By Alex Webbe
In the second day of competition in the Maserati Miami Beach Polo World
Cup in Miami Beach, the favorites continued to reign. Victories by Maserati, Yellow Cab and The Raleigh had the officials turning to net and then gross goals to determine the finalists
Maserati opened the day with an 11-6 win over a vastly improving Gascon team that trailed by only a couple of goals for most of the game.
Gascon’s Lindor Novillo Corvalan scored the first goal of the game on a penalty conversion. Maserati responded with a penalty goal from Facundo Obregon and a goal from the field from Guille Usandizaga. The first chukker ended with Maserati holding a 2-1 advantage over Gascon.
Obregon scored on a penalty goal in the second chukker followed by a penalty goal from Corvalan and a two-pointer from George Olivas for a 4-4 tie. Two more goals from Usandizaga ended the first half with Maserati holding on to a 6-4 advantage.
Corvalan converted a two-pointer to open the second half in a 6-6 tie, but Maserati raced back into the game. Two goals from Usandizaga closed out the third period with Maserati ahead again by two goals, 8-6.
Maserati and Usandizaga took control of the game in the fourth. Three consecutive goals from Usandizaga went unanswered as Maserati cruised to a comfortable 11-6 win.
Usandizaga’s nine goals led all scorers. Obregon added two penalty goals for the Maserati victory.
Corvalan accounted for four points for Gascon, including a two-pointer. Olivas added a two-pointer for Gascon as well.
YELLOW CAB 8, LUFTHANSA PRIVATE JET 5
Yellow Cab drove onto the beach in high gear as they ran up a 4-0 lead over a confused Lufthansa Private Jet trio that could do little to stop the attack. Juan Monteverde scored two goals from the field while Kampsen scored once from the field and once on a penalty shot. Lufthansa Private Jet was grounded and trailed by four goals after the first period of play.
Jamie Morrison scored from the field and Tommy Kato converted a penalty shot in the second. The Lufthansa defense held Yellow Cab to a single Monteverde goal in the chukker. Yellow Cab held a three goal, 5-2 lead at the end of the first half.
Defense was the byword in the second half. Simon Garber managed a goal from the field for Yellow Cab, but Luis Escobar cancelled it out with a goal of his own. After three periods Yellow Cab held on to a 6-3 lead.
The two teams exchanged goals in the final chukker with Escobar scoring on a two-pointer for Lufthansa Private Jet while Yellow Cab garnered a penalty goal from Garber and a goal from the field from Kampsen. It might not have been pretty, but Yellow Cab drove off of the field with an 8-5 victory.
Kampsen and Monteverde scored three goals apiece for Yellow Cab. Garber added two for the win.
Escobar was high point man for Lufthansa Private Jet. Morrison and Kato added single goals in the loss.
THE RALEIGH 14, HEYS USA/SLS JETS 10
The Raleigh took the lead in the opening chukker and controlled the ball throughout for the 14-10 victory over Heys USA/SLS JETS.
Heys USA got a pair of goals from the field from Nic Roldan in the opening period but The Raleigh established their superiority early with a pair of goals from Gringo Colombres. John Gobin added a goal from the field and a two-point goal from over fifty yards away for the 5-2 advantage.
Heys USA got back into it in the second chukker, picking up a penalty goal from Shaun Garber. Roldan picked up three more points, scoring once from the field on a single point goal and adding two more points as he tapped the ball into the air at midfield and batting it through the goal posts. Colombres added three goals for The Raleigh (two on penalty shots). At the halfway point, The Raleigh led by two goals, 8-6.
Garber converted another penalty shot for a goal in the third and Phillips added two from the field. The Raleigh got two more goals from Colombres and a goal from Bash Kazi. Gobin added another two-pointer as The Raleigh galloped off to a 13-9 lead.
Colombres scored a final goal for The Raleigh in the fourth chukker and Heys was limited to a penalty goal from Shaun Garber. The Raleigh would take the game, 14-10, and find their way into the finals with Yellow Cab by a one goal margin.
With Maserati, Yellow Cab and The Raleigh all tied with identical 2-0 records the officials turned to gross goals scored. All were tied at 23. Turning to net goals, The Raleigh and Yellow Cab had +7 and Maserati had + 6, and the finals were set. Yellow Cab would battle the 2011 defending championship Raleigh team for the 2012 Maserati Miami Beach World Cup.