By Alex Webbe
Las Monjitas fought its way back from a 10-5 halftime deficit to score a 13-12 win over a revamped Lechuza Caracas lineup Tuesday in USPA Piaget Gold Cup action.
With 8-goaler Sapo Caset and 7-goaler Guille Aguero taking the places of Pite (9) and Sebastian Merlos (10), Lechuza started the game with four goals by handicap and quickly jumped out to a 7-2 lead after the opening chukker on two goals from Caset and one from Victor Vargas.
Playing without team captain Camilo Bautista, who was called out of the country on business, Las Monjitas scraped its way back into the game in the second period as Javier Astrada added his second goal of the game and brother Nacho chipped in his second and third goals, including a 100 yard Penalty 5 and a very difficult neck shot from an extreme angle. However, a goal from Aguero kept Lechuza on top, 8-5.
Nico Espain executed several well placed backhand shots and the Lechuza defense stiffened as it held Las Monjitas scoreless in the third. Caset converted a penalty shot and Aguero added a goal to give Lechuza a 10-5 advantage after the first half of play.
“We really didn’t know what to expect today,” said Aguero, “the lineup was just finalized yesterday, and we knew that we’d have to come out strong in the early chukkers.”
The five goal lead began to shrink over the next two chukkers as the Las Monjitas defense completely shut down the Lechuza offense. Nacho Astrada converted two penalty shots in the fourth chukker to cut the lead to 10-7, and two more goals from Javier Astrada and a single goal from brother Eduardo tied it at the end of the fifth, 10-10.
Aguero received a pinpoint backhand pass from Victor Vargas and broke the tie in the final chukker to give Lechuza an 11-10 lead, but the advantage was short-lived. Another goal from Eduardo Astrada was followed by two goals from Javier Astrada to give Las Monjitas a 13-11 edge. Caset scored the final goal of the game for Lechuza as time ran out and Las Monjitas rode off with the hard-fought 13-12 win.
Javier Astrada led all scoring with six goals. Nacho Astrada scored five times and brother Eduardo added two goals for the win.
Lechuza relied on four goals by handicap and four goals from Sapo Caset. Guille Aguero scored three times and Victor Vargas added a goal in a losing cause.
The 2008 USPA Piaget gold Cup will continue on Wednesday with a noon game scheduled between Crab Orchard and Audi.
