Five goals by J.J. Celis led Dutta Corp. (Tim Dutta, Martin Estrada, J.J. Celis and Wes Finlayson) over a game Audi side (Timmy Dutta, Mark Ganzi, Carlitos Gracida and Guille Aguero) In Sunday afternoon’s final of the USPA Kay Colee Memorial Cup at the Grand Champions Polo Club.
The two teams traded goals in the opening chukker with Dutta Corp. picking up goals from J.J. Celis and Wes Finlayson while Audi responded with goals from Marc Ganzi and Carlitos Gracida for the 2-2 tie.
As the pace of the game quickened, Finlayson and Celis added single goals again in the second chukker while a disciplined defense held Audi scoreless. At the end of the second period it was Dutta Corp. with the 4-2 lead.
Martin Estrada came alive in the third chukker, adding two more goals to the Dutta Corp. total. Ganzi scored the only goal of the period for Audi who trailed at the end of the first half by three goals, 6-3.
Ganzi cut the Dutta Corp. lead to two goals, 6-4 with a 30-yard penalty shot at the 6:02 mark of the fourth chukker. Celis responded with a 30-yard penalty goal of his own to make it 7-4. Finlayson scored the final goal of the period to put Dutta Corp. up by four goals, 8-4.
Once again it was Ganzi with the opening goal of the period as the fifth chukker got underway, 8-5, but Dutta Corp. countered. Back-to-back penalty goals from Celis had Dutta Corp. in front by five goals, 10-5. Gracida made an end-to-end run to score the final goal of the chukker with 30 seconds on the clock. Dutta Corp. led by four goals, 10-6, with one chukker remaining in regulation play.
A determined Audi team took the field in the sixth, but Dutta Corp. was ready. Attack after attack by the Audi foursome was stalled or turned aside by Dutta Corp. defenders. Finlayson scored the only goal of the chukker as Dutta Corp. rode on to the 11-6 win.
Celis scored five times for Dutta Corp. in the victory and was named MVP for his efforts. Finlayson added four goals and Estrada was credited with two goals. Ganzi’s four goals set the pace for the Audi offense. Gracida was credited with two goals in the loss.
Estrada’s five-year-old Bay mare, Tapiola earned Best Playing Pony honors.
Postage Stamp Farm 6, Casablanca 5
Earlier in the day, Postage Stamp Farm (Annabelle Gundlach, Brandon Phillips, Julio Ezcurra and Nacho Lezica) snuck past Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Tony Calle, Leo Mandelbaum, and Jesse Bray) in a consolation match, 6-5.
Tony Calle scored the first goal of the game for Casablanca on a breakaway in the first 90 seconds of play, 1-0. Two minutes later Brandon Phillips leveled the score with a 40-yard penalty conversion, 1-1. Consecutive goals from Nacho Lezica ended the chukker and gave the early lead to Postage Stamp Farm, 3-1.
Calle scored the only goal of the second period and both goals in the third as Casablanca rallied to take the lead from Postage Stamp Farm, 4-3.
Leo Mandelbaum scored the only goal in the fourth period as both defenses were swarming, and goals were at a premium.
Shutout defense by Postage Stamp Farm was complimented by a goal from team captain Annabelle and a goal on a Penalty 1. After five chukkers the score was tied again, 5-5.
There was no let up from either defense as the sixth chukker got started. The pace quickened with both teams struggling to score. Julio Ezcurra finally broke through the Casablanca defenders with four minutes on the clock to score the winning goal in the 6-5 Postage Stamp Farm victory.
The Grand Champions Polo Club is located at 13444 Southfields Road, on the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, Wellington, 33414. The matches are free of charge and the public is invited to attend. The Grand Champions Polo Hotline is 561-373-0073.