By Alex Webbe
Hard riding and great teamwork carried the Luciano Barbera polo team to an 8-4 win over Grand Champions in the 2011 12-Goal Winter Rush Open at the Grand Champions Polo Club over the weekend.
After dispatching the Audi team on Saturday, Andrew Seibert led his Luciano Barbera team against a talent-laden Grand Champions team that was stymied by a smothering defense that kept it off the scoreboard for the last three chukkers of the finals.
Luciano Barbera scored the first two goals of the game with young Juancito Bollini scoring two from the field as Grand Champions struggled to shut down the driving attacks.
Johnny Levin finally broke through the Luciano Barbera defense to score, but the chukker ended with Grand Champions trailing 2-1.
Grand Champions settled down in the second, blanking Luciano Barbera and adding another goal from Levin for a 2-2 tie.
Goals from Levin and Juan Chavanne had Grand Champions ahead 4-3 at the end of the first half, with Juancito Bollini adding another goal. Grand Champions took the one goal lead into the second half of the contest.
Tommy Biddle scored two goals in the fourth that tied and then took the lead from Grand Champions. Grand Champions was shut out for the first time all afternoon.
Lucas Lalor and Juancito Bollini added single goals in the fifth while Grand Champions continued to struggle with its defense, and Luciano Barbera extended its lead to three goals, 7-4.
Juancito Bollini’s fifth goal of the game came on a fine connecting pass from Seibert for the final 804 winning score.
Juancito Bollini led all scoring with five goals. Tommy Biddle added two in the win and Lucas Lalor scored once.
Johnny Levin scored three of Grand Champions’ four goals and was named MVP for his efforts.
Piaget, played by Juancito Bollini and owned by Halo Polo received Best Playing Pony honors.