Double Eagle lands Roadrunner Round Robin
Double Eagle defeats Park Lane 4-2 and Springfield 5-4 in annual 3-goal tournament at Eldorado Polo Club Nov. 11-12.
By DIANE HENSLEY
INDIO – A rocky start for Double Eagle, down 2-0 in the first chukker, gathered momentum in the second against Park Lane as No. 3 Erik Wright and forward Nick Morrison scored back to back goals for a 4-2 win in the first leg of the Roadrunner Final.
Erik Wright’s knock-in with 3:10 left to play in the first was met with a blistering offside from 45 yards by Park Lane’s back Christian Moon. Moon returned Double Eagle Zhenya Kireushkin’s penalty five shot intended for Rolando Obregon, setting up Park Lane’s No. 2 Doug Blumenthal. Blumenthal floated out front to receive Moon’s pass, briefly blocked with a failed hook by Double Eagle’s back Vladimir Rivkin. Wright missed a final opportunity to score just before the 30-second horn, sending a penalty four shot wide of the posts.
Wright, however, didn’t miss a chance to neck in a cross-goal bullet three minutes into the second chukker, igniting an offensive press that could only be stopped by the horn. His tap-in from 30 yards found the flagger on a pass from Morrison out of the lineup. Morrison jockeyed for possession out of the next line-up for the breakaway goal. Then, with 1:14 on the clock and Wright knocking in, Morrison met the pass and ran a zig-zag pattern to the posts as Obregon gave chase.
Park Lane allowed Springfield no slack in the second leg going up 2-0 in the first chukker on forward Bill Garlock’s short offside early in the chukker and a penalty three conversion with 3:20 left to play. Mistakes clouded Springfield’s bid for the trophy. Quarterback Domingo Questel missed a shot on goal from 50 yards. Manny Questel failed to convert both penalty four opportunities when first Obregon then Moon, read the play and made the steals. But all eyes swept to Domingo Questel in the final minute, as he made a dramatic goal save with a backshot that dropped 40 yards short of midfield.
Springfield’s father and son team rallied from a three-goal deficit midway through the second chukker on Manny’s penalty four conversion and Domingo’s offside slam, but fell 4-2 on Park Lane’s passing and positioning.
The last match-up on the Roadrunner fight card pitted Springfield and Double Eagle. Double Eagle jumped up 3-1 in the first on a team effort by Kireushkin, Wright and Morrison. Springfield’s Manny Questel was the lone scorer. The Questels waged a comeback in the last chukker on goals by Scott Montgomery, Domingo and Manny, but Double Eagle’s Wright answered each to keep them in check and win 5-4.
“The win was a surprise and a bonus. We had no expectations to win since the horses were all green and brought up just two weeks ago,” Kireushkin said.
“We owe the win to Vladimir’s planning and commitment to putting a balanced, committed team on the field. He looked for a team that liked playing together.”
The Roadrunner was Rivkin’s and Morrison’s first serious tournament in Indio, Kireushkin said. Rivkin, who was born in St. Petersburg, imperial Russia’s traditional capital, named his team for the city’s standard, the double eagle. The team expects to stay together for the Go Honey.
ROADRUNNER TOURNAMENT
Goals scored by player:
DOUBLE EAGLE: Nick Morrison 3, Zhenya Kireushkin 1, Erik Wright 5, Vladimir Rivkin.
PARK LANE: Bill Garlock 2, Doug Blumenthal 2, Rolando Obregon 1, Christian Moon 1.
SPRINGFIELD: Ron Stenger, Scott Montgomery 1, Manny Questel 3, Domingo Questel 2.
Click here to view photos of these games by Lynn Bremner of PoloZONE.com