By Alex Webbe
Melissa Ganzi’s Audi (3-0) polo team remained unbeaten after beating a talented and well-mounted BTA (0-2) side in Iglehart Cup action at the International Polo Club in Wellington Sunday afternoon.
A balanced Audi attack took the field in the first chukker, going up 2-0 on a pair of goals from Brandon Phillips while shutting out BTA in the first seven and-a-half minutes of play.
The tide turned in the second chukker, however, as BTA took a 3-2 lead on the strength of two goals from Jeff Blake and a single goal from K. C. Beal, who was filling in for her injured father (dislocated shoulder).
“We made some mistakes in the second chukker,” said Audi 9-goaler Gonzalito Pieres. “We got too aggressive, we let them get behind us and they scored,” he added.
BTA returned to the field in the third chukker and scored two more goals to go up 5-2.
If BTA was trying to get Gonzalito Pieres’s attention, it worked. In the course of five minutes, Pieres scored five times for Audi as he completely dominated the game.
Pieres scored once on a penalty shot and four more times from the field as he led Audi back to a lead they would never give up.
“I think we got a little soft in the third chukker,” said BTA’s Hector Galindo, “and then Gonzalito (Pieres) went on a tear in the third.”
Brandon Phillips scored his third goal of the game to open the fourth chukker before BTA responded. K. C. Beal scored BTA’s sixth goal of the game, but a penalty conversion by Pieres ended the chukker with Audi holding a 9-6 lead.
“Gonzalito (Pieres) took the game from them,” said Brandon Phillips, “ They tried to come back in the fourth but couldn’t. That’s when I think we broke them.”
Pieres added two more goals in the fifth while holding BTA to a single score from Jeff Blake. The chukker ended with Audi in front 11-7.
BTA pulled out all the stops in the final chukker, but didn’t get on the scoreboard until halfway through the period.
Hector Galindo scored from the field, followed by a penalty conversion from Jeff Blake. Audi played a defensive game as BTA pressed its attack. K. C. Beal scored her third goal of the game to end the contest with Audi on the winning side of an 11-10 score.
Gonzalito Pieres led all scoring with eight goals, giving him a total of 29 goals scored in his last three games. Brandon Phillips added three goals in the win.
Jeff Blake scored six times for BTA. K. C. Beal added three and Hector Galindo scored once.
Iglehart Cup play continues with two games on Monday at 1 and 3pm and three games on Thursday at 11am, 1 and 3pm.