Audi (Marc Ganzi, Jeff Blake, Sugar Erskine and Carlucho Arellano) received one goal by handicap from the 19-goal FlexJet polo team (Melissa Ganzi, Jason Crowder, Nic Roldan and Juan Bollini), and matched them goal for goal in the opening chukker before Taking a 3-2 lead at the end of the first period and never looking back in Wednesday afternoon’s final of the 2015 USPA National Twenty-Goal Championship at the Grand Champions Polo Club.
Audi was awarded one goal by handicap but watched as FlexJet 8-goaler Nic Roldan scored the first two goals of the game in the opening minutes for the early 2-1 lead. Marc Ganzi leveled the score at 2-2 with a 30-yard penalty conversion. Sugar Erskine drove the ball through the FlexJet goalposts with 30 seconds on the clock to end the first chukker with a 3-2 advantage.
Erskine continued playing with a hot hand as he scored the opening goal of the second chukker, 4-2. Roldan countered with a goal of his own with three minutes left in the period to cut the Audi lead to a single goal, 4-3. Erskine’s third goal of the match ended the period and had Audi on the winning end of a 5-3 score.
The pace quickened as FlexJet fought to take control of the game. A goal from Roldan came midway through the chukker, cutting the Audi lead back to a single goal, 5-4. Jeff Blake carried the ball through the FlexJet goalposts for the final goal of the period and a 6-4 halftime lead.
Ganzi stretched the Audi lead to three goals after scoring on a 200-yard run, 7-4, but Roldan accepted the challenge. Roldan scored three consecutive goals to deadlock the game at 7-7 at the end of the fourth chukker.
Three minutes into the fifth period Carlucho Arellano scored his first goal of the game to put Audi back in the lead, 8-7. Ganzi drilled the ball through from the 30-yard penalty line for the only other goal of the period and a two goal, 9-7 Audi lead.
Erskine made it quite clear that he wanted to wrap it up, scoring his fourth goal on the day and extending the Audi lead to three goals, 10-7. Roldan kept the game alive with a 60-yard penalty conversion to bring FlexJet to within two goals of the lead, but the game clock was not in their favor. Erskine scored the final goal of the match to slam the door on any last chukker rally as Audi rolled on to an 11-8 victory.
Erskine scored all five of his team-high five goals from the field and was named MVP. Ganzi added three goals; Arellano and Blake each scored once and the team received one goal by handicap. Roldan scored all eight of the goals for FlexJet.
Erskine’s seven-year-old Dark Bay gelding, Little Boy, earned Best Playing Pony honors.
The Final of the 2015 USPA National Twenty-Goal Championship is the penultimate high-goal game of the season at the Grand Champions Polo Club with the 24-goal USPA International Cup between the United States and South Africa slated to be played at 3pm on Saturday afternoon. The match will be preceded by the Carlos Gracida Legends of Polo Cup at 1pm, continuing the Hall of Famer’s legacy by honoring one of the sport’s greats, who died tragically in February, 2014 at age 53.
The 2015 International Cup is one of the very few events at the Grand Champions Polo Club that has an admission charge.
Proceeds from the doubleheader benefit The Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the development, history and tradition of the sport of polo by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to the sport.
For tickets, tailgates and sponsorships call 561-644-5050. Gates open at 12:30 p.m. The Grand Champions Polo Club is located at 13444 Southfields Road, on the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, Wellington, 33414. The Grand Champions Polo Hotline is 561-373-0073.