Lechuza team captain Victor Vargas
Tomas Goti was on fire Wednesday afternoon scoring ten times in leading Lechuza (Victor Vargas, Mariano Gracida, Juan Martin Nero and Tomas Goti) to a 13-11 win over Equuleus (Martin Pepa, Magoo Laprida, Mariano Gonzalez and Joe DiMenna) in the 20-goal Monty Waterbury Cup at the Bridgehampton Polo Club.
Ten-goaler Juan Martin Nero scored the first goal of the game for Lechuza before Equuleus took the reins. Three consecutive goals from Mariano (one on a penalty conversion) ended the scoring in the first chukker as Equuleus rode off the field with an early 3-1 lead.
Defense was a priority in second chukker play with Tomas Goti and Martin Pepa exchanging goals. Equuleus continued to hold the lead by two goals, 4-2.
Nero’s second goal of the game cut the Equuleus lead to a single goal, 4-3, and a 40-yard penalty goal by Goti tied it up at 4-4. Pepa gave the lead back to Equuleus with a goal from the field that ended the first half with Lechuza trailing, 5-4.
The gloves came off in the second half. Goti converted a 60-yard penalty shot and followed it up with a goal from the field to give Lechuza their first lead of the day, 6-5. Gonzalez retaliated with a goal from the field for a 6-6 tie. Laprida added a goal and a foul by Lechuza sent Gonzalez to the penalty line where he converted the shot for a goal and am 8-6 Equuleus advantage. Goti closed out the scoring in the fourth chukker, cutting the Equuleus lead to a single goal, 8-7.
Goti tied it up at 8-8 with the opening goal of the fifth, and Nero gave Lechuza back the lead moments later, 9-8. Gonzalez scored on a 60-yard penalty shot, 9-9, but an Equuleus foul gave Goti and easy penalty shot, which he converted for a 10-9 lead going into the final chukker.
Lechuza took early control of the sixth chukker with Goti scoring the first three goals of the period, 13-9. A stunned Equuleus team struggled to maintain composure, picking up single goals from Pepa and Laprida, but the damage was done, and time ran out as Lechuza celebrated the 13-11 victory.
Goti scored ten times on the day (three on penalty shots). Nero scored the other three goals. Gonzalez led the Equuleus attack with six goals (three on penalty conversions). Pepa scored three times and Laprida added two goals in the loss.
The win lifts the Lechuza record to 1-1 while Equuleus suffers their first loss of the tournament and slips to 1-1.
Monty Waterbury Cup competition will continue on Thursday with a 10:30AM game scheduled to be played between Heathcote (0-1) and White Birch Farm (1-0).