Zacara slips into US Open quarterfinals; matchups set
By Alex Webbe
After losing close contests to Crab Orchard (15-14) and the Hawks (10-9 in OT), Zacara (1-2) managed to capture its first win of the 2011 US Open championship by handing Lechuza(2-1) its first loss in a 6-5 game Sunday afternoon at the International Polo Club in Wellington.
Zacara put goals on the scoreboard from Facundo Pieres (penalty conversion) and Sebastian Merlos on their way to a 5-0 halftime lead.
For the first time all season long, Lechuza was held scoreless for the opening three chukkers of play. Second chukker goals from Mariano Uranga and Carlitos Gracida had Zacara ahead 4-0, and a single goal from Gracida in the third made it Zacara five and Lechuza, zero.
Lechuza showed a little life in the fourth with Gaston Lisioli (substituting for Martin Espain) and 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero (60-yard penalty conversion) each scoring while holding Zacara scoreless for the first time all afternoon.
Lechuza cut further into the Zacara lead in the fifth, getting a pair of goals from Sapo Caset. Zacara responded with a single goal from Gracida for a 6-4 edge.
Facundo Pieres made it 7-4 with an early sixth chukker goal, but Lechuza continued to press the Zacara defense. Caset’s third goal of the game cut the Zacara lead to two goals, 7-5, with time running down on the clock. With just over a minute left in regulation time, Lisioli drove the ball through the Zacara goal posts, cutting the lead to a single goal, 7-6, but time expired before the ball could be bowled in.
The victory lifts the Zacara record to 1-2, not impressive by any means, but enough to make it into the tournament quarterfinals. Lechuza had already qualified for the quarterfinals on the strength of two earlier wins, and ends preliminary play with a respectable 2-1 record.
“We were in control of the game from the beginning,†offered Zacara’s 10-goaler, Facundo Pieres when asked about the low-scoring affair, and we didn’t want to press the horses. We did what we needed to do today.â€
Pieres scored only twice in the win, and had been averaging eight goals a game coming in to the contest. Lechuza’s Sapo Caset scored three times after averaging seven goals a game in their two earlier matches.
The Zacara victory pairs Zacara (1-2) against Audi (3-0) at noon on Sunday, April 10 while Lechuza (2-1) will face Bendabout (3-0) on Saturday, April 9 at 3pm.
CRAB ORCHARD 16, PIAGET 9
Crab Orchard made a case for being the 2011 US Open favorite as they took apart Piaget 16-9 in the noon contest.
Hilario Ulloa lit up the scoreboard with four first chukker goals as Crab Orchard raced out to an early 5-1 lead. Nachi du Plessis added the fifth Crab Orchard goal of the chukker with Nachi Heguy converting a penalty shot for Piaget’s only score.
Crab orchard added three more goals in the second frame, getting a pair of goals from Adolfo Cambiaso and another goal from Ulloa. Piaget responded with penalty conversions from Heguy and Lolo Castagnola, but at the end of the second chukker Crab orchard led 8-3.
Two goals from Castagnola cut the Crab orchard lead to three goals, 8-5 when Ulloa notched his sixth goal of the game for a 9-5 halftime lead.
Cambiaso showed the onlookers why he is considered one of the greatest players to play the game as he demonstrated masterful stickwork and accomplished horsemanship in the second half. He reeled off three more goals to run the Crab orchard total to 12 goals while Heguy’s third goal of the game had Piaget trailing 12-6 after four chukkers of play.
Two more penalty goals from Heguy in the fifth kept faint hopes alive for a rally, but the optimism was short-lived. Goals from Cambiaso and Ulloa closed out the fifth chukker with Crab Orchard holding on to a comfortable 14-8 lead.
Cambiaso scored his seventh goal of the game in the sixth while Ulloa tallied his eights. Heguy answered with a goal from the field for the final score of the game in the 16-9 Crab orchard win.
The victory boosts the Crab orchard record to 3-0 and will put them in a quarterfinal game against Las Monjitas (1-2) on Saturday at 5pm.
HAWKS 12, FARAWAY 10
A patchwork Faraway team fell short of a win against the Hawks Sunday morning in US Open play when they dropped their third consecutive game by a 12-10 score.
Faraway fell behind early as the Hawks put up three unanswered goals (two from Freddie Mannix and one from Mariano Aguerre) for a 3-0 first chukker.
A second period goal from Luis Escobar finally got Faraway on the scoreboard, but Aguerre scored for the second time to maintain the three goal lead, 4-1 as the chukker ended.
The pace accelerated in the third period with the Hawks getting goals from Aguerre as well as brothers Julian and Freddie Mannix. Mike
Azzaro got the Faraway troops going with three goals from the field and the first half ended with the Hawks leading, 7-5.
Faraway put up four more goals to start the second half (a pair from Luis Escobar and two from Lucas Monteverde), but the Hawks responded with single goals from Freddie Mannix, Aguerre and Mariano Gonzalez. Faraway had cut deeper into the Hawks lead and now trailed by a single goal, 10-9.
A scoreless fifth chukker was followed by Julian Mannix opening of the final chukker with his second goal of the morning. Monteverde responded with his third goal of the game, bur Gonzalez shut the door on any thoughts of a Faraway comeback with his second goal of the game for the 12-10 Hawks win.
The Hawks will take their perfect 3-0 record to the field on Sunday afternoon at 3pm where they will face Valiente (2-1) in the 2011 US Open quarterfinals.