American 8-goaler Nic Roldan scored five goals as Audi improved to 2-0 with a 13-7 win over Tupungato In East Coast Open action at the Greenwich Polo Club on Wednesday.
Audi (Marc Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Sebastian Merlos and Leo Mandelbaum) spotted Tupungato (Luis Rinaldini, Santi Torres, Naco Taverna and Gaston Lisioli) one goal by handicap to start the game but had little trouble in running roughshod over their out-matched opponent in securing their second win of the 2016 East Coast Open.
Audi took control of the game from the opening throw-in with Marc Ganzi hitting the goal post on an early run at the Tupungato goal. Goals from Nic Roldan (a 60-yard penalty conversion) and Sebastian Merlos gave Audi the 2-1 lead as Tupungato struggled to defend against a well-mounted and talented attack. Roldan made it 3-1 by converting a 60-yard penalty shot and added another goal from the field for a 4-1 Audi advantage with a rigid defense holding Tupungato scoreless.
Audi’s defense continued to dog the Tupungato offensive efforts, shutting them out for the second consecutive chukker. Goals from Leo Mandelbaum and Marc Ganzi extended the Audi lead to five goals, 6-1.
Ganzi scored his second goal of the game for Audi while Tupungato missed a 60-yard penalty shot. Roldan blasted the ball over 130 yards to a streaking Merlos who picked it up at midfield and raced 150-yards down the field for a goal. At the end of the first half it was Audi with a lopsided 8-1 lead.
Santi Torres finally scored Tupungato’s first goal from the field in the fourth chukker, 8-2. Roldan and Naco Taverna traded goals to end the chukker with Audi firmly on top of a 9-3 score.
Roldan opened the scoring in the second half with another 60-yard penalty goal followed by a goal from the field from Merlos, 11-3. An Audi foul sent Gaston Lisioli to the penalty line where he scored from 30-yards out, 11-4. Merlos and Torres each added a goal to close out the chukker with Audi on top by seven goals, 12-5.
Ganzi scored on a short penalty shot to open the sixth period, 13-5. With an Audi defense riding out the clock, Taverna added two more goals (one on a penalty shot) that cut the margin of victory to six goals, 13-7, for the triumphant Audi team.
Roldan led the Audi attack with five goals. Merlos scored four times; Ganzi added three goals and Mandelbaum was credited with a goal for the win. Taverna led the Tupungato offense with three goals. Torres scored twice and Lisioli added a penalty goal. Tupungato also received one goal by handicap.
The win boosts Audi’s record to 2-0 and assures them of a berth in next week’s semifinals. The loss was the second for Tupungato (0-2).
Airstream 13, Postage Stamp Farm 7
With the recent elevation of Agustin Bottaro from 0 to 1-goal, the Airstream team (Agustin Bottaro, Guille Aguero, Matias Magrini and Kris Kampsen) was forced to spot Postage Stamp Farm (Annabelle Gundlach, Salvador Ulloa, Brandon Phillips and Joao Paulo Ganon) two goals to start but they wasted little time in taking control of the match in the second East Coast Open game of the day.
Hosted by the Mashomack Polo Club, Airstream Guille Aguero scored three consecutive goals to take a 3-2 lead. An Airstream foul sent Joao Ganon to the 30-yard line where he converted the penalty shot for a goal to end the chukker trailing Airstream, 4-3.
Defense was the rule for the second period with neither team able to score from the field. Ganon scored on a 40-yard penalty shot for Postage Stamp Farm to tie the game at 4-4.
Airstream stormed onto the field in the third picking up a go-ahead goal from Kampsen, 5-4, followed by a pair of goals from Aguero and Agustin Bottaro’s first goal of the game for a comfortable 8-4 Airstream halftime lead.
Kampsen opened the scoring in the fourth chukker with another 30-yard penalty conversion followed by a goal from the field from teammate Matias Magrini to make it 10-4. Ganon got Postage Stamp Farm on the scoreboard with a short penalty shot, but the five goals lead belonged to Airstream, 10-5.
Kampsen’s fourth goal of the game and first from the field stretched the Airstream lead to six goals, 11-5 as the fifth period got underway. Ganon and Salvador Ulloa scored for Postage Stamp Farm, cutting the Airstream lead to four goals, but that would be as close as they would get. Kampsen ended the scoring in the chukker with a 30-yard penalty conversion to move ahead, 12-7.
A frustrated Postage Stamp Farm stumbled through the final seven minutes of play in an effort to score but the Airstream defense held. Bottaro accounted for the only goal of the chukker, 13-7.
Aguero and Kampsen scored five goals apiece. Bottaro added two goals and Magrini scored once for the Airstream win. Ganon scored four times for Postage Stamp Farm. Ulloa added a goal and the team received two goals by handicap.
Airstream recorded their first win in two tries to go to 1-1. The loss was the first for Postage Stamp Farm who fell to 1-1.
Play continues in the East Coast Open on Thursday with a 5pm game between Faraway (Hutton Goodman/Bo Goodman, Inaki Laprida, Julian Daniels and Pelon Escapite) and Beluga (Chris Brant, Nick Manifold, Francisco Elizalde and Tommy Biddle). Both teams will be looking for their first win after losing their opening matches. The game is scheduled to be played at the Meadowbrook Polo Club.