Flexjet’s Ale Poma (L to R) chasing La Karina’s Stewart Armstrong in the final of the 2016 Basalt Handicap at the Aspen Valley Polo Club. A fifth chukker rally lifted La Karina over Flexjet for a 9-8 win.
A strong second half performance by La Karina (Brian Boyd, Tony Calle, Julio Novillo Astrada and Stewart Armstrong) carried them to a fast-paced 9-8 win over Flexjet (Ale Poma, Marc Ganzi, Sebastian Merlos and Alex Gooding) Sunday afternoon in the final of the Basalt Handicap at the Aspen Valley Polo Club.
In a cautious opening chukker Flexjet’s Marc Ganzi scored the only two goals of the period, both on 30-yard penalty conversions. La Karina was unable to mount an effective attack and trailed, 2-0.
Brian Boyd finally got La Karina on the scoreboard with a goal in the second period with Sebastian Merlos closing it out with a goal from the field. Flexjet continued to lead by two goals, 3-1.
The pace quickened in the third but goals continued to be elusive for both sides. Tony Calle cut the Flexjet lead back to a single goal, 3-2. Ale Poma’s first goal of the day reinstated the two goal Flexjet lead. The first half ended with Flexjet on top, 4-2.
Sebastian Merlos stretched the Flexjet lead with three goals in the fourth. Merlos scored twice from the field and added a penalty goal. La Karina countered with goals from Calle and Stewart Armstrong but found themselves trailing by three goals, 7-4.
La Karina owned the fifth period. Armstrong scored twice with Julio Novillo Astrada and Calle adding single goals (Calle’s came on a 30-yard penalty conversion). Flexjet was held scoreless and found themselves trailing for the first time all day, 8-7.
Astrada’s second goal of the game moved La Karina ahead by two goals, 9-7 as Flexjet fought to take control of the game again. A late penalty goal from Merlos (60-yards) had Flexjet within a goal of the lead but the clock favored La Karina. Armstrong had possession of the ball when the final horn sounded, giving the win to La Karina, 9-8.
Calle and Armstrong scored three goals apiece for La Karina, earning Armstrong MVP honors. Astrada added two goals and Boyd scored once for the victory. Merlos led the Flexjet attack with five goals (two on penalty hits). Ganzi converted two penalty shots for goals with Poma accounting for the final goal in the loss.
Merlos’s fifth chukker pony, Jasper, was named Best Playing Pony.
Los Amigos win the Basalt Handicap Subsidiary round-robin
With wins over Tonkawa (Melissa Ganzi, Jeff Hildebrand, Nic Roldan and Jimmy Seward) and Travieso (Teo Calle, Grant Ganzi, Tincho Merlos and Juancito Bollini) in round-robin competition, Los Amigos (Paul/Alejandra Foster, Gabriel Gracida, Lucas Lalor and Carlitos Gracida) won the morning’s subsidiary of the Basalt Handicap.
Los Amigos took the first three chukkers of the round robin by defeating Tonkawa 4-3, but needed a third chukker rally to do it.
Tonkawa got first chukker goals from Melissa Ganzi and Jeff Hildebrand while limiting the Los Amigos offense to a single goal from Carlitos Gracida. The early lead went to Tonkawa, 2-1.
Nic Roldan pushed the Tonkawa lad to three goals, 3-1 with the first goal of the second period. Lucas Lalor responded with a goal for Los Amigos who continued to trail, 3-2.
He third chukker belonged to Los Amigos with Alejandra foster converting a penalty shot and Carlitos Gracida adding a goal from the field. The rally in the final chukker lifted Los Amigos over Tonkawa, 4-3.
Tonkawa 5, Travieso 5
Tonkawa held the field for the second round of play as they faced a talented young Travieso lineup that was assisted by veteran Argentine 9-goaler Agustin Merlos.
Grant Ganzi put the first goal on the scoreboard with a shot from the field. Nic Roldan countered with a goal of his own to tie it at 1-1 in their first period of play.
Travieso controlled the second chukker. Goals from the field from Grant Ganzi and Teo Calle were complimented by an inflexible defense that held Tonkawa scoreless. After two periods of action, Travieso led, 3-1.
Jeff Hildebrand scored the first goal of the third for Tonkawa. Teo Calle answered back with a goal for Travieso, 4-2, when the Tonkawa offense erupted. Consecutive goals from Jimmy Seward, Melissa Ganzi and Roldan had Tonkawa in the lead for the first time all day, and Travieso was trying desperately to stay alive. Grant Ganzi managed the final goal of the mini-match and the two teams ended in a 5-5 deadlock.
Los Amigos 4, Travieso 3
The final three periods of the round-robin had Los Amigos returning to face Travieso, in a must-win situation.
Juancito Bollini put Travieso on the scoreboard first with a goal from the field in the opening chukker. Carlitos Gracida countered with the only other goal of the chukker. The score was all even at 1-1.
The two teams matched one another goal for goal in the second period. Paul Foster scored twice for Los Amigos while Teo Calle added two goals to the Travieso total. The scored remained level at 3-3.
With both teams concentrating on defense in the final chukker of the round-robin, offenses were muted. Lucas Lalor managed a single goal while Travieso struggled with their attack. Shots on goal were either blocked or turned away as Los Amigos held on for the 4-3 win.
Travieso’s Teo Calle led the field in scoring with four goals on the day, earning him MVP honors.
Tournament play continues at the Aspen Valley Polo Club with the Emma Challenge this week. Teams and schedules to be released later in the week.
The Aspen Valley Polo Club is located at 3275 County Road 100, Carbondale, CO. The public is welcome to watch polo in a relaxed atmosphere. Admission and parking are free. The club’s Polo Hotline is 970-710-1663.