By Alex Webbe
The 2012 USPA Piaget Gold Cup got off to an exciting start Wednesday with three games taking place at the International Polo Club in Wellington.
ERG, Zacara and Valiente I all registered opening wins in the twelve-team, four bracket competition that will culminate in a March 25th final.
ERG needed overtime to defeat a determined Alegria team, 11-10, in the day’s morning contest with Marcos Alberdi (substituting for team captain Scott Wood) being credited with the winning goal.
Alegria scored first with a goal from the field from Fred Mannix followed by a penalty conversion from Tomas Garcia del Rio. Goals from ERG’s Agustin Merlos and Marcos Alberdi had it all even at 2-2 at the end of the first seven minutes of play.
Mariano Aguerre’s first goal of the day had Alegria on top, 3-2 in the opening minutes of the second chukker. Agustin Merlos responded for ERG with a near 300 yard run down the field, scoring the tying goal, 3-3, goal as he carried the ball through the goal posts in mid-air.
Alegria charged into the third chukker with abandon, collecting two straight goals from Julian Mannix for a 5-3 lead. Agustin Merlos scored the last goal of the period, but it was Alegria that held the 5-4 advantage.
Both defenses tightened in the fourth with ERG’s Paco de Narvaez tying it up at 5-5 with the only goal of the chukker.
Fred Mannix scored a goal in the first 30 seconds of the fifth chukker for a 6-5 Alegria lead, but that was when the tables turned. Agustin Merlos scored a penalty goal and followed it up with a goal from the field, for the first ERG lead of the day, 7-6. De Narvaez made it 8-6 with his third goal of the morning. Fred Mannix converted a penalty shot to cut the new ERG lead to a single goal, 8-7, but great individual effort by Agustin Merlos, carrying the ball over 200yards down the field for a goal closed out the chukker with ERG ahead, 9-7.
Sixth chukker action had Agustin Merlos scoring his seventh goal of the game to give ERG a three goal lead when Alegria came to life. Goals from Aguerre and Julian Mannix cut the lead to a single goal, 10-9 when del Rio delivered a long pass to Fred Mannix that he converted for the tying goal as time ran out in the chukker.
Sudden-death overtime was decided in the first minute of play with Alberdi scoring the goal for the 11-10 win.
Agustin Merlos set the pace for the field with seven goals (three on penalty shots). Alberdi and de Narvaez scored two goals apiece for the victory.
Fred Mannix scored four times for the Alegria contingent (two by penalty). Julian Mannix added three scores with Aguerre scoring twice and del Rio accounting for a single goal.
ZACARA 14, LA ENSENADA 11
Zacara fell behind early in their contest with La Ensenada but rallied to take a 7-4 halftime lead before galloping off with the 14-11 win in the day’s first afternoon match.
La Ensenada received one goal by handicap but had Zacara tie it up with a goal from the field from Magoo Laprida. Matias Magrini gave the lead back to La Ensenada to close the first chukker with a 2-1 lead.
Juan Garcia Grossi extended the La Ensenada lead to two goals, 3-1, in the second chukker, with his first goal of the game. Zacara answered back with a penalty conversion for a score from 10-goaler Facundo Pieres, and tied it up at 3-3 on a goal from the field from Laprida.
Zacara came to the field in the third burning on all eight cylinders, collecting three goals from Pieres, (two from the field and one on a penalty shot) ad a single gal from Joaquin Pittaluga. La Ensenada responded with a single 60-yard penalty conversion from Lucas James. The first half ended with Zacara holding a 7-4 edge.
The fourth chukker ended with Magrini converting a 40-yard penalty shot followed by a goal from the field from James. Laprida closed out the chukker with his third goal of the game as Zacara rode on top of an 8-6 score.
Magrini converted two more penalty shots for goals in the fifth, but Zacara put three goals of their own on the scoreboard. Pieres scored twice (once from the field and once on a penalty shot) and Laprida added another goal. The Zacara lead was extended to three goals, 11-8.
The sixth chukker might have featured the most action of the game with each team scoring three goals. La Ensenada got a pair of goals from Grossi and a goal from the field from James. Zacara relied on single goals from Laprida, Pieres and Pittaluga for the 14-11 final.
Pieres was the high scorer with seven goals for Zacara. Laprida added five goals and Pittaluga scored twice in the win.
Magrini led the La Ensenada attack with four goals, Grossi and James added three goals each and the team received one goal by handicap.
VALIENTE 10, AUDI 9
Audi was spotted three goals by the 26-goal Valiente I team and led by three goals after the first chukkers of play, but it was Valiente I that staged a second half rally to capture a hard-fought 10-9 win in the final seconds of the game.
Trailing 3-0 in the opening chukker, Miguel Astrada converted a penalty shot for a goal and Nacho Astrada scored a goal from the field to cut the lead to a single goal, 3-2. Nic Roldan responded with a 40-yard penalty goal and the chukker ended with Audi ahead, 4-2.
Fast-paced action in the second frame of the game saw Miguel Astrada score the only goal on a 60-yard penalty shot while drive after drive from both Audi and Valiente I failed to score. Valiente I was within a single goal of Audi, 4-3.
Miguel Astrada scored a goal from the field to knot it up at 4-4, but Negro Astrada would have the final word, scoring his first goal of the match to give Audi the 5-4 advantage at the midway point of the game.
Audi seemed to take control of the game in the fourth, outscoring Valiente I by a 4-2 margin and expanding its lead to three goals, 9-6. Roldan scored twice (once from the field and once on a penalty shot) while Negro Astrada and Rodrigo Andrade added single goals. Miguel Astrada was credited with a two goals for Valiente I. After four chukkers of play, Audi sat comfortably on top of a 9-6 lead.
Valiente chipped away at the score kin the fifth, combining miserly defense with a productive attack. Two goals from Miguel Astrada and shutout defense had Valiente I within one goal of the lead, 9-8, as the period came to an end.
After minutes of trying, Valiente I finally tied it up at 9-9 in the final chukker on a goal from Polito Pieres, but time was running out. With seconds remaining on the clock and Valiente I attacking the Audi goal, a foul put Valiente I at the penalty line where Pieres converted the shot for the winning goal.
Miguel Astrada led the Valiente I attack with six goals. Nacho Astrada and Pieres added two goals apiece.
Roldan scored three times for Audi. Negro Astrada added two goals and Andrade scored once in the loss. Audi received three goals by handicap.