Las Monjitas turned to brother Miguel Astrada to finish the game for him, but upon resumption of the game, the momentum had turned.  Lechuza’s Santiago Toccalino sent it into overtime with his fourth goal of the game.

Las Monjitas returned to win the game in the sudden-death overtime period on a penalty shot from Alejandro Astrada for the 10-9 win and an appearance in Sundays finals.

The score yo-yoed in the first half with Lechuza taking an early 3-2 lead after the first chukker only to fall behind 4-3 after two periods of play.  Goals from Sapo Caset and 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero went unanswered in the third, and Lechuza take a 5-4 lead to the sidelines at the end of the first half.

Following Eduardo Astrada’s fall, Toccalino scored for Lechuza to put the game in overtime, and, as mentioned, Alejandro “Negro” Astrada scored the winning goal on a short penalty shot.

CRAB ORCHARD 16, HAWKS 12

In the earlier semifinal Piaget Gold Cup match, Crab Orchard came back from a 9-7 halftime deficit to score a resounding 16-12 win over the Hawks and earn a berth in the finals against Las Monjitas.

In what started out as a closely contested match, Crab Orchard was tested by Hawks 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre’s leadership and the teamwork of his teammates.

After trailing 2-1 after the first chukker, the Hawks had it all even at 4-4 after two second period goals from Julian Mannix and a penalty conversion from brother Fred Mannix.  Crab Orchard got single goals from Hilario Ulloa and Julian Arellano.

A third chukker surge from the Hawks had every member of the team getting on the scoreboard.  Single goals were scored by Pancho Bensadon, Fred and Julian Mannix while holding the Crab orchard team to a pair of penalty goals and another goal from the field from Ulloa.  The Hawks led 9-7 at the end of the first half.

Crab Orchard returned to the field for the forth chukker determined to take control of the game.  Behind three field goals from Ulloa and a penalty shot from Arellano, Crab orchard took an 11-10 lead.  The Hawks were held to a single goal from Bensadon.

Fifth chukker goals from Ulloa and Adolfo Cambiaso had them up 13-11 as the Hawks ended the scoring with a penalty conversion from Mariano Aguerre.

The Hawks cut the lead to a single goal, 13-12, with Cambiaso scoring three straight goals to end the game and give Crab Orchard a 16-12 victory.

The win boosts Crab orchard into its second consecutive 26-goal final, having previously won the C. V. Whitney Cup.  Crab orchard will meet Las Monjitas in Sunday’s 3 pm finals.

AUDI 16, ORCHARD HILL 10

Earlier in the day, Audi scored a 16-10 win over Orchard Hill to advance to the finals of the Butler Handicap at noon on Sunday.

In what looked to be a rematch of last year’s US Open finals, the two teams battled through a hotly contested first four chukkers before  Audi broke it loose with a four goal fifth chukker.  Five more goals in the sixth chukker iced it for Audi in the win.

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The 2009 defending US Open Champion had fallen on hard times, losing its two opening games to Crab Orchard and Lechuza before rebounding to down Valiente in Monday afternoon’s match at the International Polo Club in Wellington.

Valiente took the field without, with Santiago Bottaro taking the place of their standout 8-goaler Magoo Laprida.   Receiving three goals by handicap from the 26-goal Audi team to start the match Valiente’s Miguel Astrada scored the opening goal of the game for a 4-0 lead before Gonzalito Pieres and Marc Ganzi responded with single goals.  Valiente took a 4-2 lead to the pony lines with them after the first chukker of play.

Ganzi scored another goal in the second chukker along with a single goal from the field from Facundo Pieres to tie the game while holding Valiente scoreless.  The score was all even at 4-4.

Valiente got three straight goals from Bob Jornayvaz, Santiago Bottaro and Miguel Astrada to open the third chukker while holding Audi to a single goal from Facundo Pieres, for a 7-5 halftime lead. 

Facundo Pieres scored the only goal of the fourth chukker, but converted two penalty shots and added another goal from the field in the fifth as Audi took a 9-8 lead. 

Miguel Astrada scored a goal for Valiente in the final chukker but goals from Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres ended it with Audi on top of the final 11-9 score.

Eliminated from Gold Cup play, Audi earned a semifinal position in the Butler Handicap against Orchard Hill at noon on Thursday.  Piaget will face Bendabout/Wanderers in the day’s other Butler Handicap semifinal at 10 am.

HAWKS 11, PONY EXPRESS 5

A well-balanced Hawk’s attack scored an 11-5 win over an anemic Pony Express offense Monday afternoon at the International Polo Club in Wellington.  The victory secured the Hawks a berth in Thursday’s USPA Piaget Gold Cup semifinals with a perfect 3-0 record.  In earlier action, Piaget scored a 10-9 win over Las Monjitas, but on the strength of a 2-1 record, Las Monjitas advanced to Thursday’s semifinals as well.

The Hawks took the field aggressively in the opening chukker, scoring three straight goals before Matias Magrini answered for Pony Express, and the Hawks left the field after the opening chukker of play with a 3-1 advantage. 

Pony Express returned in the second period to score consecutive goals from Bautista Heguy and Carlos Gracida.   An active defense held the Hawks scoreless as Pony Express tied it up at 3-3.  

Heguy scored the opening goal of the third chukker to give Pony Express its first lead of the game, but goals from 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre and Pancho Bensadon ended the first half with the Hawks clinging to a narrow 5-4 lead. 

The fourth chukker belonged to the Hawks with Julian Mannix scoring twice and Pancho Bensadon and Fred Mannix scoring single goals, with Aguerre supplying both the leadership and experience.  Heguy supplied the only Pony Express offense with a single goal and the period ended with the Hawks ahead 9-5. 

Goals from Bensadon and Aguerre accounted for the only scoring in the fifth chukker to take a commanding 11-5 lead into the final period of play. 

Despite desperate strikes at the Hawk’s goal, Pony Express was unable to get on the scoreboard again, and the match ended in an 11-5 Hawks win. 

Julian Mannix scored two goals for the Hawks while Bensadon, Aguerre and brother Fred Mannix scored three goals apiece.  Heguy led the Pony Express attack with three goals. 

The win launched the Hawks into Thursday’s 3 pm semifinal game against Lechuza Caracas.

PIAGET 10, LAS MONJITAS 9 

Earlier in the day Piaget rode onto the field with 4-goaler Lucas Lalor taking the place of injured 6-goaler Juan Bollini.  The 23-goal Piaget team received three goals by handicap from the 26-goal Las Monjitas team and held on to score a 10-9 win. 

Nick Aliano was playing in the place of 14-year-old Geronimo Obregon (who was taking school exams) and Javier Astrada left the game in the last chukker in an effort to protect bruised ribs suffered in an earlier match.  Paul Pieres took Javier’s place in the Las Monjitas lineup. 

Piaget built up a 6-4 halftime lead and managed to stave off a sixth chukker rally by Las Monjitas who tied it up at 8-8 on a goal from Eduardo Astrada.  

Ten-goaler Lolo Castagnola put Piaget back on top, 9-8 before Negro Astrada’s fifth goal of the game to tie it again at 9-9.  A final goal from American 9-goaler Nic Roldan was the difference as Piaget held on for the 10-9 victory.  

In spite of its only loss of the Piaget Gold Cup tournament, Las Monjitas (2-1) would advance to Thursday’s 1 pm semifinals against Crab Orchard.

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In a slow starting contest that saw only two goals scored in the opening chukker, the intensity of the match increased with every minute of play. 

An opening goal from Luis Escobar put EFG Bank on top 1-0 in the first period before Kris Kampsen converted a penalty shot for Audi to end the chukker.  Andres Weisz and Escobar added goals to the EFG Bank total in the second frame while the defense held Audi to a single goal from Kampsen.  EFG Bank left the field with a narrow 3-2 lead.

The third chukker provided a lot of fireworks as both teams battled for field position and possession of the ball.  At one point seven technical fouls were called and EFG’s Bensadon and Audi’s Nacho Figueras were sent off the field by the umpires.  The teams ended the chukker playing with three-man teams, and knotting up the score at 4-4.

Cooler heads prevailed in the fourth chukker as the teams traded the first four goals of the period.  Escobar converted a penalty shot followed by a goal from the field from Audi’s Sugar Erskine.  Escobar answered with another penalty shot for a one goal, 6-5 lead, but Audi came back with a goal from the field by Kampsen.

With time running out, Escobar carried the ball through the Audi defense and stroked it through the goal as the horn sounded to end the chukker.  EFG Bank led 7-6.

Audi rallied in the fifth with a pair of goals by Kampsen and a single goal from Figueras for a9-7 Audi advantage, but the celebration was short-lived.  A penalty shot from Escobar and a goal from the field by Andres Weisz as the horn sounded to end the chukker had the score all even after five chukkers, 9-9.

Bensadon scored his first goal of the game in the sixth chukker to put EFG Bank ahead, 10-9, but Audi wasn’t ready to roll over yet.  A great effort by Erskine had it all even once again, 10-10, as the horn sounded to end regulation play.

The overtime chukker lasted little more than a minute when Bensadon hammered the ball through the Audi goal for the win.

Kampsen led all scoring with seven goals.  Teammate Erskine scored twice and Figueras added a goal in the loss.

Escobar scored six times for EFG Bank.  Weisz added three goals and Bensadon scored two goals in the victory.

BENDABOUT 8, EQUULEUS 5

Bendabout made short work of the debut of the Equuleus team in high-goal polo this season knocking them out of the Herbie Pennell Cup in the opening round by an 8-5 score.

In the single-elimination competition, Bendabout shot out to an early 6-1 halftime score before coasting to the final 8-5 victory margin.

In a whistle-laden game that saw Bendabout 9-goaler Nick Roldan convert five penalty shots for goals in the first two chukkers, Equuleus would be held to a single penalty goal in the first half before getting a goal from the field in the fourth chukker from Adam Snow. 

Mariano Gonzalez scored the third goal of the game for Equuleus on a penalty while holding Bendabout scoreless to end the fourth chukker trailing 6-3.

Bendabout got single foals from Gillian Johnston and Ulysses Escapite in the fifth, as Equuleus struggled to get back into the game.  Gonzalez converted another penalty shot, but Bendabout continued to hold on to an 8-4 edge with a single chukker to play.

Equuleus continued to try and get back into contention in the final chukker, but Bendabout had the upper hand.  Bendabout took home an 8-5 win while Equuleus was eliminated from further cup play.

LAS MONJITAS 8, HAWKS 7

In the opening Herbie Pennell match of the day, Las Monjitas scored an 8-7 win over the Hawks in the Pennell Cup.

Showing choppy play and a lack of either team to get into rhythm, Las Monjitas rode off to a 6-3 first half score.

Goals from Fred Mannix, Jr. and Cachi Garcia-Velez were countered by a single goal from Las Monjitas 7-goaler Pablo Pieres, but the Hawks continued to trail, 7-5.

Mounted on their best, the Hawks scored two unanswered goals in the fifth period as Mariano Aguerre cut the lead to a single goal when he converted a penalty shot.  Julian Mannix tied it up, 7-7, with his third goal of the game as the chukker ended.

Pablo Pieres scored his third goal of the game for the only offense of the final chukker as Las Monjitas took the game, 8-7.

Tournament play will continue at the International Polo Club in Wellington on Thursday with the opening games of the 2010 C. V. Whitney Cup.  In the opening round of 26-goal competition, Piaget will meet Orchard Hill followed by a 3 pm match featuring 2009 defending champion Audi and Lechuza Caracas.

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“We have been aiming for this all season,” said teammate Andres Weisz, who added two goals in the team effort.  “It’s a great team to play with,” he added, “and I knew that we could do it.”

Lucchese took an early 2-0 lead when it got single goals from Bensadon and Luis Escobar in the opening chukker while shutting down every scoring effort mounted by the Hawks in the opening chukker.

“We know how explosive they can be,” said Lucchese owner and team captain, John Muse.  “and we didn’t want to let them get started with a big first chukker.”

Lucchese might have dodged the bullet in the opening chukker of play, but the Hawks returned to the field in the second with a vengeance.

Three consecutive goals from Fred Mannix, Jr. were scored in the first half of the second for a 3-2 Hawks’ lead.  A single goal from 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre made it 4-2 as the period ended.

Lucchese tightened its defense in the third frame, shutting out the high-flying Hawks for the second time in three chukkers.  Goals from Escobar and Bensadon had it all even at halftime, 4-4.

Weisz opened the fourth chukker with a Lucchese goal, and another Bensadon score had them up 6-4 before the Hawks responded.

A goal from Cachi Garcia-Velez was followed by another Fred Mannix score, and the score was tied at 6-6.  A great individual effort from Pancho Bensadon put Lucchese back on top as the chukker ended, 7-6.

There was no major momentum change, however, as the Hawks care right back in the fifth with a tying goal from Aguerre, but gals from Bensadon and Escobar and Bensadon had Lucchese back on top, 9-7.  Fred Mannix, Jr. converted a penalty shot for a goal, but Weisz answered with a Lucchese goal to end the chukker with a 10-8 advantage.

The Hawks returned to the field in the sixth chukker with the same energy they began with.  A Lucchese foul allowed for a penalty shot by Fred Mannix, Jr., which he converted, and the lead was cut to a single goal, 10-9, with three minutes to play.

Lucchese continued to take the fight to the Hawks, constantly putting them on the defense.  Another great effort by Bensadon resulted in a goal, and Lucchese extended its lead to 11-9.

“I started feeling pretty good about our chances as the sixth chukker wore on,” said Muse, “but with the scoring potential of that team (Hawks) you can’t afford to let your guard down.”

The final goal of the match was scored by Weisz, his third of the day, for the 12-9 championship win. 

Bensadon led all scoring with six goals.  Teammates Weisz and Escobar scored three goals apiece.  Fred Mannix, Jr. scored five goals from the Hawks.  Aguerre added three and Garcia-Velez accounted for a single goal in the loss.

Bensadon was named MVP for his efforts while Escobar’s Czar received Best Playing Pony Honors.

MT. BRILLIANT 9, LECHUZA CARACAS 8

After leading for much of the first half of the game, Mt. Brilliant rallied from a 7-5 fourth chukker deficit to score a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over Lechuza Caracas in the finals of the George Haas Cup.

A subsidiary of the Ylvisaker Cup, the finals saw Mt. Brilliant take an early 3-1 lead before the Lechuza team finally got on track.

Play got a little choppy in the second chukker as Tomas Goti scored his second and third goals of the game for Lechuza in the second for a 3-3 tie.

Mt. Brilliant came back with goals from Santiago Chavanne and Chris Nevins in the third while shutting out the Lechuza attack, and retired to the sidelines at the end of the first half with a 5-3 lead.

A regrouped Lechuza team took the field in the fourth period and raced up and down the field, scoring four consecutive goals while keeping Mt. Brilliant off the scoreboard.  A pair of penalty conversions from Goti was complimented by goals from team captain Victor Vargas and Nicolas Espain.  Lechuza seemed to be taking control of the game with a two goal, 7-5 edge.

Santi Torres put Lechuza up 8-5, to open the fifth chukker and then Mt. Brilliant roared back.  Two goals from Chavanne and another goal from Nevins knotted it up at 8-8 with just seven and-a-half minutes to be played.

The pace accelerated in the final chukker of play, with Mt. Brilliant racing in one direction and Lechuza going in the other.  Several near goal shots were taken by each team before an umpire’s whistle decided the outcome of the game.

Chavanne converted the penalty shot for a goal and the 9-8 win.

FARAWAY POLO 12, PATAGONES 10

Faraway Polo scored a 12-10 win over Patagones Sunday morning on the Patagones Polo Field to capture the 2010 Wellington Invitational.

Julian Daniels and Julio Arellano scored five goals apiece in the Faraway win, rebounding from a 6-4 halftime advantage run up by the home team.  While Carlos Gracida led the Patagones team with three penalty goals and a pair of goals from the field.

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Players and spectators alike were treated to the fastest polo of the season as the Hawks and Lucchese scored exciting come-from-behind wins in contests that had all eyes glued to the field Wednesday afternoon at the International Polo Club in Wellington. 

In the opening game of the day, and a virtual rematch of the finals of the 2010 Joe Barry Memorial Cup finals (Zacara won, 13-11), Zacara and the Hawks faced-off. 

In a fast-paced, give-and-take matchup, the teams were all even at the half, 7-7, as Fred Mannix, Jr. led the Hawks attack with four goals.  Teammate Mariano Aguerre scored twice and brother, Julian Mannix, added a goal. 

 Balanced scoring for Zacara had Gonzalo del Tour, Jeff Hall and Toto Collardin each scoring a pair of goals while team captain Lyndon Lea chipped in a goal in the early tie. 

The Hawks cranked up its attack a notch in the fourth chukker with Fred Mannix scoring three goals.  Zacara was held to a single goal from Lea, and the Hawks soared to a 10-8 lead.

 A determined Zacara team stepped it up on their end in the fifth, shutting down the Hawks offense and scoring four times on goals from del Tour, Hall (2) and Collardin.  Zacara left the field after five chukkers o play leading 12-10.

 “They (Hawks) had confidence this time,” said polo veteran Nick Manifold when asked the difference between today’s game and the 13-11 Zacara win in the finals of the Barry Cup.  “They (Hawks led going in to the final chukker in the Barry Cup and then gave up three quick goals in the loss,” he said.  “Today there was no letdown.”

 The pace of the game rose to another level in the final chukker of play.  Julian Mannix scored the first goal of the game after receiving a beautiful pass from 10-goaler Aguerre, and brother Fred converted two more penalty shots for goals, and a 13-12 win.  A voracious defense kept Zacara off the scoreboard in the final seven minutes of play, despite a last second race to the goal by Collardin that went just wide of the post.

 “We just had to win it,” offered an elated Fred Mannix, Jr. after the game.  “For Cachi (Garcia-Velez), and Julian (Mannix) and Mariano (Aguerre),” he said, “we just had to win.”

 “I think the difference this time was the attitude of the players,” said Aguerre, “they never let up and they never thought that we couldn’t win,” he said.  “They played very well.”

 Fred Mannix led all scoring with nine goals.  Teammates Julian Mannix and Mariano Aguerre scored two goals apiece in the win.

Jeff Hall scored four times for Zacara.  Gonzalo del Tour and Toto Collardin added three goals apiece while team captain Lyndon Lea scored twice. 

The win catapults the Hawks into their second tournament final of the season. 

LUCCHESE 13, WANDERERS/ISLA CARROLL 12 

The second semifinal of the afternoon Kris Kampsen provided a great deal of the firepower, but it would be the more balanced attack of the Lucchese team that would take the honors in the match, sending them to Sunday’s Ylvisaker Cup finals against the Hawks. 

In a see-saw contest that had Lucchese leading 7-6 at halftime, the spectators that lined the sidelines were treated to a second consecutive show of horsepower and raw athletic skill as Lucchese fought their way back from a 12-8 deficit to score the 13-12 victory. 

“We took the field as a team,” said the team captain and owner of the Lucchese Boot Company, John Muse, “and we played throughout as a team.  I’m very proud of each of our players.” 

Luis Escobar echoed the sentiments of Muse when describing the effort of the players of the team. 

“Any success we have we share as a team, he said.  “This has been a team effort from the very beginning,” he said, “and it has been one of my best experiences in the game.

The Wanderers stormed the field in the fourth period, with Kampsen scoring four goals by himself and Nacho Figueras adding a goal.  Lucchese was held to a single penalty goal from Escobar, and trailed 11-8. 

Kampsen made it 12-8 with the opening goal of the fifth chukker, but that would be the end of the Wanderers’ attack.  Over the balance of the fifth and sixth chukkers, Lucchese would outscore the Wanderers 5-1, getting a pair of goals apiece from Weisz and Bensadon and a single goal from Escobar.

Lucchese made a dramatic comeback to score the 13-12 win and move into Sunday’s finals of the Ylvisaker Cup against the Hawks.

Kampsen led all scoring with ten goals.  Teammates Sugar Erskine and Nacho Figueras scored single goals in the loss. 

Luis Escobar led the Lucchese scoring with five goals.  Andres Weisz and Pancho Bensadon scored four goals each. 

Lucchese and the Hawks are scheduled to meet on Sunday at 3 pm at the International Polo Club in Wellington in the finals of the 2010 Ylvisaker Cup.

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Julio Gracida scored the first goal of the game followed by a goal from Obregon, but Bendabout came right back.   Team captain Gillian Johnston scored a pair of goals from the field to make it 2-2.  Carlos Gracida ended the scoring in the chukker with a penalty goal, and from then on Patagones never trailed.

Patagones jumped out to a 7-4 halftime lead that Bendabout would spend the rest of the game trying to make up for.  A four goal fourth chukker with a pair of goals from Nick Roldan and single goals from Ulysses Escapite and Owen Rinehart brought Bendabout close, 8-7, but they would never catch up. 

Two more goals from Carlos Gracida and Obregon’s third goal of the game would stretch the Patagones lead to 11-9 in the fifth chukker with Bendabout getting single goals from Escapite and Rinehart.

Carlos Gracida accounted for all of the scoring in the sixth and final chukker with one goal from the field, his eighth, for the 12-9 win.

Julio Gracida’s Frances was named Best Playing Pony and his uncle Carlos Gracida was named Most Valuable Player.

LECHUZA CARACAS 11, HAWKS 10

 The Hawks fended off a hard-charging Lechuza Caracas team that put eleven goals on the scoreboard in an effort to win a berth in Wednesday’s semifinals of the Ylvisaker Cup as they hung on to capture a spot in the playoffs in spite of their 11-10 loss.

With both teams boasting identical 3-1 records in the 20-goal tournament, the tie-breaker was decided by net goals scored, a factor that eliminated Lechuza.

The Hawks will face Zacara on Wednesday at 1 pm in a rematch of the finals of last month’s Joe Barry Memorial Cup finals.  

The Hawks jumped out to an early 5-1 start with a pair of goals from 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre and three goals from Fred Mannix, Jr., but allowed Lechuza back in the game as they tied it up at 6-6 at halftime getting three goals from Santi Torres and another three from Tomas Goti. 

Fred Mannix Jr. scored three times in the fourth to override a pair of goals from Goti, and the Hawks took a narrow 9-8 lead.

Goti and Lechuza team captain Victor Vargas each scored a goal in the fourth chukker for Lechuza to move ahead, 10-9, but the drama wasn’t over. 

Lechuza fouled Julian Mannix in the goal mouth and where they were charged with a rarely awarded Penalty 1, giving them an automatic goal and a throw-in just ten yards in front of their own goal.  The score was now 11-10, but a missed shot at goal returned the ball to Lechuza. 

With less than a minute to play and needing four goals to secure passage into Wednesday’s semifinals, Lechuza tried one last charge at the Hawks goal, but time wasn’t on their side.  Time expired and although Lechuza won the game, it would be the Hawks that will move into the semifinals.

FARAWAY POLO 10, YELLOW CAB 6

Faraway Polo scored its first win of the tournament in a 10-6 win over Simon Garber’s Yellow Cab team Sunday morning IN Ylvisaker Cup play.   Julian Daniels and Pelon Escapite scored four goals apiece for Faraway in the win.  Tommy Biddle set the pace for Yellow Cab with five goals. 

Faraway took early control of the low-scoring game, 2-0, after the opening chukker before goals from Garber and Tommy Biddle got them back into the game.  Julio Arellano converted a penalty shot for Faraway to take a 3-2 lead into the third chukker. 

Stellar defense by the Yellow Cab quartet shut out Faraway in the third with a goal from the field by Biddle knotting it up at 3-3 at halftime. 

Sixteen-year-old Jeff Garber took his father’s place on the field in the second half as Simon nursed ribs bruised in the team’s 12-goal championship victory just days earlier.  

“We thought it would be a good opportunity for Jeff to get a few chukkers of 20-goal polo under his belt,” said Yellow Cab polo manager Dario Garcia.  

The youngster played well, but a determined and veteran Faraway team put three quick goals on the scoreboard in the fourth chukker while holding Yellow Cab scoreless.  Faraway took the field in the fifth chukker with a 6-3 lead. 

A pair of goals from Escapite were countered by two from Biddle, and after five periods of play, Faraway held a comfortable 8-5 advantage. 

Following Biddle’s fifth goal of the game, Faraway got penalty goals from Daniels and Escapite for the 10-6 win. 

Ylvisaker Cup action will continue on Wednesday, February 10 when Zacara meets the Hawks in semifinal action at 1 pm.  The showdown will be a rematch of last month’s Joe Barry Memorial Cup finals in which Zacara topped the Hawks 13-11.  Lucchese will face the Wanderers/Isla Carroll in the 3 pm semifinal match.

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Trailing by four goals, 7-3, after the second chukker of play, the Wanderers scored 11 goals over the course of the next four chukkers while holding Bendabout to a mere four goals.

Playing with eleventh-hour substitute Marc Ganzi taking the place of a sidelined John Goodman (back), the Wanderers stumbled through the opening chukkers trying to find a rhythm as Bendabout took advantage of every mistake the realigned team made.

Nick Roldan scored four of his seven goals in the first two chukkers with Ulysses Escapite adding two and team captain Gillian Johnston adding a single goal, but that was about where it ended.

“We started out playing well in the first two chukkers,” said Roldan, “but couldn’t get it done in the second half.” 

Kampsen converted two penalty shots and scored once from the field in the third while the Wanderers defense held Bendabout to a single Owen Rinehart goal.  Bendabout left the field at halftime with an 8-6 lead, but the tides had turned.

Kampsen converted another penalty shot for a goal and Nacho Figueras drove the ball through the Bendabout goal posts in the fourth while holding them to a single Nick Roldan goal.  Bendabout continued to lead, but the margin was one goal, 9-9.

We missed John (Goodman) in the lineup today,” said Kampsen, “but we were interchanging positions throughout the game.  We’re all capable of playing anywhere on the field, and I think that was a big advantage.”

The Wanderers defense shut out Bendabout in the fifth chukker while Sugar Erskine scored three times.  Kampsen added another penalty goal and the Wanderers left the field with a 12-9 lead.

Ganzi scored from the field and Kampsen converted another penalty shot while Bendabout was held to a pair of goals from Roldan in the final 14-11 Wanderers win.

The win improves the Wanderers record to 3-1 and insured them of a spot in Wednesday’s tournament semifinals.  Bendabout fell to 1-2.

Kampsen led all scoring with eight goals.  Erskine scored three times and Figueras accounted for a pair of goals.  Ganzi scored once in the win.

Roldan’s seven goals set the pace for Bendabout.  Ulysses Escapite scored twice and Gillian Johnston and Owen Rinehart scored single goals.

HAWKS 11, LUCCHESE 9

In a battle of unbeatens, Fred Mannix, Jr. scored two goals in the final chukker of play to rally the Hawks (3-0) to an 11-9 win over previously undefeated Lucchese (3-1) in Ylvisaker Cup play.

With one game left to play against Lechuza on Sunday, the Hawks look to make their way to Wednesday’s semifinals with a final win.

In a game that began cautiously and ended in a 2-2 tie after the opening chukker of play, the pace accelerated, with the Hawks taking control of the game.  With goals from Julian Mannix, Fred Mannix, Jr. and Mariano Aguerre, the Hawks soared to an impressive 8-4 halftime lead and seemed to be the masters of their own destiny.

Lucchese, however, had other ideas.

A resilient defense shut out the hard charging Hawks in the fourth chukker while Lucchese’s Pancho Bensadon scored three times.  The Hawks continued to lead, but the score was now 8-7.

“We had a good fourth chukker,” offered Bensadon, “We really got back to playing the way we know how to play.” 

Single goals were exchanged in the fifth chukker to keep the score close, and then Luis Escobar’s goal in the final period tied it at 9-9.  The pace had ramped up to warp speed as each play was more important than the last.  Long passes, attempted cut shots, deft defensive ride-offs and blocked shots all came into play until the whistle sounded.

Fred Mannix, Jr. converted a penalty shot for a 10-9 lead and then scored again just twenty seconds later for the final margin of victory, 11-9. 

“That was a rough one,” said Garcia-Velez after the game 

“That was a fun one,” offered Fred Mannix, with a big smile on his face. 

While the players relaxed in chairs the veteran Aguerre was busy coaching his young charges,  first working with Julian Mannix and then Cachi Garcia-Velez as he complimented on their play and then offered words of instruction in an effort to improve their efforts in the next game.

On the strength of their 3-1 record, Lucchese has earned a berth in Wednesday’s semifinals despite the loss, while there will be a final Sunday showdown between the Hawks and Lechuza to decide the final semifinalist. 

Ylvisaker Cup play continues on Saturday with a 3:30 pm match between Mt. Brilliant (0-3) and Zacara (3-0).

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“I felt like we were cruisin’,” said Zacara 7-goaler Jeff Hall.  “We just tried to play basic, classic polo,” he added.  “We did, and it paid off for us.”

The score was tied at the end of the first chukker (2-2) and at the end of the second (3-3), but Hall never felt that they (Zacara) didn’t control the game.

“We played really hard in the third chukker,” offered Hall.  “We scored five or six goals and then cruised from there on.”

Goals from Zacara team captain Lyndon Lea and Hall opened the third period before Nacho Figueras scored for the Wanderers.  Gonzalo del Tour responded with a goal for Zacara followed two more goals from Hall.

The first half ended with Zacara up by four goals and the Wanderers scrambling to stay in the game.  Single goals from Lea and Hall in the fourth chukker were countered by a single penalty conversion by the Wanderers’ Kris Kampsen, but Zacara continued to lead, 10-5.  Goals from the field in the fifth by Lea and Toto Collardin were answered with a pair of penalty goals from Kampsen, but the Wanderers continued to trail, 12-7.

While Zacara only put one goal on the scoreboard in the final chukker (Lea), and the Wanderers got three more goals out of Kampsen, it was Zacara that took the game, 13-10.

Kampsen led all scoring with eight goals.  Sugar Erskine and Nacho Figueras added single goals in the loss.

Lyndon Lea led the Zacara attack with five goals.  Jeff Hall scored four times and Gonzalo del Tour and Toto Collardin each picked up a pair of goals.

Leas was named MVP while Sugar Erskine’s mare, Violet, received Best Playing Pony honors.

LUCCHESE 15, LECHUZA CARACAS 10

A hard-charging Lucchese (3-0) team scored an impressive 15-10 win over Lechuza Caracas (2-1) Sunday afternoon in a battle of unbeatens in Ylvisaker Cup tournament action as teams began jockeying for playoff positions in the two-bracket structure.

Andres Weisz scored twice and Luis Escobar added a goal as Lucchese ran off to an early 3-2 first chukker lead.  Santi Torres accounted for both of the Lechuza goals.

Lucchese’s Pancho Bensadon got on track in the second chukker, scoring three times while Escobar converted a penalty shot for a goal.  Lechuza was held to a single goal from the field (Nicolas Espain).  Lucchese led by four goals, 7-3.

Lechuza got a pair of goals from Tomas Goti in the third.  Escobar scored once from the field for Zacara to lead them to an 8-5 halftime score.

Pancho Bensadon scored for Lucchese before Lechuza fired back with goals from Goti and Espain, cutting the Lucchese lead to two goals, 9-7, at the end of the fourth period. 

Bensadon exploded again in the fifth with three goals from the field.  Goti converted a single penalty shot as Lucchese extended its lead to four goals, 12-8 to end the chukker.

Lechuza got two last chukker goals from team captain Victor Vargas while Lucchese got single goals from Andres Weisz, Bensadon and Escobar for the 15-10 win.

“They are a very talented team,” said Lucchese’s Luis Escobar after the game.  “They are very well mounted and have a lot of experience together,” he added, “but we have great chemistry, and we played well today.”

HAWKS 10, FARAWAY POLO 9

In one of the most hotly contested games of the tournament, the Hawks (2-0) scored an exciting 10-9 overtime victory over an energized Faraway Polo (0-3) team in Ylvisaker Cup play to start the day.

Finalists in last week’s Joe Barry Memorial Cup, the Hawks jumped out to an early 3-1 lead and hung on to end the first half with a narrow 6-5 lead.

“I thought we were doing fine in the first couple of chukkers,” said Hawk’s 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre, “but when they changed their lineup we had trouble playing our game.”

Faraway tied it at the end of four chukkers with a pair of goals from Julio Arellano while holding the Hawks to a single goal from Cachi Garcia-Velez. 

Defenses tightened, and the teams traded penalty goals in the fifth with Fred Mannix, Jr. scoring on a Penalty 2 while Arellano made good on a 60 yard shot.  At the end of five the score was even at 8-8.

Both teams continued to press their attacks, but the defenses were up to the task.  Finally, the Hawks got a break as Fred Mannix, Jr. converted a penalty shot to go ahead, 9-8, but the lead was short-lived.  Arellano scored his fourth goal of the day to knot it up at 9-9 as time expired, forcing a sudden-death overtime period.

Just over a minute into overtime the whistle sounded.  Faraway was awarded the penalty shot from sixty yards out, a shot Arellano had made just two chukkers earlier.  This time the shot went wide, and the Hawks remained alive.

Cachi Garcia-Velez drove the ball down the field where it was picked up by Julian Mannix, who attempted to break through the Faraway defenders.  After being hooked and losing control of the ball, brother Fred Mannix, Jr. came through the collection of horses and riders to score the winning goal in the 10-9 Hawks victory.

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Taking early control of possession of the ball, the Hawks swooped out to a 5-0 lead before Yellow Cab finally got on the scoreboard. 

“We concentrated on the throw-ins”, said veteran Mariano Aguerre when asked the secret to the team’s win.  “We knew that we had to improve on our play in the throw-ins, and spent a great deal of time preparing,” he said.

The game began quickly with 10-goaler Aguerre scoring the opening goal followed by a penalty conversion from Fred Mannix, Jr.    Yellow Cab struggled to find its offense, and the Hawks continued to soar. 

Aguerre’s penalty goal in the second chukker was sandwiched between a pair of goals from the field by Cachi Garcia-Velez, and Yellow Cab found itself trailing by five goals. 

With less than a minute-and-a-half left in the second chukker, Guille Usandizaga finally got Yellow Cab on the scoreboard.  Team captain Simon Garber followed it up with his first goal of the game, and the chukker ended with the Hawks ahead 5-2. 

The defenses tightened in the third period with single goals being scored by Aguerre (Hawks) and Tommy Biddle (Yellow Cab). 

The Hawks left the field with a three goal lead, 6-3. 

Action continued to race up and down the field in the fourth chukker goals from Aguerre and Mannix were answered by a single goal from Usandizaga.  Hawks led 8-4. 

Two more goals from Mannix kept the Hawk offense alive as Biddle and Garber scored single goals to try and keep Yellow Cab in the game, but the hole they dug for themselves in the first two chukkers proved to be too deep.   They entered the final chukker of play trailing 10-6, and in spite of scoring three last chukker goals, they watched the Hawks take the game, 12-9 

“I thought the difference was the horses,” said team captain Fred Mannix, Jr.  “The horses performed superbly today” said the Canadian 6-goaler, “and that always makes a game easier on the players.” 

Playing in their first match since Sunday’s loss to Zacara in the finals of the Joe Barry Memorial Cup, Aguerre was pleased with the way the team performed. 

“We had a couple of things that we worked on,” he offered, “and I think the team played very well, today,” he added.

Mannix led all scoring with five goals.  Aguerre scored four times and Garcia-Velez accounted for three goals in the win.

 Garber and Biddle led the Yellow Cab attack with three goals apiece.  Usandizaga scored twice and Chino Frayssinet accounted for a single goal.

Tournament play will continue on Saturday afternoon with a 3 pm contest between Mt. Brilliant (0-2) and Patagones (0-1).  Three games are scheduled for Sunday with Faraway Polo (0-2) meeting the Hawks (1-0) at 10 am; Lechuza Caracas (2-0) going up against Lucchese (2-0) at I pm; and the Wanderers/Isla Carroll (2-0) facing the 2010 Joe Barry Memorial Cup winners, Zacara (1-0), at 3 pm.

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Daily News Polo Columnist

Zacara jumped out to an early 3-1 lead, but the Hawks fought their way back into the contest with a balanced attack and a determined defense.

Three unanswered goals from the Hawks in the second period had them ahead 4-3.  Fred Mannix, Jr. scored on a penalty shot in the third chukker before Jeff Hall answered with a pair of penalty goals of his own.  The first half ended in a 5-5 tie,

Both teams continued to charge up and down the field as shots were taken, and shots were blocked.

The Hawks opened the fourth period with a goal from the field by Fred Mannix, Jr. and a goal from the field from 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre to go up by two goals before Toto Collardin got Zacara on the scoreboard.  The chukker ended with Zacara trailing by a single goal, 7-6. 

Aguerre scored twice from the field for the Hawks in the fifth, but penalty conversions from Jeff Hall and Collardin kept the margin at a single goal, trailing Zacara, 908 with a single chukker left to play.

Hall tied the game at 9-9 in the sixth chukker with a penalty shot before single goals from Julian Mannix and Aguerre game them an 11-9 lead.  Zacara strengthened its attack and the Hawk defense began to fold.  Goals from Collardin and Gonzalo del Tour were followed by another goal from Hall for a 12-11 advantage.  Collardin’s fifth goal of the game ended play with Zacara riding off with the 13-11 win.

Hall led all scoring with seven goals.  Collardin added five goals to the win with del Tour accounting for a single goal.

Aguerre led the Hawks with five goals.  Fred Mannix, Jr. scored four times and single goals were each recorded by Julian Mannix and Cachi Garcia.

Hall’s 10-year-old Thoroughbred mare, Sparkles, was named Best Playing Pony while Toto Collardin was named MVP.

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