Nic Roldan and Marc Ganzi on the attack for Palm House (Photo by Alex Pacheco)
Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Mike Azzaro and Wes Finlayson) received one goal by handicap from the 13-goal ELG lineup (Melissa Ganzi, Kris Kampsen, Juan Bollini and Avery Chapman) and rode on to score a 10-7 win in the finals of the 2013 USPA Kay Colee Memorial Cup Sunday morning at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington.
Avery Chapman converted a penalty shot for the tying goal (Casablanca received one goal by handicap) less than three minutes into the game. Mike Azzaro put Casablanca on top with a goal from the field with just five seconds on the clock. Casablanca left the field with an early 2-1 lead.
Kris Kampsen tied it up, 2-2, for ELG midway through the second chukker on a 40-yard penalty conversion. Azzaro responded with his second goal from the field just a minute later for the final goal of the period and a 3-2 advantage.
Grant Ganzi scored the first goal of the third chukker, converting a 40-yard penalty shot just 17 seconds into play to put Casablanca on top by two goals, 4-2. Kampsen answered with a goal from the field three minutes later, 4-3. Juancito Bollini scored his first goal of the day at the three minute mark and Casablanca left the field at the end of the first half on top of a 5-3 score.
Juancito Bollini made it 6-3, Casablanca, as the second half opened, but that would be the end of the Casablanca offense for the duration of the chukker. Kampsen got ELG right back into the game, converting a 60-yard Safety and adding a goal from the field. After four chukkers of play, ELG trailed Casablanca by a single goal, 6-5.
The two teams battled up and down the field in the fifth period before Kampsen tied it up, 6-6, on a 60-yard penalty conversion halfway through the chukker. An ELG foul in the goal mouth allowed Azzaro to take the lead back for Casablanca, 7-6, with 1:37 on the clock for the final goal of the chukker.
An ELG foul sent Azzaro to the penalty line once again just two minutes into the sixth chukker. His shot at goal was redirected through the goal posts by Grant Ganzi, 8-6. Kampsen answered back with a 40-yard penalty goal, 8-7, less than a minute later. Azzaro extended the lead to 9-7 at the two minute mark and Juancito Bollini put the final nail in the coffin with a 200 yard run down the field for a goal with 49 seconds left in the game. Time expired before the ensuing throw-in and Casablanca celebrated the 10-7 victory.
Kampsen led all scoring with six goals (four on penalty conversions). Chapman added a penalty goal in the loss. Azzaro scored three of his team-leading four goals from the field and was named MVP. Juancito Bollini was credited with three goals and Grant Ganzi scored twice
Tampa Glitter (owned by Halo Polo) received Best Playing Pony honors. The five-year-old chestnut TB mare was played by Melissa Ganzi in the fifth chukker.
BELUGA EKES OUT WIN IN ROUND-ROBIN
Beluga (Misha Rodzianko, Leo Mandelbaum, Brandon Phillips and Guille Aguero) scored a tie and a win in the consolation round-robin of the USPA Kay Collee Memorial Cup Sunday afternoon.
In the opening three chukkers of play, Beluga managed a 3-3 tie with Palm House (Marc Ganzi, Glen Straub, Nic Roldan and Carlitos Gracida).
Palm House received one goal by handicap from Beluga, and Nic Roldan scored the first goal of the opening chukker from the field for a 2-0 lead. A penalty conversion from Misha Rodzianko for Beluga cut the lead to a single goal, 2-1.
Guille Aguero tied it up at 2-2 for Beluga with a second chukker goal, but Roldan responded with his second goal of the game to put Palm House back in the lead, 3-2.
Rodzianko scored the only goal of the third chukker as the teams left the field at the end of the game in a 3-3 tie.
NEWPORT 7, PALM HOUSE 5
A fresh Newport team (Gene Goldstein, Michel Dorignac, Luis Escobar and Kaisser Maakar) took the field for the next three chukker mini-game and scored the first two goal of the contest. Kaisser Maakar converted a penalty shot for the opening goal followed by a goal from the field from 7-goaler Michel Dorignac. Marc Ganzi scored the only goal of the period for Palm House. The chukker ended with Newport ahead, 2-1.
Palm House stormed back in the second period with three unanswered goals. Marc Ganzi added two more goals from the field and Carlitos Gracida scored his first of the day. Palm House was set to defend a 4-2 lead going into the final chukker.
A determined Newport foursome took control of the third, scoring consecutive goals from Gene Goldstein, Luis Escobar and Michel Dorignac (penalty conversion), 5-4, before Palm House could respond. Carlitos Gracida tied it at 5-5 with a goal from the field, but Goals from Goldstein and Escobar closed out the match in a 7-5 Newport victory.
BELUGA 8, NEWPORT 5
Beluga returned to the field for the final three chukkers against a Newport team that had handily defeated a talented Palm House lineup, but Beluga was confident.
Five first chukker goals staggered the Newport lineup as Brandon Phillips and Misha Rodzianko scored two goals apiece and Guille Aguero added a single goal before Newport could get on the scoreboard. The first period ended with Beluga in control of a 5-1 game (Newport received one goal by handicap) as Newport tried to regroup.
Luis Escobar and Kaisser Maakar each scored a goal from the field in the second chukker and Michel Dorignac converted a penalty goal for Newport, but Beluga wasn’t ready to roll over. Goals from Phillips and Aguero ended the period with Beluga in control of a 7-4 game.
Kaisser Maakar and Misha Rodzianko scored the final goals of the game with Beluga celebrating the 8-5 win.