L to R-Travieso’s Tony Calle and Stewart Armstrong of Los Amigos battle for control of the ball in the final of Sunday’s High Alpine Cup at the Aspen Valley Polo Club. (Photos by ChukkerTV)
The Aspen Valley Polo Club made good use of their arena Sunday with Aspen Valley (Riley Ganzi, Ace Boyd and Tincho Merlos) slipping past a contentious Sopris Mountain Ranch side (Will Jacobs, Carlitos Gracida and Juan Bollini) 13-11 in a high-scoring affair, followed by 12-10 win by Casablanca (Grant Ganzi Sebastian Merlos and Juancito Bollini) over Flexjet (Marc Ganzi, Lucas Lalor and Nic Roldan) to win the High Alpine Arena Cup. The day was topped off with a four chukker High Alpine Cup final between Travieso (Paul Foster, Teo Calle, Tony Calle and Alex Gooding) and Los Amigos (Alejandra Foster, Ale Poma, Stewart Armstrong and Brian Boyd) that ended in a 4-4 tie.
Tincho Merlos got the scoring started in the opening chukker of the Polo School Arena Challenge Cup with a pair of two-point goals that were complimented by a goal from the field from Ace Boyd for a 5-2 start. Single goals from Sopris Mountain Ranch’s Carlitos Gracida and Juan Bollini had Aspen Valley with the early three goal lead.
Argentine 9-goaler Tincho Merlos scored four 2-pointers in Aspen Valley’s 13-11 win.
Sopris Mountain Ranch bounced right back in the second period with Bollini adding two more goals while Gracida scored a two-point goal as well as a single goal for Aspen Valley. Riley Ganzi scored the only goal of the chukker for Aspen Valley who found themselves trailing 7-6 at the end of the first half.
Merlos converted a two-pointer to open the scoring in the second half, taking the lead back for Aspen Valley, 8-7. Bollini tied it with his fourth goal of the game to make it 8-8. Ganzi closed out the chukker with the go-ahead goal for Aspen Valley, 9-8.
Gracida’s fifth goal of the match leveled the score once again, 9-9, when Merlos’s fourth two-pointer of the day put Aspen Valley on top, 11-9. Bollini cut into the lead, 11-10, but the momentum remained with Aspen Valley. Goals from Boyd and Ganzi had Sopris Mountain Ranch up by three goals, 13-10 with time running out. Bollini scored the final goal of the game but the win went to Aspen Valley, 13-11.
Merlos led all scoring with eight goals, all on two-pointers. Ganzi scored three times and Boyd added two goals for the win. Bollini’s six goals were high for Sopris Mountain Ranch. Gracida was credited with five goals in the loss.
Casablanca 12, Flexjet 10
Flexjet’s Lucas Lalor opened the scoring for Flexjet as Casablanca and Flexjet rode into the Aspen Valley Polo Club’s outdoor arena for the High Alpine Arena Cup, but Casablanca answered back in spades. Single goals from Grant Ganzi and Juancito Bollini were followed by a two-point shot from Sebastian Merlos for a 4-1 advantage. Nic Roldan scored the final goal of the period but it was Casablanca with the clear lead, 4-2.
Grant Ganzi’s second goal of the game extended the Casablanca lead to three goals, 5-2. A goal from Roldan and a penalty conversion for a goal from Marc Ganzi ended the first half with the score deadlocked at 5-5.
A re-charged Flexjet team charged into the arena for the third chukker. Consecutive goals from Roldan, Marc Ganzi (penalty conversion) and Lucas Lalor had Casablanca trailing by three goals, 8-5. Merlos added a two-pointer, 8-7, and Grant Ganzi tied the game at 8-8. Roldan put the final goal of the chukker on the scoreboard and Flexjet left the arena with a fragile one-goal lead, 9-8.
Lalor’s third goal of the match extended the Flexjet lead to two goals, 10-8when Casablanca rallied. A Casablanca goal on a Penalty 1 was followed by a pair of goals from Bollini and a penalty conversion from Grant Ganzi that gave the game to Casablanca, 12-10.
Merlos and Grant Ganzi led the Casablanca scoring with four goals apiece. Bollini chipped in three goals and the team received on goal on a Penalty 1. Roldan scored a team-high four goals for Flexjet. Lalor accounted for three goals and Marc Ganzi added two penalty goals in a losing effort.
Los Amigos 4, Travieso 4
In the final competition of the day, the final of the High Alpine Cup, Los Amigos and Travieso battled to a 4-4 tie in the four chukker contest.
Two first chukker goals from Travieso’s Teo Calle were countered by a single goal from Alejandra Foster as Los Amigos fell behind 2-1 after the opening period of play.
Alejandro Poma tied the game at 2-2 in the second period as Travieso struggled to mount an effective attack. Travieso was held scoreless and the first half ended in a 2-2 tie.
Both defenses were at their best in third period play in spite of several well-mounted attacks. At the end of the third chukker the score held at 2-2.
Tony Calle gave Travieso the lead, 3-2, with the opening goal of the fourth, but Los Amigos responded. A goal from Brian Boyd tied it at 3-3. Tony Calle scored again as Travieso wrestled the lead back, but there was no quit on the Los Amigos roster. A goal from former 7-goaler Stewart Armstrong tied the game at 4-4 for the final goal of the match. The ending was bittersweet as both teams were both disappointed and relieved.
Teo Calle and his son Tony Calle scored two goals apiece for Travieso. The goals were spread around the Los Amigos lineup with Alejandra Foster, Boyd, Poma and Armstrong each scoring a goal in the tie. Armstrong earned MVP honors.
A busy week lies ahead for the members of the Aspen Valley Polo Club with the Chukker TV Arena Challenge and the Mt. Sopris Cup. Teams and schedules to be released later in the week.
The Aspen Valley Polo Club is located at 3275 County Road 100, Carbondale, CO. The public is welcome to watch polo in a relaxed atmosphere. Admission and parking are free. The club’s Polo Hotline is 970-710-1663.