By Alex Webbe
In a low scoring opening round of the Turkey Trot tournament on the Grand Champions polo grounds, Las Palmas took advantage of two goals by handicap to score a 6-2 win over Grand Champions Friday afternoon. The four
Grand Champions was shut out in the 8-goal, four chukker competition with Eduardo Barco finally getting on the scoreboard with a single goal in the second chukker. Melissa Ganzi scored in the third period, the only goal from the field for the home Grand Champions foursome all afternoon.
Barco scored again in the third chukker while goals from Javier Guerra and Luis Guerra in the fourth gave Las Palmas a six goal total for the day.
Fifteen-year-old Miele Galindo (daughter of Grand Champions’ Hector Galindo) closed out the scoring on the afternoon with a perfectly converted penalty conversion, and showed great form in her first match appearance.
GTP 6, PORT MAYACA 5
The day ended with GTP staging a come-from-behind win over Port Mayaca to earn itself a berth in Sunday’s finals against Las Palmas.
Early goals from Stevie Orthwein and Leo Mandelbaum were complimented by disciplined defense as Port Mayaca charged out to an early 2-0 lead.
GTP countered with two goals in the second chukker. John Gobin carried the ball through the goal posts for GTP’s first goal of the match followed by a well-placed neck shot for a goal from fourteen-year-old Matt Coppola that tied the game at 2-2.
Stevie Orthwein converted another penalty shot to give Port Mayaca back the lead, 3-2 to end the first half.
Leo Mandelbaum scored his second goal of the game for Port Mayaca in the fourth chukker but was answered by a goal from John Gobin, and the period ended with GTP trailing 4-3.
The fourth chukker was all GTP. Marc Ganzi converted a penalty shot and Matt Coppola showed great promise as he converted his second goal from the field to give GTP a 5-4 advantage. Stevie Orthwein answered with his third goal of the game to tie it, but Gobin won the day for GTP with his game-winning goal.
The 6-5 win boosts GTP into Sunday’s finals against Las Palmas.
A 1pm consolation match between Port Mayaca and Grand Champions will take place at the Grand Champions polo fields while the 3pm finals will take place at Las Palmas Polo Club, also in Wellington.