Longfield wins Piaget Memorial Day Polo Cup in OT

By Alex Webbe

The Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington ended their spring season in grand

fashion, with three 12-goal matches, a catered lunch and a glamorous and wellorchestrated awards ceremony for the many players and spectators on hand.

The highlight of the day was the finals of the 2013 Piaget Memorial Day Polo Cup

in which Longfield (Hannah Buchan, Marc Ganzi, Nic Roldan and Carlitos Gracida)

scored an 11-10 sudden-death overtime win in the tournament finals at the expense of

a competitive YP.com foursome (Melissa Ganzi, David Krantz, Mike Azzaro and Juan

Bollini).

Juan Bollini got YP.com on the scoreboard with a goal in the opening 12 seconds

of the game for a 1-0 lead, but that would prove to be the only goal of the chukker.  

Aggressive defenses on both sides eliminated any further scoring as players were

ridden-off plays and shots on goal were turned aside time after time.

Mike Azzaro made it 2-0 for YP.com in the first 30 seconds of the second period and

added another at the 2:35 mark for a 3-0 YP.com lead.   Nic Roldan took the ensuing

throw-in and raced 150 yards down the field to answer for Longfield, 3-1.  Azzaro’s third

goal of the chukker came with 25 seconds left to play, and YP.com rode off the field with

a comfortable 4-1 advantage.

The pace picked up in the third chukker with Marc Ganzi adding a pair of goals from the

field in the first two minutes of play to cut the YP.com lead to a single goal, 4-3.  Azzaro

responded with a single goal for YP.com, 5-3, and Melissa Ganzi scored her first goal

of the game to extend the lead to three goals, 6-3.  Nic Roldan closed out the scoring in

the first half by converting a 60-yard penalty shot.  At the end of three chukkers of play,

YP.com was on top, 6-4.

Goals were hard to come by in the second half, with Carlitos Gracida scoring from the

field for Longfield at the 4:51 mark.  Azzaro scored on a penalty shot for YP.com as they

held on to their two goals lead, 7-5, with two chukkers left in regulation time.

Fifth chukker goals from Roldan and Marc Ganzi (penalty conversion) tied it up at 7-7

with 4:10 left in the period.  Melissa Ganzi scored with two minutes left in the chukker,

and Azzaro added his sixth to put YP.com ahead 9-7.  Marc Ganzi kept Longfield in the

hunt with another penalty goal with 11 seconds on the clock.  After five chukkers of play,

YP.com led by a single goal, 9-8.

Scoring was swift in the sixth chukker, with Bollini extending the YP.com lead to two

goals, 10-8, in the opening thirty seconds of play, but Longfield was far from done.  

Roldan charged around the field like a man on a mission, converting a penalty goal at

the 5:36 mark to cut the lead to a single goal, and then ting it up at 10-10 with nearly

five minutes left in regulation time.  Each side had a couple of scoring opportunities that

were wasted, and the final horn sounded with the score deadlocked at 10-10.

After a brief recess, both teams returned to the field for the sudden-death overtime.  

Defenders on both sides were prepared to make every effort to defend their respective

goals, but after a couple of unsuccessful efforts, Marc Ganzi broke free and drove

the ball through the YP.com goal posts for the win, less than three minutes into the

overtime.

Mike Azzaro was recognized for his game leading six goals by being named MVP.   

Teammates Melissa Ganzi and Bollini scored two goals apiece in the loss.  Roldan and

Marc Ganzi each scored five goals.  Gracida added a goal from the field in the victory.

Halo Polo’s Yeti (ridden by Marc Ganzi) received Best Playing Pony Honors.

ELG WINS CASABLANCA CUP, 11-10

In earlier action, a balanced ELG (Juancito Bollini, Martin Estrada, Kris Kampsen and

Avery Chapman) attack scored an 11-10 win over Palm House (Glen Straub, Carlos

Diaz, Tommy Biddle and Joey Casey) to capture the Casablanca Cup in spite of a

seven goal production by Tommy Biddle.

Carlos Diaz got Palm House on the scoreboard with a goal from the field just two-and-ahalf minutes into the game.  Kris Kampsen answered with a penalty conversion for ELG

to end the chukker in a 1-1 tie.

A Palm House miscue left the ball in front of an undefended goal, and Diaz jumped on

it for his second goal of the game and a 2-1 Palm House lead.  Biddle made it 3-1 on a

60-yard penalty conversion.  ELG team captain Avery Chapman kept ELG in the game

with a penalty goal of his own.  At the end of the second chukker of play, Palm House

was on top, 3-2.

Kampsen tied it up at 3-3 in the opening minute of the third chukker, and a goal from

Juancito Bollini had ELG in the lead for the first time at 4-3.  Chapman and Bollini added

additional goals for a 6-3 edge before Palm House could score.  A penalty goal from

Biddle in the final 45 seconds of the first half cut the ELG lead to two goals, 6-4.

ELG’s Martin Estrada jumped all over the opening throw-in of the second half and raced

down the field for a score, 7-4.  Biddle converted a 30-yard penalty shot for a goal for

Palm House, 7-5.  Chapman’s third goal of the game cape with 40 seconds on the clock

and gave ELG an 8-5 three goal lead at the end of the fourth.

A well-placed pass from Biddle found a streaking Glen Straub who stroked the ball

through the goalposts, 8-6.  Consecutive penalty conversions from Biddle at 5:11 and

1:32 had it all even at 8-8, but Kampsen put ELG back in the lead with a penalty goal

with 44 seconds left in the chukker, 9-8.

Biddle tied it up again for Palm House in the opening minutes of the sixth chukker

on a penalty conversion, 9-9 and then drove the ball through the goal posts from

over 80-yards out to edge ELG, 10-9 with three-and-a-half minutes left in the game.  

Estrada tied it up again at 10-10 with his second goal of the game at the 2:29 mark.  An

unfortunate penalty on Palm House sent Chapman to the penalty line with 34 seconds

left to play.  He scored the winning goal on the penalty shot and ELG celebrated the 11-

10 victory.

INTER-CONTINENTAL 11, AUDI 9

Inter-Continental (Alejandro Poma, Brandon Phillips, Carlucho Arellano and Gene

Goldstein) rallied with four last chukker goals (three from Carlucho Arellano) to ride

past Audi (Grant Ganzi, Leo Mandelbaum, Lucas Lalor and J. J. Celis) 11-9, in the

consolation round of the Piaget Memorial Day Polo Cup in a Sunday morning contest.  

Audi’s Leo Mandelbaum scored the first goal of the game, but Inter-Continental’s

Carlucho Arellano and Alejandro Poma responded with single goals for InterContinental, 2-1.

The two teams exchanged goals in the second period with Arellano scoring for InterContinental and J. J. Celis answering with a goal for Audi.  Inter-Continental continued

to lead, 3-2.

Two Inter-Continental goals went unanswered in the third with Alejandro Poma

converting a penalty shot and Gene Goldstein scoring from the field.  At the end of the

first half, Inter-Continental led by three goals, 5-2.

Poma opened the second half with a goal from the field in the opening 30 seconds

of play, and teammate Brandon Phillips scored on a 60-yard penalty shot for a

commanding 7-2 lead.  That was when Audi came alive.  Three consecutive goals from

Celis (two on penalty shots) closed out the chukker with Inter-Continental in front, 7-5.

A rejuvenated Audi took the field in the fifth with a renewed sense of purpose.  Three

minutes into the chukker, Mandelbaum scored a goal to cut the Inter-Continental lead

to a single goal, 7-6.  A minute later Celis tied it up with his fifth goal of the game.  

Mandelbaum scored a goal from the field in the final 58 seconds of the period to put

Audi in front, 8-7.

Phillips tied it up in the opening minute of the sixth chukker, 8-8, and three consecutive

goals from Arellano had Inter-Continental firmly in the lead, 11-8, with 2:17 left in the

game.  Lucas Lalor scored the final goal of the game for Audi as they watched InterContinental celebrate the 11-9 victory.

Arellano set the pace for Inter-Continental with five goals.  Poma added three goals;

Phillips scored twice and Goldstein added a goal for the win.  Celis was high-scorer for

Audi with five goals.  Mandelbaum added three goals and Lalor scored once in a losing

effort.

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