By Alex Webbe

ERG improved its Ylvisaker Cup record to 2-1 with a 10-8 win over Lechuza (0-2) Sunday afternoon at the International Polo club in Wellington after charging out to a commanding 7-2 lead after the first three chukkers of play.

ERG on the trophy presentation platform. Photo by Ami De La Mer.

Lechuza’s Gaston Lisioli scored the first goal of the game on but ERG answered with a pair of goals from Paco De Narvaez for a 2-1 first chukker lead.

Goals from Jason Crowder (penalty shot) and De Narvaez had ERG ahead 4-2 after two periods of play.  Toto Collardin scored on a 40-yard penalty shot for Lechuza.

ERG got it moving down the field in the third.  Consecutive goals from Santi Torres, Crowder and De Narvaez were combined with flawless defense and ERG extended the lead to five goals, 7-2.

De Narvaez made it 8-2 in the opening minutes of the fourth chukker, but Lechuza responded with a 60-yard penalty goal from Lisioli and a goal from the field from Collardin.  ERG continued to lead, 8-4.

Defenses tightened on both sides in the fifth.  Lisioli converted another 60-yard penalty shot with ERG team captain Scott Wood tapping through a Penalty 2 for a goal.  ERG continued to hold strong with a 9-5 advantage.

“We might have been playing too defensively late in the game,” said 6-goaler Jason Crowder.  “I was told to stay back and not come through on any plays, and that’s what I did.”

Crowder’s third penalty conversion extended the ERG lead to 10-5 as Lechuza’s last rally of the game was launched.  Victor Vargas scored his first goal of the game followed by a pair of goals from Lisioli to end the game in an ERG victory, 10-8.

“We almost gave it away at the end,” said Jason Crowder, “But we managed to hold on for the win.”

BENDABOUT 15, ZACARA 13

In earlier Ylvisaker Cup action, Bendabout exploded in the opening two chukkers of play, outscoring Zacara 6-2.

Bendabout got a pair of opening goals from Chris Nevins and a goal from the field from team captain Gillian Johnston before Zacara finally responded with a penalty conversion from Jeff Blake.

Two more goals from Johnston and another goal from Nevins had Bendabout leading by four goals, 6-2.  Gonzalo Del Tour scored Zacara’s only goal of the chukker.

Zacara got it going in the third as Blake scored three times (two from the field and one on a penalty shot) with teammate Mariano Uranga adding a goal to the mix.  Lucas Criado scored twice for Bendabout, who led 8-6 at the end of the first half.

Bendabout regrouped and took the field by storm in the fourth.  Unanswered goals from Laprida, Nevins and Johnston extended the lead to five goals, 11-6.

Zacara watched Nevins score two straight goals to give Bendabout a commanding 13-6 lead when the tables turned.  Five straight goals from Zacara (three from Gonzalo Del Tour and single goals from Uranga and Blake) cut deeply into Bendabout cushion.  Zacara was within striking distance as they trailed 13-11.

Zacara tried to crank it up one more time in the sixth chukker, getting penalty goals from Del Tour and Blake, but Bendabout hadn’t gone to sleep completely.  Johnston’s fifth goal of the game and a single goal from Criado were all that were needed to secure the 15-13 win.

The victory improves the Bendabout record to 1-1 while Zacara falls to 1-2.

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