ERG remains perfect at 2-0; Audi and Villa Del Lago even their records at 1-1

By Alex Webbe

Hector Galindo committed two felonies early in the game, stealing the ball from Pelon Stirling for the first goal of the game and then picking Santi Torres’s pocket and scoring the second before as he led ERG to a surprising 15-12 win over Valiente in Thursday morning’s Ylvisaker Cup game at the International Polo Club in Wellington.

Following Galindo’s two opening goals of the game, Valiente responded with single goals from Julio Gracida and Torres to knot it up at 2-2. Galindo executed a daring cut shot into the Valiente goal for a 3-2 lead, but with time running out in the chukker Valiente team captain Bob Jornayvaz scored on a breakaway goal to end the first chukker all even at 3-3.

The score went back and forth in the second period with Torres scoring in the opening seconds of play to give Valiente a 4-3 advantage before Jeff Blake tied it up for ERG at 4-4. Galindo converted a penalty shot for a goal that was countered by a goal from the field for Valiente 10-goaler Pelon Stirling, 5-5. Paco de Narvaez gave ERG the lead on a goal from the field with 35 seconds left on the clock, 6-5.

Defense was the byword of the third chukker with neither team able to score from the field. Four minutes into the period Stirling tied it up with a penalty conversion for a goal, 6-6, but less than a minute later de Narvaez closed out the chukker with a penalty conversion of his own. At the end of the first half, ERG left the field with a narrow 7-6 lead.

Torres opened up the second half with a goal from the field followed by Jornayvaz’s second goal of the game for an 8-7 Valiente lead. Blake and de Narvaez closed out the chukker with single goals to move ERG back in the lead, 9-8.

An opening penalty goal from Torres tied it up at 9-9 in the opening seconds of the fifth Stirling scored his third goal of the match for a 10-9 Valiente edge. Galindo evened it up at 10-10 midway through the chukker, but a penalty goal converted by Torres in the final 16 seconds of the period gave the lead to Valiente, 11-10.

ERG pulled out all the stops in the final chukker of play. Despite Torres’s sixth goal of the game that put Valiente (0-2) in front, by two goals, 12-10. ERG then rolled off five straight goals for the 15-12 win. Galindo converted a penalty goal followed by goals from de Narvaez and Blake to put them up 13-12. Galindo’s seventh goal of the game had ERG (2-0) on top 14-12 with less than two minutes to play. De Narvaez scored the knock-out punch with 46 seconds on the clock for the 15-12 win.

Galindo led all scoring with seven goals (three on penalty shots). De Narvaez was credited with five goals (two on penalty conversions), and Blake scored three times. Torres set the pace for Valiente with six goals (three on penalty shots). Stirling added three goals (one on a penalty conversion). Jornayvaz scored twice and Gracida added a goal in the loss.

AUDI 11, FARAWAY 3

Audi (1-1) emerged for a slow start to ride past a struggling Faraway (0-2) team 11-3 in a noon shootout that left Faraway a little short-handed in Ylvisaker Cup play.

Audi’s Nic Roldan scored the only goal of the first chukker of the game on a penalty conversion with just over a minute left to play. With little effective offense being displayed, Audi left the field with an early 1-0 advantage.

Neither team got into rhythm throughout much of the second chukker as well. Pelon Escapite finally tied it up for Faraway on a goal from the field in the last three minutes of the period. The two teams took a dusmal1-1 score into the third chukker.

Marc Ganzi scored Audi’s first goal from the field on a 150 yard run after receiving a pass from Roldan in the third period. Roldan followed it up with a goal of his own from the field and another on a penalty conversion. Faraway was unable to get on the scoreboard in the chukker and trailed 4-1 at the end of the first half of play.

The pace picked up in the second half, but fouls and penalties plagued any offensive efforts with scoring the first two goals of the chukker on penalty shots before placing the ball directly between the goals posts on a stellar 120 yard shot from the field. Roldan’s fourth goal of the chukker came on another penalty shot, ending the scoring with Audi leading by a commanding 8-1 margin.

The two teams exchanged single goals in the fifth, with Escapite getting on the scoreboard for Faraway while Ganzi scored in the final 12 seconds for Audi. After five chukkers of action, Audi continued to control a 9-2 game.

Mariano Gracida added to the Audi total with a goal in the sixth, followed by a goal from the field from Nico Pieres for an 11-2 lead. Escapite scored the final goal of the game for Faraway with 31 seconds on the clock, but it was Audi driving away with the 11-3 win.

Roldan scored seven times for Audi (five on penalty conversions), to lead the field. Ganzi added two goals and Gracida and Roldan each scored a goal in the victory. Escapite scored all three of Faraway’s goals.

VILLA DEL LAGO 14, ORCHARD HILL 12

The final polo match of the day in the Ylvisaker Cup tournament saw Villa Del Lago take control of a close game in the final chukker of play to score a 14-12 victory and even its record at 1-1. The loss was Orchard Hill’s (1-1) first of the competition.

Early play had Orchard Hill taking a 2-0 lead on a pair of penalty conversions from Jeff Hall. Agustin Obregon scored in the final three minutes of the period, but Orchard Hill was in front, 2-1, at the end of the chukker.

The tempo of the game continued to build with Villa Del Lago’s Jared Zenni tying it up at 2-2 with his first goal of the contest. The scoring went back and forth for the duration of the chukker with Lucas Criado scoring twice for Orchard Hill. Magoo Laprida added two goals for Villa Del Lago and Guille Aguero added a goal as Orchard Hill found themselves trailing for the first time all game, 5-4.

Laprida (penalty goal) and Aguero added single goal s in the third while Orchard Hill got two penalty goals from Hall and a goal from the field from Criado. At the end of the first half it was deadlocked at 7-7.

Hall scored a goal from the field in the opening minutes of the second half and added another goal on a penalty shot to put Orchard Hill back in the lead, 9-7. Villa Del Lago managed a single goal from Laprida on a penalty shot, but continued to trail, 9-8, as the fourth chukker ended.

The fifth period belonged to Villa Del Lago as they scored four unanswered goals to take a 12-9 lead. Aguero and Zenni each scored a pair of goals from the field while shutting down the Orchard Hill attack.

Hall scored three consecutive goals to open the final chukker of play, scoring once from the field and twice on penalty shots to make it all even at 12-12. Aguero gave the lead back to Villa Del Lago 13-12, with Laprida icing the game with a goal in the final minute of regulation time for the 14-12 victory.

Hall led all scoring with nine goals (seven on penalty conversions). Criado added three goals in the loss. Aguero and Laprida scored five goals apiece for Villa Del Lago. Zenni registered three goals and Obregon chipped in a goal in the win.

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