By Alex Webbe
A couple of hundred polo enthusiasts and friends of the late Pedro Morrison showed up fieldside at the Grand Champions Polo Club Sunday afternoon to watch KIG and Piaget face off in the finals of the After leading 5-4 at halftime, KIG needed a last chukker rally to score a 10-9 come-from-behind win over Piaget in the finals of the 2012 Pedro Morrison Memorial Cup.
KIG enjoyed a 5-4 halftime lead but needed a last chukker rally to take the cup in a hard-fought 10-9 game. An interesting under-theme of the match had Juan Bollini and Melissa Ganzi playing on the Piaget team while their sons, Juancito Bollini and Grant Ganzi, filled out the KIG roster.
Playing without team captain Bash Kazi, KIG (Jason Crowder, Juancito Bollini, Grant Ganzi and Kris Kampsen) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first chukker, picking up single goals from Jason Crowder, Grant Ganzi and Juancito Bollini. Piaget (Melissa Ganzi, J.J. Celis, Juan Bollini and Joey Casey) was unable to score in the opening seven minutes of play.
Goals from the field from Juan Bollini and Joey Casey cut the lead to a single goal, 3-2. Crowder’s second goal of the game ended the second period and gave KIG a 4-2 edge after two chukkers.
Juan Bollini scored the first goal of the third and teammate J.J. Celis tied it up at 4-4, with his first goal of the day. Kris Kampsen gave KIG the halftime lead, 5-4, his first goal of the afternoon.
Kampsen scored again in the fourth to put KIG on top by two goals, 6-4, but Piaget showed new life as Celis added two more goals to even it up at 6-6.
Piaget added three more goals in the fifth. Casey scored his second goal of the game and Celis added a goal from the field and another on a penalty shot. Kampsen scored on a penalty shot for KIG’s only score of the chukker. Piaget rode off the field with a two goal lead, 9-7, with one period left to be played. The sixth chukker belonged to KIG as a determined defense kept them off the scoreboard for the final minutes of play.
Kampsen scored the opening goal of the final chukker, cutting the Piaget lead to a single goal, 9-8. Grant Ganzi tied it up on a brilliant following a pin-point pass from Kampsen, and Crowder put it away with the final goal of the game for the 10-9 win.
Celis led all scoring with five goals; teammates Juan Bollini and Casey scored two goals apiece in the loss.
Kampsen set the scoring pace for KIG with four goals. Crowder scored three times, Grant Ganzi added two goals and Juancito Bollini added a goal in the win.
Crowder was named MVP for his efforts while Vegas, a six-year-old Dark Bay Thoroughbred played by Grant Ganzi in the first and sixth chukkers was honored as Best Playing Pony.
EQUINE LAW 9, AUDI 8
In earlier competition, Equine Law fell behind early but rebounded for a 9-8 win over Audi to capture the Tato’s Mallets Challenge Cup behind eight goals from 6-goaler Tommy Biddle.
Marc Ganzi scored the only goal of the first chukker, on a penalty shot to put Audi on top, 2-0 (Audi received one goal by handicap from the 14-goal Equine Law team).
Two goals from Biddle in the second chukker went unanswered, as Audi was kept on the defensive as Equine Law leveled attack after attack on their goal. After two periods of play the score was all even at 2-2.
Biddle gave Equine Law a 3-2 lead with the opening goal of the third chukker and his third goal of the game, but the lead was short-lived. Carlitos Gracida converted a penalty shot for the tying goal, 3-3, and Marc Ganzi put Audi on top, 4-3, with his second goal of the game to end the first half.
Jeff Hall scored to put Audi ahead 5-3 to open the fourth chukker when Biddle and his Equine Law teammates took over. Biddle converted two more penalty shots for goals and added another from the field as Equine Law rode off the field at the end of the period with a 6-5 advantage.
Ruben Gracida extended the Equine Law lead to two goals, 7-5, with a penalty conversion when Hall scored on a spectacular individual play, weaving through the opposition and drilling the ball through the goalposts for the score, 7-6. Another penalty goal from Biddle had Equine Law on top, 8-6, with one chukker left to play.
Biddle’s eighth goal of the day gave Equine Law a comfortable 9-6 lead as time was running out for Audi. Carlitos Gracida scored a goal from the field and Marc Ganzi scored on a penalty shot, but that was where the rally stalled. Equine Law took the game by a final score of 9-8.
Biddle led all scoring with eight goals, earning MVP honors along the way. Ruben Gracida added a single penalty goal in the win.
Marc Ganzi scored three goals for Audi. Jeff Hall and Carlitos Gracida each scored a pair and the team received one goal by handicap.
Buddha, ridden by Equine Law’s Joaquin Panelo was named Best Playing Pony.
FLAT OUT 8, NEWPORT/RUBY Q 7 OT
In the opening match of the day, Paul Knapp led his Flat Out team to an 8-7 overtime win over Newport/Ruby Q for the Prisa Invitational Cup in a game that was played at the Palm City Polo Club in Boca Raton.
Newport/Ruby Q received one goal by handicap and went up 2-0 on a goal from the field from Gene Goldstein. Mariano Gonzalez countered for Flat Out with a goal, but they trailed Newport/Ruby Q 2-1 after the first chukker.
Second period goals from Goldstein and teammate Nic Roldan were answered by a single goal from Paul Knapp. Newport/Ruby Q held a 4-2 advantage.
The Flat Out defense stepped it up in the third chukker, shutting out Newport/Ruby Q
and picking up a single goal from Knapp. At the end of the first half Flat Out trailed, 4-3.
Goldstein and Brian Street extended the Newport/Ruby Q lead to three goals, 6-3, as each scored once from the field. Knapp scored one goal, 6-4, for Flat Out as they struggled to stay in the game.
Flat Out kept Newport/Ruby Q off the scoreboard for the second time on the day with Knapp adding two more goals. After five chukkers of play it was all even at 6-6.
Knapp’s sixth goal of the game looked to seal Newport/Ruby Q’s fate when Roldan scored the tying goal to make it 7-7 and force the game into sudden death overtime.
A foul by Newport/Ruby Q put Flat Out’s Paul Knapp at the penalty line where he missed the penalty attempt, but a whistle had sounded. Not all of the Newport/Ruby Q players had left the field and Flat Out was given a second attempt which Knapp didn’t miss and Flat Out celebrated the 8-7 win.
Knapp led all scoring with seven goals and was named MVP. Gonzalez scored the other goal for Flat Out.
Goldstein led the Newport/Ruby Q offense with three goals. Roldan added two goals, Street scored once and the team received one goal by handicap.