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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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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