A balanced Audi attack rode out to a 5-2 halftime lead and then hung on to record a 7-6 win over ELG in the opening round of play in the Piaget Memorial Day Cup Thursday afternoon at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington.
Goals were hard to come by in the opening chukker with Kris Kampsen converting a pair of penalty sh
ots for goals for ELG. J. J. Celis got Audi on the scoreboard midway through the chukker with a goal from the field for the final goal of the period. ELG took the early lead, 2-1.
Audi hit the field at a gallop in the second chukker with Lucas Lalor scoring his first goal of the day in the opening minute of play to tie it up at 2-2. Grant Ganzi scored back to back goals to put Audi on top, 4-2, and a final goal from Celis ended the period with Audi in the lead, 5-2. ELG was unable to get their offense on track, and trailed by three goals.
Both defenses tightened up in the third. Despite several well-orchestrated attacks by both sides, not goals were scored. Audi held the 5-2 lead at the end of the first half.
Audi continued to press their attack in the fourth chukker. Leo Mandelbaum took the opening throw-in down the field for a goal with just 30 seconds off of the clock, and Celis scored at 4:53 to extend their lead to five goals, 7-2, before ELG could respond. Juancito Bollini kept ELG from getting shut out for the third straight chukker with a goal at 3:12, but Audi continued to control the game with a 7-3 advantage.
A determined ELG team rode onto the field in the fifth chukker with a renewed focus. Goals from Juancito Bollini and Kris Kampsen went unanswered as they cut the Audi lead to two goals, 7-5.
ELG fought desperately to get back into the game in the final chukker, but the Audi defense was steadfast. ELG was awarded a penalty shot with less than three minutes to play, but the shot by Kampsen went wide, and the entire Audi lineup breathed a sigh of relief. The ball was futilely carried up and down the field with neither team being able to score when a whistle sounded with 47 seconds left in the game. ELG was awarded a penalty shot at goal. This time Kampsen converted the shot, but time had run out on them and Audi celebrated the 7-6 victory.
Kampsen led all scoring with four goals (three on penalty shots). Bollini was credited with two goal s in the loss. Celis set the pace for Audi with three goals. Ganzi scored twice and Mandelbaum and Lalor added single goals for the win.
The victory boosts Audi into Friday’s 4pm semifinal against YP.Com (Melissa Ganzi, David Krantz, Juan Bollini and Mike Azzaro) while Longfield, Wednesday’s winner; will face Inner-Continental (Gene Goldstein, Alejandro Poma, Brandon Phillips and Carlucho Arellano) in the tournament’s second semifinal, immediately following the 4pm game.
Photo Credit-Alex Pacheco