By Alex Webbe

EFG Bank rallied from a 7-6 halftime deficit to down the Hawks 14-12 in Wednesday’s 3 pm semifinals of the 2010 Iglehart Cup tournament at the International Polo Club in Wellington.  Paced by nine goals from Pancho Bensadon, EFG Bank scored its second consecutive win in tournament play and earned a berth in the finals on Sunday, January 10th.

It was a back and forth scoring frenzy in the opening chukker, with EFG Bank escaping with a narrow 3-2 lead on the strength of three goals from Bensadon.

Freddie Mannix’s  Hawks tied it up in the second chukker, getting two goals from Julian Mannix while holding EFG Bank to a single goal from Luis Escobar, and took a 7-6 lead after three chukkers.

The players raced up and down the field in the fourth period as the pace of the game escalated.  Julian Mannix opened with two goals but was countered by two goals from EFG’s Bensadon.  The Hawks continued to hold the lead, 9-8, after four chukkers of play.

EFG Bank turned it around in the fifth period.  Bensadon scored twice, and Andres Weisz and Luis Escobar added single goals.  The EFG Bank defense held the Hawks to a single penalty goal, leaving the field with a 12-10 lead and a single chukker to play.

Both teams continued to press their attacks, but defensive plays were the mainstay of the chukker,  Freddie Mannix and Aguerre scored single goals for the Hawks but were countered by Bensadon, who scored twice for EFG Bank in the win.

Bensadon led all scoring with nine goals.  Escobar scored three times and Andres Weisz added two goals in the win.

Julian Mannix led the Hawks with five goals.  Aguerre scored four times and Fred Mannix added three goals.

PATAGONES 16, WANDERERS/ISLA CARROLL 14

In earlier Iglehart cup action, Patagones earned the right to play EFG Bank in the Iglehart Cup finals with a 16-14 win over a talented and high-scoring Wanderers/Isla Carroll lineup.

“You figure that if you score fourteen goals you’re going to win,” said a stunned Kris Kampsen of the losing team.  “We’re going to have top review the game film and make the necessary adjustments,” he added.

Patagones jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before the Wanderers got into the game.  Penalty goals from Nacho Figueras and Kris Kampsen ended the opening chukker with Patagones leading by a single goal, 3-2.

The Wanderers put four goals on the scoreboard in the second period, with Kampsen scoring twice and single goals from Figueras and Sugar Erskine.  Patagones was held to a single goal from Gonzalo Avendano and trailed 6-4.

Erskine scored a pair of goals in the third chukker and Kampsen converted a penalty goal and Patagones responded with successful scoring efforts from brothers Carlos and Gonzalo Avendano.  The Wanderers left the field at the half leading 9-6.

Erskine and Kampsen scored single goals to open the fourth chukker, but a recharged Patagones team took over.  Successive goals from Gonzalo Avendano, Julio Gracida and Carlos Gracida cut the Wanderers’ lead to two goals, 11-9, as the period ended.

Kampsen converted two more penalty shots for the Wanderers in the fifth, but Carlos Gracida added a goal for Patagones and Carlos Avendano added two consecutive goals to cut the lead to a single goal, 13-12.

Carlos Gracida’s third goal of the game tied the score at 13-13, but Kampsen scored again to put the Wanderers on top, 14-13.  Patagones got a single goal from Gonzalo Avendano to tie it again, 14-14 and two more goals from Julio Gracida for the final 16-14 winning score.

The victory catapulted Patagones into Sunday’s 3 pm Iglehart Cup finals against EFG Bank.

Kampsen led all scoring with eight goals.  Erskine scored four times and Figueras added two goals in the loss.

Julio Gracida led Patagones with five goals.  Gonzalo Avendano and brother Carlos Avendano each scored four times and Carlos Gracida added three goals in the win.

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