Tommy Biddle’s seven goals led ELG to a 13-8 win over Casablanca in Friday’s semifinals.
(Photo by Alex Pacheco)
Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Sugar Erskine, Mike Azzaro and Hector Galindo) got off on the right foot in the second semifinals of the 2013 USPA National Twenty Goal tournament at the Grand Champions Polo Club with Grant Ganzi scoring the opening goal from the field. ELG’s (Avery Chapman, Guille Aguero, Kris Kampsen and Tommy Biddle) Kris Kampsen responded with a penalty conversion to tie it up at 1-1. Mike Azzaro added two more Casablanca goals (one on a penalty shot) while Tommy Biddle scored a second goal for ELG to keep it close. Casablanca held a 3-2 advantage after the first chukker of play.
Guille Aguero tied it at 3-3 with a goal in the opening minute of the second period. Biddle converted a 60-yard penalty shot and added another goal from the field, to give ELG a two goal lead, 5-3. Ganzi’s second goal of the game cut the lead back to a single goal, 5-4. Biddle ended the scoring in the second with another 60-yard penalty conversion to put ELG on top of a 6-4 score.
Two more ELG goals went unanswered in the third with Biddle converting a short penalty shot while Aguero took advantage of a throw-in in front of the Casablanca goal to score his second goal of the match for an 8-4 halftime lead.
Aguero and Biddle added single goals in the fourth while miscues and errant shots at goal kept Casablanca scoreless for the second consecutive chukker. The ELG lead expanded to six goals, 10-4.
Kampsen and Biddle opened the fifth with goals from the field to give ELG a commanding eight goal advantage, 12-4. Azzaro responded with a goal from the field and a 40-yard penalty shot in the closing seconds of the chukker. ELG continued to lead, 12-6.
Azzaro scored for Casablanca at the 6:30 mark of the final chukker, 12-7, but the rally stalled. A goal from Aguero gave the six goal lead back to ELG, 13-7. Casablanca continued to press the attack but ELG was up to it. Erskine scored the final goal of the contest with 24 seconds on the clock and no one in pursuit of him in a 13-8 ELG victory.
Biddle was credited with seven goals (three on penalty conversions) for ELG. Aguero scored four times and Kampsen added a pair of goals (one on a penalty shot) in the win. Azzaro’s five goals led the Casablanca offense (three on penalty shots). Ganzi scored twice and Erskine added a goal in the loss.
The victory boosts ELG into Saturday’s 3PM USPA National Twenty Goal finals against a strong Audi lineup (Marc Ganzi, Carlitos Gracida, Nic Roldan and Carlos Gracida).