Argentine 10-goaler Gonzalito Pieres continues to shine in King Power’s 13-9 win over La Bamba de Areco in Cartier Queens Cup play at the Guards Polo Club Wednesday afternoon. (Photo courtesy of Images of Polo)
A stubborn La Bamba de Areco (Jean Francois Decaux, Diego Cavanagh/Santiago Toccalino/Rodrigo Andrade, Magoo Laprida and Rodrigo Rueda, Jr.) team kept it close in the early goings of Wednesday afternoon’s Cartier Queens Cup match, trailing by a single goal, 5-4 at the end of the first half before an explosive King Power offense (Hugo Taylor, Charles Cooney, Gonzalito Pieres and Facundo Pieres) ran away with the 13-9 win.
Taking a one goal lead into the fourth chukker and hoping to improve on their 1-1 record, Gonzalito Pieres scored back-to-back goals for King Power as they stretched their lead to three goals, 7-4. Facundo Pieres scored the final goal of the period while an oppressive King Power defense held La Bamba de Areco scoreless for an 8-4 edge.
Rodrigo Andrade took the field for La Bamba de Areco in the fifth period (replacing Santiago Toccalino-who replaced an injured Diego Cavanagh in the third), but King Power continued to press their attack. A well-placed pass from Facundo Pieres to Charles Cooney resulted in a goal and a 9-4 King Power advantage. Magoo Laprida responded with a blistering shot on goal from over 100-yards out to trail, 9-5. Gonzalito Pieres closed out the scoring for King Power for a five-goal lead, 10-5, with one chukker left to play.
Facundo Pieres opened the sixth period with a 60-yard penalty conversion, 11-5, and followed it up with a goal from the ensuing throw-in to make it 12-5. La Bamba de Areco team captain capitalized on King Power penalties, scoring on a pair of 30-yard penalty shots, 12-7. Facundo Pieres added another 60-yard penalty goal for King Power for a six-goal, 13-7 lead, with less than four minutes on the game clock. La Bamba de Areco scored the final two goals of the game with Laprida adding a goal and Andrade getting on the scoreboard for the first time. When the bell sounded, however, it was King Power with the 13-9 victory.
The win boosts the King Power record to 2-1 while La Bamba de Areco remains winless in two games, 0-2.
Talandracas 12, Monterosso 11 OT
Monterosso (Alessandro Bazzoni, Ignacio Toccalino, Santiago Toccalino and Matt Perry) and Talandracas (Edouard Carmignac, Guillermo Caset, Pelon Stirling and Jack Hyde) didn’t play like two winless teams (0-2) in Wednesday’s opening match.
The two teams battled to an 11-11 tie in regulation time before a Monterosso foul sent Sapo Caset to the penalty line after just 1:38 gone in the overtime chukker. Caset converted the 30-yard shot for the 12-11 victory.
The win was the first of the tournament for Talandracas (1-2), while Monterosso fell to 0-3.
El Remanso 13, Sommelier 6
El Remanso (Charlie Hanbury, Oliver Cudmore, James Beim and James Harper) remained undefeated with a 2-0 record after dispatching Sommelier (George Hanbury, Juan Gris Zavaleta, Fred Mannix and Alec White) in a second noon match. The loss is Sommelier’s first in Queens Cup play, leveling its record at 1-1.
With the win, El Remanso joins only two other unbeaten teams in RH Polo (Ben Soleimani, Tommy Beresford, Adolfo Cambiaso and Rodrigo Andrade) and La Indiana (Michael Bickford, Nic Roldan, Agustin Merlos and Luke Tomlinson).
La Indiana and El Remanso sit atop the League I standings with 2-0 records while RH Polo is currently in sole possession of first place in League II play at 2-0.
A Saturday afternoon match between La Indiana and El Remanso will cut the number of undefeated Queens Cup teams down to just two. The second Saturday match will see Sommelier play Talandracas.