By Alex Webbe

The Ylvisaker Cup contest between Patagones and Mt. Brilliant would decide a playoff spot in the tournament, and both teams were ready to deliver their best Sunday afternoon.

Mt. Brilliant exploded in the opening chukker, getting three goals from Nic Roldan and an additional goal from Mike Azzaro while Patagones struggled to find either an offense or a defense, but there  are six chukkers in a regulation game, and they would have their turn.

In a game one spectator described as a “tale of two chukkers”, Patagones had their turn in the second.

Polo legend Memo Gracida scored three straight goals and teammate Martin Donovan added a goal to knot it up at 4-4.  Roldan’s fourth goal of the game ended the chukker with Mt. Brilliant taking a one goal lead, 5-4.

Gracida scored twice (two penalty goals) in the third and Roldan converted a penalty goal of his own to even the score at 6-6 at the end of the half.

Goals from Roldan and Azzaro in the fourth were countered by two more goals from Gracida, who seemed to be all over the field, and the score was tied again at 8-8.Gracida and Donovan added single goals in the fifth for a brief 10-8 lead, but Mt. Brilliant battled back with a pair of goals from Ulysses Escapite and a penalty goal from Roldan.  Mt. Brilliant led, 11-10.

“I think I put on more mileage today than the Energizer bunny today,” said Patagones field general Memo Gracida.  “Gonzalo (Avendano) did a great job covering the back end while Carlos (Avendano) covered the Number 3 position when I drove forward.”

Carlos Avendano contributed some great efforts in the sixth chukker, scoring twice to give Patagones a 12-11 lead as time was running down.  A final charge by Mt. Brilliant resulted in a last second goal from Escapite, a 12-12 score and a sudden death overtime chukker.

Both teams had chances in the opening minutes of overtime play, but it was a penalty goal by Carlos Avendano that sealed the 13-12 Patagones win.

Gracida led the Patagones attack with eight goals.  Martin Donovan scored twice and Carlos Avendano added three goals, including the winning goal in overtime on a 60-yard penalty shot.

Nic Roldan scored eight times for Mt. Brilliant with teammates Mike Azzaro and Ulysses Escapite adding two goals apiece.

The win pits Patagones against Equuleus in Wednesday’s 3 pm semifinal of the Ylvisaker Cup.

 “I think we’re starting to gel as a team,” he added.  “I think the winner of our semifinal match (against Equuleus) will win the cup.”

ZACARA 8, LECHUZA 7

The game got off to a slow start, with both steams sizing up one another and practicing disciplined defense.  It wasn’t until Victor Vargas scored for Lechuza in the second chukker that any points were scored by either side.

Zacara exploded in the third with four goals (two from Mariano Uranga and single goals from Jeff Blake and Gonzalo Del Tour) that things started to pick up on the offense front.  Guille Aguero responded for Lechuza with a single goal, but the first half ended with Zacara on top, 4-2.

A pair of penalty goals from Lechuza’s Gaston Lisioli in the fourth and a goal from the field from teammate Toto Collardin had the scored tied at 5-5, with Blake converting a penalty shot for a goal from Zacara.

Aguero scored the only goal of the fifth, for a 6-5 lead, and Lechuza went up 7-5 on Lisioli’s third goal of the game.  Zacara scrambled back into the game with single goals from Del Tour and Uranga, tying the game and forcing an overtime period of play.

Zacara drew first blood in the sudden death overtime period, and that was all it would take for the 8-7 win. 

The victory launched the Zacara team into Wednesday’s 1 pm semifinals of the 2011 Ylvisaker Cup against Lucchese.

BENDABOUT 11, EQUULEUS 10

Bendabout (2-2) managed to hold on to score an 11-10 win over previously undefeated Equuleus (3-1), but lost out on any playoff hopes.  Earlier losses and net goals recorded had Bendabout needing to win by no less than four goals in lieu of the earlier Zacara win, and Equuleus deprived them of that kind of win.

In a contest that was tied seven times, both teams battled to a 4-4 halftime score before Equuleus moved out to a narrow 7-6 lead after four chukkers of play. 

Chris Nevins scored two unanswered goals for Bendabout in the fifth for an 8-7 lead.

Goals from Gillian Johnston and Inaki Laprida in the sixth had Bendabout in front 10-7 before Equuleus staged a comeback. 

Mariano Gonzalez scored twice from the field, one of them coming on the connecting end of a 140-yard penalty shot from Marianito Obregon (the second time in the match), to cut the lead to a single goal, 10-9.

Lucas Criado’s second goal of the game was followed by a Gonzalez penalty conversion for the final score in the 11-10 Bendabout win.

Inaki Laprida scored four goals in the Bendabout win.  Chris Nevins added three goals and Gillian Johnston and Lucas Criado each scored twice.

Mariano Gonzalez led the Equuleus attack with six goals.  Adam Snow and Marianito Obregon scored two goals each.

Despite the loss, Equuleus (3-1) finishes on top of its bracket in tournament play and will face Patagones in Wednesday’s 3 pm semifinals.

×
Menu Title