Ylvisaker Cup qualifiers identified, pairings unsettled

By Alex Webbe

Eight 20-goal polo teams faced-off in four matches Sunday at the International Polo Club in Wellington, but the results still didn’t clarify who would be meeting in Friday’s quarterfinals of the 2013 Ylvisaker Cup.

In one of the day’s two key morning matches, Villa Del Lago eliminated a talent-laden Valiente side from Ylvisaker Cup competition by handing it its third straight loss in an 11-10 thriller that went down to the wire.

The two teams exchanged goals in the opening chukker with Villa Del Lago’s Magoo Laprida converting a pair of penalty shots for goals while Valiente responded with single goals from Santi Torres (penalty goal) and Bob Jornayvaz. The first chukker of play ended in a 2-2 deadlock.

Laprida took a pass from teammate Guille Aguero in the second and scored to give Villa Del Lago a one goal advantage, 3-2. A 60-yard penalty conversion from Laprida extended the lead to 4-2 before Valiente could respond. Ten-goaler Pelon Stirling took the ensuing throw-in and carried it 150 yards down the field for the score and it was 4-3. Torres closed out the scoring in the first chukker with his second goal of the game on a penalty conversion and it was all even once again, 4-4

Villa Del Lago’s Laprida added a goal in the third on a penalty conversion and Aguero converted a penalty shot for a goal as well. Valiente kept from getting shut out with a goal from the field by Stirling. The first half came to an end with Valiente trailing by a single goal, 6-5.

A re-focused Valiente team took the field in the fourth chukker and put three goals on the scoreboard while holding Villa Del Lago to a single 60-yard penalty goal from Laprida. Valiente cashed in on a pair of goals from Stirling and a penalty goal from Torres. After four chukkers of play Valiente led, 8-7.

Scoring wasn’t in abundance in the fifth with Torres and Agustin Obregon scoring from the field for the only goals of the chukker. With one period left in regulation play Valiente held a narrow one goal edge, 9-8.

Laprida’s sixth penalty goal of the game tied it up at 9-9 and a goal from Jared Zenni had them ahead, 10-9. Torres converted a penalty shot for a goal for a 10-10 tie with just over a minute left to play. With Villa Del Lago on the attack, Agustin Obregon pounced on a deflected ball and carried it through the goal posts for the winning goal.

Laprida set the pace for the Villa Del Lago attack with seven goals (six on penalty shots). Obregon scored twice while Zenni and Aguero scored single goals in the win. Torres scored five goals for Valiente (four on penalty shots). Stirling added four goals and Jornayvaz scored once in a losing effort.

ERG 14, ORCHARD HILL 10

In other Sunday morning action, Scott Wood’s ERG team beat Orchard Hill 14-10 to remain undefeated in Ylvisaker Cup action and secure a berth in Friday’s tournament quarterfinals.

Paco de Narvaez converted two 60-yard penalty shots for goals and added another from the field in a fast-paced opening chukker as they rode off to an early 3-2 lead over a determined Orchard Hill foursome. Orchard Hill picked up a pair of goals on penalty shots by Jeff Hall.

De Narvaez and Hector Galindo extended the lead to two goals. 5-3, in the second with de Narvaez scoring on a penalty shot for a goal and Galindo adding a goal from the field. Hall added a goal to the Orchard Hill total, but ERG continued to lead, 5-3.

ERG broke loose in the third chukker, scoring four times while holding Orchard Hill to a single penalty goal from Hall. Jeff Blake and Wood (penalty goal) added single goals for ERG; de Narvaez scored twice (one on a penalty shot) for a 9-5 halftime advantage.

De Narvaez added two more penalty goals in the fourth and teammate Blake scored another goal from the field. Hall added another penalty goal for Orchard Hill. ERG extended its lead to seven goals, 12-5

The two teams exchanged single goals in the fifth with Lucas Criado scoring on a 40-yard penalty shot while de Narvaez scored is ninth goal of the game for a 13-6 lead.

With ERG cruising in the sixth, Orchard Hill tried desperately to get back into the game. Scoring four consecutive goals (single goals from Steve Van Andel and Criado and a pair of penalty goals from Hall), Orchard Hill cut the lead to three goals, 13-10. A penalty conversion by Galindo ended the game with Orchard Hill falling, 14-10.

ERG’s de Narvaez was credited with nine goals (six on penalty shots). Galindo and Blake scored a pair of goals apiece and Wood added a goal in the win. Hall led the Orchard Hill charge with seven goals. Criado added a pair of goals and Van Andel scored once in the loss.

AUDI 8, LECHUZA 7

With Audi in a must-win situation Sunday afternoon when they faced previously undefeated Lechuza Caracas, Nic Roldan led the way with three first half goals, scoring twice form the field and converting a penalty shot for a goal. Nico Pieres scored the other three goals for Audi as they held on for a narrow 6-5 lead.

Polito Pieres scored three times for Lechuza in the opening half. Carlos Avendano and Adam Snow added single goals.

A scoreless fourth period allowed the drama to build as both teams raced up and down the field in an effort to break the game open.

Polito Pieres scored twice in the fifth (once on a penalty shot). Roldan managed a single goal for Audi as the teams were all even at 7-7.

Goals were hard to come by in the final chukker, and it was a Lechuza foul that sent Roldan to the penalty line where he converted the shot for the winning goal in the 8-7 Audi victory.

Roldan led the Audi attack with five goals (three on penalty shots). Nico Pieres scored two of his three goals from the field. Polito Pieres was credited with five goals for Lechuza, three on penalties. Snow and Avendano added single goals in losing effort.

LUCCHESE 10, FARAWAY 8

Faraway had struggled its way through the opening rounds of the Ylvisaker Cup, falling victim to Lechuza Caracas (8-6) and Audi (11-3), but managed to rally the troops for Sunday’s stadium match against a powerful Lucchese foursome, but coming up short in the 10-8 loss.

Lucchese took the field with Argentine 9-goaler Agustin Merlos taking the place of his brother Sebastian who had suffered a broken rib in the team’s Friday afternoon 14-12 loss to Lechuza. Flying in two days ago to get ready for the 26-goal competition, the younger brother was drafted to fill out the Lucchese lineup, and it was a fine performance he put in.

Agustin Merlos scored three first chukker goals for Lucchese as they ended the period with a 3-1 advantage. Juan Monteverde scored Faraway’s only goal.

Merlos added two more Lucchese goals on penalty shots in the second and Kris Kampsen scored a goal as Faraway found themselves trailing 6-2 after second chukker. Pelon Escapite scored a single goal for a Faraway team that struggled to put the ball through its opponent’s goalposts.

Faraway continued to step its game up, matching Lucchese goal for goal in the third. Kampsen scored twice from the field while Santiago Chavanne added a penalty goal and a goal from the field. After three periods of action Lucchese boasted an 8-4 halftime lead.

A determined Faraway team took the field in the fourth chukker and shut down the Lucchese attack. Single goals from Monteverde and Hutton Goodman cut the lead to two goals, 8-6, and the momentum looked to be shifting.

Kampsen’s fourth goal of the game came early in the fifth period, 9-6, but Faraway hadn’t given up yet. A pressing attack caused Lucchese to foul, with Goodman on the scoring end of a pair of penalty shots. With one chukker left to play the Lucchese lead had been reduced to a single goal, 9-8.

The tempo of the game was elevated to break-neck speed as both teams attempted to break through the defenders to score. An early foul on a Lucchese player sent Goodman to the penalty line for a third time, but the tying shot went wide. A penalty was called on Faraway with less than two minutes in regulation time. Agustin Merlos converted the shot and Lucchese held on for the 10-8 victory.

Merlos led the field with six goals on the day (three on penalty shots). Kampsen added four goals for the win. Goodman scored three times for Faraway (twice on penalty shots). Chavanne and Monteverde added two goals apiece and Escapite chipped in a goal in the loss.