 14-9 slugfest that would see 23 fouls whistled in the contest.
Argentine 9-goaler Hilario Ulloa gave circa an early 3-0lead as he converted on three successive penalty shots for goals in the firstperiod of play. Piaget returned thefavor, picking up penalty goals from Miguel Astrada, Juan Bollini and JasonCrowder as they rode a 3-3 tie into the second chukker of the game.
Astrada converted two more penalty shots for goals andadded a goal from the field as Circa struggled to find an effective offensivegame plan. After two chukkers of play,Piaget held a 6-3 edge.
Martin Pepa and Ulloa scored single goals from the fieldfor Circa, limiting Piaget to a penalty goal from Crowder. Atthe end of the first half, Piaget owned a 7-5 lead over Circa.
Circa tied it up at 7-7 on goals from Pepa and Ulloa, butCrowder gave the lead back to Piaget as he scored two goals from the field inbrilliant runs and impressive stickwork. The fourth period ended with Piaget ahead, 9-7.
Piaget broke it open in the fifth with Crowder andAstrada adding two goals apiece while limiting Circa to single goals from Circateam captain Chris Del Gatto and Ulloa (penalty goal). With one chukker left to be played, Piagetcommanded a 13-4 lead.
Crowder added a final goal in the sixth while the Piagetdefense shutout the Circa offense for the second time in a 14-9 victory.
Crowder set the pace for Piaget with seven goals. Astrada added six goals to the total andBollini chipped in a goal as well.
Ulloa scored six goals for Circa. Pepa added a pair of goals and Del Gattoscored once in the loss.
COCA-COLA15, VALIENTE I 10
Coca-Cola rebounded after suffering their first loss ofthe season and handed Valiente I a healthy 15-10 beating as it continued itsmarch toward a possible third consecutive 20-goal tournament title. Coca-Cola took the season opening HerbiePennell Cup and rode off with the Joe Barry Memorial Cup as well beforesuffering a loss at the hands of Circa last week.
Coca-Cola’s Sugar Erskine finally got Coca-Cola on thescoreboard after an uneventful first couple of minutes of play. Action got no more pronounced throughout thebalance of the chukker with Coca-Cola taking the narrow lead off the field withthem after the first period of play.
Valiente I took control of the second period, gatheringthree goals from Santiago Toccalino (one on a penalty shot) and a goal from thefield from Martin Donovan, for a 4-2 edge. Coca-Cola managed but a single goal on a 40-yard penalty conversion fromAmerican 9-goaler Julio Arellano. Thechukker ended with Valiente in the possession of a 4-2 advantage.
Coca-Cola swept back into the lead in the third chukkeron single goals from Gillian Johnston and Arellano (penalty conversion) and apair of goals from Mason Wroe. Valiente Iwas held to a single goal from Jeff Hall, as they trailed 6-5 at the end of thefirst half.
Five more Coca-Cola goals rocked the Valiente I defensein the fourth period with Erskine scoring once from the field and Arellanoscoring four times (three penalty conversions). Toccalino scored a single goal for Valiente I, but they found themselvesin an 11-6 hole as the chukker ended.
Goals from the field from Arellano and Erskine ran theCoca-Cola lead to seven goals, 13-6, before Valiente I could respond. A penalty goal from Toccalino and a goal fromthe field from Hall cut into the Coca-Cola lead, but Valiente I continued totrail by five goals, 13-8.
Erskine added two more goals to the growing Coca-Colatotal in the final chukker of play while Valiente I was limited to a pair ofgoals from Toccalino (one from the field and the other goal on a penaltyconversion). The final horn sounded witha resounding 15-10 Coca-Cola victory.
Arellano accounted for seven of the Coca-Cola goals. Erskine scored five times. Wroe registered a goal from the field and apenalty conversion and team captain Gillian Johnston scored a single goal inthe win.
Toccalino was the high scorer for Valiente I with sevengoals. Hall added two goals and Donovanscored once.
AUDI11, VILLA DEL LAGO 9
In choppy play, Audi scored a pair of goals in a fifthchukker rally that carried them to an 11-9 win over Villa Del Lago in the finalmatch of Friday’s quarterfinals of the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup.
Audi got on the scoreboard early, picking up a pair ofgoals from the field from Brazilian 8-goaler Rodrigo Andrade for an early 2-0lead. Villa Del Lago scraped their wayback into the game with a closing first chukker penalty goal from MagooLaprida. After the opening seven minutesof play, Audi held on to a tenuous 2-1 advantage.
Nic Roldan extended the Audi lead with a pair of goalsfrom the field and a 40-yard penalty conversion. Villa Del Lago kept it close, picking up agoal from the field from Augustin Obregon and a penalty goal from PelonEscapite. The second chukker ended withAudi ahead, 5-3.
The Villa Del Lago defense controlled the third period,shutting out the Audi attack while picking up a pair of much needed goals fromEscapite. A 60-yard penalty conversionand a goal from the field had it all even at 5-5 at the end of the first threechukkers of play.
Lucas Lalor scored twice from the field in the fourth,but single goals from Laprida and Escapite kept it all even at 7-7, as Audimissed capitalizing on a 60-yard penalty shot.
Two more penalty goals from Roldan went unanswered in thefifth as Audi took the lead, 9-7, and never trailed again.
Laprida and Obregon scored single goals in the finalchukker, but single goals from Andrade and Roldan (penalty goal) were enough tocarry the day as Audi drove off with the 11-9 win.
Roldan led all scoring with six goals. Andrade added three goals and Lalor accountedfor two goals in the victory.
Escapite led the Villa Del Lago attack with fourgoals. Laprida scored three times andObregon accounted for two goals in the loss.
Next Wednesday’s semifinals will feature Lucchese against Piaget at 1 pm followed by a matchup between Coca-Cola and Audi at 3 pm.