By Alex Webbe
Mt. Brilliant fell apart in the finals of the Wanderers Classic finals Saturday afternoon at the International Polo Club in Wellington after building up a 9-6 lead going into the final chukker of play.
Five unanswered goals in the final seven minutes of play carried Jan Pamela to an 11-9 win to capture the first 14-goal tournament of the season behind six goals from Steve Dalton.
Carlitos Galindo scored the opening goal of the game for Jan Pamela but was countered by a penalty goal from Mt. Brilliant’s Brandon Phillips. Consecutive penalty conversions from Dalton ended the chukker with Jan Pamela riding a 3-1 lead into the second period of play.
Goals were hard to come by in the second chukker with defenses on both sides tightening up. A penalty goal from Dalton was the only score as Jan Pamela move out to a 4-1 advantage.
Mt. Brilliant took control of the game in the third. Phillips took the opening throw-in 150 yards down the field for a goal, and just missed another less than a minute later. With three minutes gone in the chukker, Phillips buried a beautifully executed cut shot for a goal. With time running out in the chukker, Mt. Brilliant team captain Bo Goodman found himself on the receiving end of a well-placed pass from Phillips which he converted for another goal, tying the game at 4-4 after the first half of play.
Tommy Collingwood gave Mt. Brilliant its first lead of the game with the opening goal of the second half, 5-4. Dalton tied it up on a 60-yard Safety (Penalty 6), but a pair of goals from Phillips (one from the field and one by penalty shot) ended the period with Mt. Brilliant leading Jan Pamela by two goals, 7-5.
Hector Galindo carried the ball down field on a run of nearly 200 yards with Dalton tapping it in to cut the Mt. Brilliant lead to a single goal, 7-6. With 2:35 left in the period, Phillips converted a penalty shot to give Mt. Brilliant an 8-6 lead, and with time running out, Goodman connected on a beautifully placed cut shot for a goal and a 9-6 lead with one chukker left to play.
Jan Pamela stormed onto the field for the final chukker like a team possessed. Carlitos Galindo scored the first goal of the chukker, cutting the Mt. Brilliant lead to two goals, 9-7. Hector Galindo took a back-shot pass from Dalton to score another goal, and Jan Pamela now trailed by a single goal, 9-8. With five minutes left in regulation time, Dalton tied it up, 9-9, on a penalty shot with Mt. Brilliant struggling to find an answer. For the second time in the chukker, Dalton set up Hector Galindo for a goal putting Jan Pamela in the lead for the first time since the third chukker. Hector Galindo closed the door on any thoughts of a Mt. Brilliant comeback with his third goal of the chukker for an 11-9 Jan Pamela win.
Dalton’s six goals let the Jan Pamela attack. Hector Galindo scored three times, all in the final chukker, and Carlitos Galindo added two goals for the win.
Phillips scored six goals for Mt. Brilliant and received MVP honors for his efforts. Goodman added two goals and Collingwood scored once.
Dalton’s sixth chukker seven-year-old brown mare, Julia, was named Best Playing Pony.