By Alex Webbe
A reshuffled Pony express lineup took too long to get started Thursday morning at the 302 Polo Club in Aiken, South Carolina as Golden Zebra scored an opening round 12-10 win in the 20-goal, 2010 Monty Waterbury Cup tournament.
Gillian Johnston and Kris Kampsen sat in for the absent Bob Daniels and Michael Dorignac, but didn’t immediately mesh with their teammates as Golden Zebra jumped out to an early lead that they refused to relinquish.
Adam Snow scored the first three goals of the game for Golden Zebra, with Julian Daniels adding another for a 4-0 lead after the first seven minutes of play.
Johnston scored a pair of goals for Pony Express in the second period, and teammate Tiger Kneece added another from the field, but single goals from Owen Rinehart and Daniels kept Golden Zebra in the lead, 6-3.
Kampsen scored his first goal of the game in the third, but goals from Daniels and Snow had Golden Zebra on top of an 8-4 score at the end of the first half.
Daniels and Snow added single goals again in the fourth, as a muffled Pony Express attack was held scoreless for the second time in the game. Golden Zebra held a commanding 10-4 advantage after the first four chukkers of play.
Pony Express rallied in the fifth period of the game, getting a pair of goals from Johnston and another goal from Kneece, but goals from Snow and Rinehart kept golden Zebra in front, 12-7.
Single goals from Johnston, Tomas Goti and Kneece ended the game, with Golden Zebra coasting through the final chukker of the game, taking the match by a 12-10 score.
Snow led all scoring with six goals. Teammate Daniels added four goals and Rinehart added two for the win.
Johnston’s five goals set the pace for Pony Express. Kneece scored three times and Goti and Kampsen each added a goal.
BARRINGTON 14, ORCHARD HILL 13
Steve Van Andel’s Orchard Hill team took the bull by the horns in the opening chukker of play Thursday afternoon in Monty Waterbury Cup action and taking an early 4-1 lead in its first game of the prestigious tournament.
One goal by handicap, two goals from Lucas Criado and a penalty goal from Nic Roldan had Orchard Hill up 4-1 after the first chukker of play, as the Michigan-based team held Barb Uskup’s Barrington foursome to a single goal from Tommy Biddle.
Roldan’s second goal of the game had Orchard Hill ahead 5-1 before Barrington stormed back into the game.
Single goals from Julio Arellano, Antonio Galvan, Biddle and Uskup knotted the score at 5-5 as the second chukker ended.
Barrington reinforced its second chukker statement, getting two more goals from Arellano and single goals from Biddle and Galvan. Chris Stratemann and Criado scored for Orchard Hill, but Barrington left the field with a 9-7 halftime lead.
The Orchard Hill quartet stormed back in the fourth chukker, pressing the Barrington defense throughout the chukker, getting three goals from Stratemann and another goal from Criado while silencing the Barrington foursome and taking its first lead of the game, 11-9.
Barrington took the reins back in the fifth, getting goals from Biddle (penalty goal) and Galvan while shutting out the Orchard Hill offense. Barrington tied the game at 11-11 as the chukker ended.
“It was fast-moving game, for sure,” said Stratemann, “everyone was playing at top speed.”
Both teams mounted attacks that pressed their opponents’ defenses. Arellano scored the first goal of the chukker on a penalty goal, putting Barrington up, 12-11, only to be answered by a tying goal from the field from Criado. Arellano added another goal from the field to move Barrington in front, 13-12, but Criado connected on a penalty shot from 40-yards out to knot it up again at 13-13.
In the waning moments of the final chukker, Roldan had the ball in front of the Barrington goal and was carrying it across the goal mouth before losing control of it. Barrington scooped up the ball and carried it down the field, with Biddle scoring the winning goal for the 14-13 win.
“I didn’t have my best game,” Roldan admitted, “but it was our first collective game together, and I’m comfortable that we’re going to play a lot better on Sunday. I think that if I contributed a little more, we could have won.”
Arellano and Biddle scored five goals apiece in the win. Galvan added three goals and Uskup scored once.
Criado scored six times to lead the Orchard Hill attack. Stratemann added four goals and Roldan added two in a losing effort.
“We all missed a couple of scoring opportunities, “said Stratemann, “but overall, I thought the team played well.”
Biddle scored the winning goal of the game but felt that his team could have done better.
“The horses were a little heavy in the first chukker, and it took us a little while to get it together,” he said, “but when we did, we played well together. It helps having played together before,” he added, “and I’m comfortable with our chances in the tournament.”
Play will continue in the 2010 Monty Waterbury Cup on Sunday, at 5 PM with Golden Zebra (1-0) facing Orchard Hill (0-1).
TEAM ROSTERS
BARRINGTON
Barb Uskup A
Julio Arellano 9
Tommy Biddle 7
Antonio Galvan 4
20
GOLDEN ZEBRA
Jay Fetner A
Julian Daniels 6
Adam Snow 8
Owen Rinehart 6
20
ORCHARD HILL
Steve Van Andel A
Nicolas Roldan 8
Lucas Criado 9
Chris Stratemann 2
19
PONY EXPRESS
Bob Daniels A (Gillian Johnston 1)
Tomas Goti 7
Michel Dorignac 7 (Kris Kampsen 6)
Tiger Kneece 6
20