Carlucho Arellano and Mike Azzaro (black jersey) battle for position in USPA National 20-goal tournament play.
(Photo by Alex Pacheco)
Competition heated up in Sunday’s USPA National Twenty Goal tournament at the Grand Champions Polo Club with ELG (Avery Chapman, Guille Aguero, Kris Kampsen and Tommy Biddle) scoring their second consecutive win as they ran past KIG (Matteo De Paolis, Jeff Blake, Brandon Phillips and Michel Dorignac) 12-10. The loss was KIG’s second against no wins.
KIG received one goal by handicap from the 19-goal ELG lineup but fell behind 4-2 after first chukker play. Avery Chapman scored twice in the opening period with teammates Guille Aguero and Kris Kampsen adding single goals. KIG was limited to a 60-yard penalty conversion from Michel Dorignac as they struggled with the ELG attack.
Dorignac scored the first goal of the second period, 4-3, but that was when the KIG offense stalled. Aguero rattled off three consecutive goals to end the chukker with ELG extending their lead to four goals, 7-3.
KIG bounced back in the third taking complete control of the field as they rang up three unanswered goals. Brandon Phillips opened the scoring with a goal from the field in the first 30 seconds of the chukker, 7-4. KIG was rewarded by a goal from Matteo De Paolis as a throng of players rode through the ELG goal posts, 7-5. Dorignac cut the ELG lead to a single goal, 7-6, with the closing goal of the first half as he converted another 60-yard penalty shot.
The two teams exchanged goals in the fourth with Phillips and Dorignac (penalty goal) scoring for KIG and Biddle accounting for two ELG goals. ELG maintained their one goal lead, 9-8.
KIG’s Jeff Blake tied it up at 9-9 just 30 seconds into the fifth chukker, but the rest of the period belonged to ELG. Kampsen scored twice and Biddle added another goal as ELG moved in front, 12-9.
Defense took charge in the final chukker with Dorignac scoring the only goal in a 12-10 ELG victory.
Dorignac led all scoring with five goals (three on penalty shots). Phillips scored twice while De Paolis and Blake added single goals in the loss. Aguero led a balanced ELG attack with four goals. Kampsen and Biddle scored two goals apiece. Chapman scored twice in the win.
PALM BEACH EQUINE 12, CASABLANCA 11 OT
The 16-goal Palm Beach Equine team (Julio Ezcurra, Carlucho Arellano, Luis Escobar and Scott Swerdlin) received three goals by handicap from Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Sugar Erskine, Mike Azzaro and Hector Galindo) in the day’s second National Twenty Goal match, and as a result never trailed, but it took an overtime goal from Luis Escobar to ice the game as Casablanca came up with six goals over the fifth and sixth chukkers to force the sudden-death overtime.
Goals from Sugar Erskine and Hector Galindo cut into the 3-0 lead that started the game as a miserly defense kept Palm Beach Equine from scoring. The Palm Beach Equine lead stood at 3-2 going into second chukker play.
Palm Beach Equine demonstrated some top flight defense of their own in the second chukker, shutting out the talent-laden Casablanca roster and picking up a goal from the field from Carlucho Arellano for a 4-2 advantage.
Casablanca and Palm Beach Equine traded goals in the third. Arellano and Luis Escobar scored for Palm Beach Equine. Mike Azzaro scored twice for Casablanca. The first half ended with Palm Beach Equine remaining on top of a 6-4 score.
Erskine scored his second goal of the game for Casablanca but goals from Escobar and Arellano kept Palm Beach Equine in front. With two chukkers left in regulation time Palm Beach Equine held a three goal lead, 8-5.
Escobar opened the fifth with a goal from the field, 9-5, when Azzaro burst into action. The former 10-goaler scored three consecutive goals, giving Casablanca cutting the lead to a single goal, 9-8. Arellano and Ezcurra closed out the chukker with single goals that kept Palm Beach Equine in the lead by three goals, 11-8.
Sixth chukker action saw a desperate Casablanca attack hacked away at the Palm Beach Equine lead beginning with a penalty goal from Azzaro, 11-9. Erskine’s third goal on the day had Casablanca trailing by a single goal with 5:24 left in the chukker. Palm Beach Equine counter attacks went nowhere as Casablanca continued to pummel away at the defenders. Galindo tied it up at 11-11 with just two minutes on the clock for the final goal of regulation play.
The sudden-death overtime chukker got underway after both teams had acquired fresh horses, and the battle continued. Casablanca seemed poised to strike as three breakaways were lost on errant shots on goal. Four minutes into the overtime period Escobar broke loose and raced down the field to score the winning goal, 12-11, for Palm Beach Equine.
Azzaro led the Casablanca offense with six goals (one on a penalty conversion). Erskine added three goals and Galindo scored twice in a losing effort. Escobar and Arellano scored four goals apiece for Palm Beach Equine. Ezcurra added a goal and the team received three goals by handicap.
USPA National Twenty Goal tournament action continues with a Tuesday contest between Casablanca (0-1) and Audi (1-0). Semifinals are scheduled to be played on Thursday, November 21 with the finals on tap for Saturday, November 23rd.