By Alex Webbe
Three of Hector Galindo’s game high six goals came in the final chukker as Newport powered its way to a 13-11 win over Flat Out to capture the season-ending Grand Champions Cup at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington Florida Sunday afternoon.
Flat Out got the first goal of the day from Steven Scott before Newport responded with goals from J. J. Celis and Robert Orthwein. Brandon Phillips tied it at 2-2 with his first goal of the game for Flat Out to end the first chukker.
Paul Knapp put Flat Out ahead, 3-2, to open the second period before Newport’s Galindo answered with a penalty conversion and a goal from the field to give Newport a 4-3 advantage.
Scott tied it up again, 4-4, with his second goal of the contest. Galindo scored again for Newport, followed by a penalty goal from Celis, and a 6-4 lead. Lucas Lalor brought Flat Out to within a goal with his first goal of the game, and the first half ended with Newport holding on to a narrow 6-5 lead.
Phillips scored the first two goals of the second half, tying Newport with his first goal and then giving Flat Out a one goal lead, 7-6. Newport rallied back, however, getting a pair of goals from Celis and a single goal from Orthwein for a 9-7lead after the first four chukkers of play.
Knapp rallied the troops in the fifth chukker, leading Flat Out with two goals and getting another goal from Scott. Newport was held scoreless in the fifth, and trailed 10-9 with one chukker left in regulation time.
The pace continued to quicken as both teams battled for possession of the ball. Galindo converted a penalty shot for a game tying goal, 10-10, and teammate Orthwein added another goal of his own for a go-ahead score, 11-10. Knapp tallied his fourth goal of the game for Flat Out to tie it at 11-11, but that was when Galindo took over.
Two more hard-fought goals from the field from Galindo sealed the win, and time expired with Flat Out taking the game by a 13-11 score.
Galindo scored six goals in the game; Celis accounted for four goals and Orthwein added three in the win.
Knapp led the Flat Out attack with four goals. Scott and Phillips added three goals apiece and Lalor scored once.
For his efforts, Galindo was named LVP with Celis’s mare, Joy, earning Best Playing Pony honors.
ELANGENI RANCH 13, BARBAROSSA LEATHER 11
In earlier action, Elangeni Ranch took early control of the consolation round of the Grand Champions Cup, jumping out to a one-sided 8-2 halftime lead before cruising to a 13-11 win over Barbarossa Leather.
Sugar Erskine scored three times in the opening chukker and teammate Carlos Baez added a single goal as Elangeni Ranch shutout the Barbarossa Leather offense for an early 4-0 lead
Diego Cossio added a goal to the Elangeni Ranch total in the second with Leo Mandelbaum finally getting Barbarossa Leather on the scoreboard. The chukker ended with Elangeni Ranch running off with a 5-1 game.
Just over a minute into the third period, Matias Sosa scored for Barbarossa Leather, but that was where it ended. Three consecutive goals from Cossio, Erskine and team captain Brian Street ended the first half with Elangeni Ranch leading by six goals, 8-2.
Sosa opened the second half with a goal followed by Kris Kampsen’s first goal of the game. Cossio responded with a pair of goals before Mandelbaum closed out the chukker with his second goal of the day. Elangeni Ranch continued to lead, 10-5.
Barbarossa Leather cut into the Elangeni Ranch lead again in the fifth period. Two more goals from Kampsen and Joey Casey’s first goal of the game were countered by a pair of goals from Erskine. The Elangeni Ranch lead was cut to four goals, 12-8, by a resurgent Barbarossa Leather attack.
Kampsen added two more goals in the final chukker, and Casey got on the scoreboard one more time, but Erskine’s seventh goal of the afternoon was all Elangeni Ranch needed for the 13-11 victory.
Erskine led all players with seven goals. Teammate Cossio scored four times and Street and Baez added single goals for the win.
Kampsen set the pace for Barbarossa Leather with five goals. Teammates Sosa, Casey and Mandelbaum added two goals apiece.
The Grand Champions Cup completed eight weeks of fall play at the Wellington club, which has extended the playing season at the south Florida community by three months with its popular fall and spring series of medium-goal tournaments.