By Alex Webbe
Skeeterville struggled to get its fast-paced north and south game on track, but the stick work and team play of Pony Express proved its undoing. Pony Express put together a second half rally that soundly defeated a talented Skeeterville squad 11-8 in the quarterfinals of the 2008 US Open at the International Polo Club in Wellington Saturday afternoon.
As each team struggled to get control of the ball and establish a rhythm to their respective attacks, the teams ended the first three chukkers tied up at 4-4.
With Skeeterville struggling to get its up and down the field attack going, Pony Express relied on the stick work of Nick Roldan, Matias Magrini and Pelon Sterling to break up any attempt Skeeterville made to mount an attack.
After a scoreless third chukker, Pony Express came out swinging and outscored Skeeterville four goals to two to take an 8-6 lead after the fourth frame. Three goals from Pony Express’s Magrini were complimented by a goal from Sterling, as Skeeterville was limited to a penalty goal from Adam Snow and a goal from the field by Julio Arellano.
Pony Express appeared to have Skeeterville on the ropes in the fifth chukker and scored three straight goals while holding the high-scoring Skeeterville attack scoreless. A frustrated Skeeterville squad left the field after the fifth chukker trailing by five goals, 11-6.
Desperation was the word of the day for Skeeterville as it threw one assault after another toward the Pony Express goal. Both Snow and Arellano were able to penetrate the Pony Express defense for single goals, but time ran out. Pony Express carried the day with an 11-8 win.
“It has taken us a little time to get to know one another as teammates, “ said Pony Express 10-goaler Matias Magrini, “and right now, I have a great deal of confidence in my team and our abilities on the field.”
Magrini added that early horse problems plagued each of the members of the team, and that they were now prepared to continue forward in Open play.
Magrini and Roldan each scored four goals for Pony Express with Sterling adding three goals for the win.
Snow and Arellano each scored four goals for Skeeterville in a losing effort.
CRAB ORCHARD 13, AUDI 12
In earlier action, in a hard-fought game, rife with penalties and broken plays, Crab Orchard managed to escape with a 13-12 win over a very talented Audi team in US Open quarterfinal play.
Audi trailed after both the first (3-1) and the second (4-3) chukkers before knotting it up at 6-6 at halftime.
The fourth chukker proved Audi’s undoing, as Adolfo Cambiaso, the Michael Jordan of polo, scored his fourth and fifth goals of the game, and Jeff Blake added a penalty goal to the Crab Orchard total. A single penalty conversion by Paco de Narvaez accounted for the only Audi scoring as Crab Orchard moved out to a 9-7 lead.
Two Crab Orchard goals extended its lead to 11-7 before Audi Responded. A tenacious Audi attack battled back into the game with two penalty conversions from 10-goaler Gonzalito Pieres and a goal from the field by Paco de Narvaez. The fifth chukker ended with Audi trailing 11-10.
Paco de Narvaez tied the game in the sixth chukker with his fourth goal of the match, but was answered almost immediately by a score from Crab Orchard’s Nachi Heguy. Pieres tied it again at 12-12, but Cambiaso scored the winning goal for the 13-12 final.
In further 2008 Open competition; Pony Express is slated to play Crab Orchard in semifinal action on Wednesday, April 10 at noon. On Sunday, April 13, quarterfinal play will continue with Zacara meeting White Birch at noon followed by a 3pm match featuring Las Monjitas and Black Watch.