By Alex Webbe
At one point Audi led White Birch 10-2, but it would take a goal by Gonzalito Pieres in sudden-death overtime to earn it a berth in the finals of the Butler Handicap at the International Polo Club in Wellington on Thursday afternoon on the strength of a 17-16 victory.
“I’m really proud of my team,” said Audi captain Melissa Ganzi, “they really played well and showed a great deal of resilience when White Birch pressed for the win.”
Audi received one goal by handicap and, following a goal from White Birch’s Mariano Aguerre on the opening throw-in, ran it up to a 6-1 advantage after the opening chukker.
White Birch came back with three goals in the second period, but Gonzalito Pieres and Paco de Narvaez each scored a pair of goals, stretching the Audi lead to 10-4.
“It was a real tough one,” offered Melissa when asked about the White Birch rally. “We knew that they were a very good team, and they were so well mounted, but I felt confident in our players and horses as well.”
White Birch tallied five goals in the third chukker as Lucas Monteverde and Mariano Aguerre accounted for four penalty goals. Martin Aguerre scored a single goal as well while Audi was held to a solo penalty conversion by de Narvaez. At the end of the first half Audi held on to a quickly evaporating 11-9 lead.
Fourth chukker goals from Monteverde and Aguerre tied the game at 11-11 before de Narvaez’s sixth goal of the match put Audi back on top. Juan Bollini made it 13-11 before Monteverde scored from the field to end the chukker with White Birch trailing 13-12.
Monteverde opened the fifth chukker with a tying penalty goal, 13-13, but another goal from Pieres had Audi ahead once again. Play continued in a spirited fashion with each team trying to wrest control of the ball and the game from the other. Just before time expired, Martin Aguerre evened it at 14-14, with a well-earned goal from the field.
The sixth chukker was an up and down confrontation between horse and rider as Pieres and Martin Aguerre exchanged goals for a 15-15 game. Martin Aguerre scored his second goal f the chukker in what appeared to be the winning score before Pieres broke through the White Birch defenders to tie it at 16-16 and force a sudden-death overtime.
In most cases overtime games are decided in the first minute or two. That would not be the case today. For nearly seven minutes White Birch and Audi struggled for the ball as drive after drive was turned away.
With just under a minute to play in the overtime period, Pieres took possession of the ball and galloped over 200 yards down the field to score the winning goal.
“We’re all terribly excited,” said an elated Melissa Ganzi. “This was really a very special win for us.”
The victory will put Audi in the finals of the Butler Handicap against Lechuza Caracas, on Sunday at noon.