By Alex Webbe
Throngs of excited spectators gathered at the Bridgehampton Polo Club for Saturday’s opening match of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz Challenge Cup as Mariano Aguerre lead the La Alegria team to a resounding 15-6 win over last year’s championship Great Oaks foursome.
La Alegria’s Mariano Gracida (filling in for Peter Brant) scored the opening goal of the game countered by a pair of penalty goals from Tomas Garcia del Rio for an early 2-1 Great Oaks lead, but that was when the wheels came off the Great Oaks wagon.
Canadian 6-goaler Freddie Mannix scored twice and Aguerre scored his first goal of the game, and La Alegria move out in front by a 4-2 score. Tomas Garcia del Rio scored the last goal of the second chukker, but La Alegria left the field with a 4-3 advantage.
Two more goals from Aguerre in the third chukker were complimented by another score from the young Gracida, and despite a goal from Great Oaks forward Dillon Bacon, La Alegria stretched its lead to 7-4 at the end of the first half of play.
La Alegria tightened its defense and honed its attack in second half play with Aguerre adding two more goals in the fourth chukker. Gracida scored his third goal of the game. Lights out defense kept Great Oaks off the scoreboard and La Alegria took a commanding 10-4 lead.
Great Oaks continued to struggle to find any offensive punch in the fifth but Aguerre would have none of it. Three consecutive goals from the Argentine 10-goaler had La Alegria up 13-4. Tomas Garcia del Rio scored the final goal of the chukker, and La Alegria took a 13-5 lead into the final period of play.
Mannix and Gracida added single goals in the sixth, with Pieres scoring his first goal of the game for Great Oaks in the final chukker as La Alegria rode over the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Challenge Cup champions 15-6
In light of the one-sided score, it must be understood that the Great Oaks team that took the field on Saturday had to make a number of adjustments for the 2010 season. With three of the team’s four players from last year (Dillon Bacon, Marcos Garcia del Rio and Tomas Garcia del Rio) seeing their handicaps raised, 10-goaler Sebastian Merlos was no longer a fit for the 20-goal tournament.
Action will continue on Sunday with Certified ((Michael Borrico, Gonzalo Garcia del Rio, Nic Roldan and Inaki Laprida) meeting Heathcote (Steve Lefkowitz, Naco Taverna, Tommy Biddle and Nick Manifold) at 5 pm.
Great Oaks brought in 8-goaler Paul Pieres, but it wasn’t enough against a very strong La Alegria side. Local favorite Mariano Aguerre demonstrated why he continues to carry the lofty 10-goal handicap as he burned the Great Oaks for a game high eight goals.