Orchard Hill (Steve Van Andel, Lucas Criado, Facundo Pieres and Marcos Alberdi) was sent packing after suffering a 14-12 defeat at the hands of El Cabure (Scott Wood, Sugar Erskine, Agustin Merlos and Carlucho Arellano) in the first of Sunday-s quarterfinals in the 2014 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington.
El Cabure came out firing from the opening throw-in as they rang up an early3-1 lead. Agustin Merlos scored the first goal of the game on a 60-yard penalty shot followed by a goal from Orchard Hill’s Marcos Alberdi, 1-1. Merlos and teammate Sugar Erskine added single goals for the 3-1 El Cabure edge.
The two teams exchanged goals in the second chukker. Merlos opened the period with a pair of goals from the field for a 5-1 advantage. Facundo Pieres answered with a pair of goals to end the chukker with El Cabure on top, 5-3. A regrouped Orchard Hill team took the field in the third and Pieres scored three unanswered goals (one on a penalty shot). The first half ended with Orchard Hill defending a one goal, 6-5 lead.
Pieres added two more goals in the fourth (one on a penalty shot). Merlos responded with a single goal from the field. Orchard Hill had expanded their lead to two goals, 8-6, with two chukkers left to play.
El Cabure bounced back in the fifth, outscoring Orchard Hill 3-1. Merlos scored twice and Sugar Erskine scored another. Orchard Hill managed a single goal from Lucas Criado, dead-locking the game at 9-9.
The scoring went back and forth in the sixth chukker before Merlos carried the game on his back, scoring four times (one on a penalty shot) for a 12-11 advantage. Orchard Hill fought back, but had fallen into a hope that would be much more difficult to escape.
Merlos was credited with 11 goals on the day (two on penalty shots. Erskine added a goal, giving him a total of three in the match. Pieres scored four of his team high nine goals on penalty shots. Lucas Criado added two goals and Marcos Alberdi scored once for the win.
LECHUZA 10, LOS MACHITOS/HEATHCOTE 9
Lechuza Caracas (Victor Vargas, Mariano Gracida, Juan Martin Nero and Martin Espain) had a real battle on their hands with Los Machitos/Heathcote (Steve Lefkowitz, Sterling Giannico, Hilario Ulloa and Matias Magrini) on their way to the semifinals of the Ylvisaker Cup, but managed to eke out a 10-9 win.
Los Machitos/Heathcote opened the game with goals from team captain Steve Lefkowitz and Matias Magrini (penalty goal). Lechuza 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero responded with a penalty goal to get his team on the scoreboard, 2-1. Hilario Ulloa closed out the scoring in the opening chukker for a 3-1 lead.
Valiente put four goals on the scoreboard in the second with Nero and Lechuza Caracas team captain Victor Vargas each scoring twice. Lefkowitz and Magrini added single goals for a 5-5 finish.
Defenses tightened up in the third and scoring was at a premium. Ulloa scored a goal from the field for a 6-5 edge, but a penalty conversion for a goal from Nero closed out the first half in a 6-6 tie.
Fourth chukker action had Nero adding two more goals (one on a 40-yard penalty conversion) while holding Los Machitos/Heathcote scoreless. Lechuza Caracas found themselves in front, 8-6.
A scoreless fifth period brought it all down to the final seven minutes of play.
Los Machitos/Heathcote struggled to get back into the game, but Lechuza Cracas wasn’t having any of it. Ulloa and Nero each scored two goals in the final minutes, with Magrini converting a sort penalty shot, but it would be Lechuza Caracas riding off the field with the 10-9 victory.
Nero scored three of his game high eight goals on penalty shots. Vargas added the other two for the win. Ulloa was credited with four goals for Los Machitos/Heathcote. Magrini added three penalty goals and Lefkowitz scored twice in the loss.
VALIENTE 10, PALM BEACH ILLUSTRATED 8
Palm Beach Illustrated (Jared Zenni, Tommy Collingwood, Magoo Laprida and Facundo Obregon) had handed Valiente (Bob Jornayvaz, Santi Torres, Sapo Caset and Tomas Garbarini) their first loss of the tournament, 11-8, four days earlier, and were looking to make their way to the tournament semifinals with a second win over the Colorado-based team, but that wasn’t how it played out. Valiente struggled early on with the youthful Palm Beach Illustrated team, but rallied for a 10-8 win.
Palm Beach Illustrated received one goal by handicap from the 21-goal Valiente team, with Tomas Garbarini scoring the first goal of the game, 1-1. Facundo Obregon converted a 40-yard penalty shot to give Palm Beach Illustrated a 2-1 advantage. Sapo Caset scored on a penalty goal and Tommy Collingwood scored his first goal of the day for the 3-2 Palm Beach Illustrated lead.
Second chukker goals from Magoo Laprida and Obregon (penalty goal) were countered by a single goal from Caset. Palm Beach Illustrated continued to lead, 5-3.
Valiente stepped it up in the third. Goals from Caset and Garbarini were supported by shutout defense and the first half ended in a 5-5 deadlock.
The two teams traded goals in the fourth with Palm Beach Illustrated picking up single goals from Jared Zenni on an impressive 120-yard run for a goal and a goal from the field from Collingwood. Valiente saw Caset convert two penalty shots as the score remained all even at 7-7.
The Valiente defense shut down the Palm Beach Illustrated attack in the fifth chukker while adding two more penalty goals from Caset. With one chukker left in regulation time, Valiente was up buy two goals, 9-7.
Desperation set in as both teams fought through the final minutes of the game. A goal from Santi Torres extended the Valiente lead to three goals, 10-7. Palm Beach Illustrated cut it down by a goal on an Obregon penalty goal, 10-8, but that was the end of the scoring as Valiente celebrated the win and the trip to Wednesday’s Ylvisaker Cup semifinals.
Six f Caset’s game high seven goals came on penalty conversions. Garbarini added two goals and Torres scored once for the win. Obregon scored three goals for Palm Beach Illustrated. Collingwood added two and Zenni and Laprida scored single goals in the loss.
LAS MONJITAS 9, VILLA DEL LAGO/CASABLANCA 8
In the feature match of the day, Las Monjitas (Camilo Bautista, Geronimo Obregon, Miguel Astrada and Alejandro Astrada) eliminated Villa Del Lago/Casablanca (Jim Zenni, Agustin Obregon, Polito Pieres and Inaki Laprida) and claimed a semifinal berth in another nail-bitter, 9-8.
In a slow start, Polito Pieres scored the opening goal of the game, 1-0. Geronimo Obregon responded for Las Monjitas, 1-1, for the balance of the scoring.
Second chukker action had Alejandro Astrada and Camilo Bautista scoring the first two goals of the period, 3-1. Pieres scored the final goal of the period, but Villa Del Lago/Casablanca trailed, 3-2.
Inaki Laprida had it al even at 3-3 when Alejandro Astrada made a 150-yard run for a goal. He added another goal from the field to end the first half with Las Monjitas on top, 5-3.
The two teams traded goals in the fourth chukker with Pieres converting a pair of penalty goals for Villa Del Lago/Casablanca while Las Monjitas got a goal from the field from Geronimo Obregon and a penalty goal from Alejandro Astrada. Las Monjitas maintained their two goal lead, 7-5.
Goals from Agustin Obregon and Inaki Laprida cut the Las Monjitas were answered by a single goal from Alejandro Astrada. The Las Monjitas lead had been cut to a single goal, 8-7.
Pieres got Villa Del Lago/Casablanca right back into the game with a 60-ayrd penalty conversion to open the final chukker all even at 8-8, but struggled to do any more damage. The two teams battled back and forth through scoreless minutes of play until with 31 seconds on the clock, a whistle sounded and Las Monjitas was awarded a 30-yard penalty shot. Alejandro Astrada converted the shot and Las Monjitas found themselves in the tournament semifinals.
Alejandro Astrada led all scoring with six goals (three on penalty shots). Obregon added two goals and was named MVP for his efforts with Camilo Bautista scoring once in the win. Pieres registered five goals (four on penalty shots). Laprida added two goals and Agustin Obregon scored once in a losing effort.