Hilaro Ulloa (left) being chased by Tommy Collingwood.
(Photos by Alex Pacheco)
Palm Beach Illustrated (Jared Zenni, Tommy Collingwood, Magoo Laprida and Facundo Obregon) scored the upset of the day when they handed previously undefeated Valiente (Bob Jornayvaz, Santi Torres, Sapo Caset and Tomas Garbarini) an 11-8 spanking in the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup at the International Polo Club.
Palm Beach Illustrated received one goal by handicap from the 21-goal Valiente team (Tomas Garbarini’s handicap was recently elevated from three to five goals). The two teams battled early on with Jared Zenni and Magoo Laprida scoring single goals for Palm Beach Illustrated while Valiente responded with goals from Sapo Caset and Tomas Garbarini. Palm Beach Illustrated left the field with a fragile 3-2 edge.
Sapo Caset tied it up in the second chukker, 3-3, but that was the extent of the Valiente arsenal. Magoo Laprida scored once from the field, and Facundo Obregon chipped in a pair of goals. After two chukkers Palm Beach Illustrated extended their lead to three goals, 6-3.
Valiente team captain Bob Jornayvaz attempted to turn the tide in the third with an opening goal, 6-4. Caset cut the Palm Beach Illustrated lead to a single goal, 6-5, with his third goal of the game. Tommy Collingwood scored from the field for Palm Beach Illustrated, 7-5, but a final goal from Santi Torres had Valiente trailing by a single goal again, 7-6, at the end of the first half.
In a defensively-oriented fourth chukker, the two teams exchanged single goals. Garbarini tied the game at 7-7 with his second goal of the day. Obregon put Palm Beach Illustrated back in the lead, 8-7, on a penalty conversion for the final goal of the period.
Palm Beach Illustrated was on the attack for much of the fifth chukker. A determined defensive effort kept Valiente off of the scoreboard while Obregon scored three unanswered (two goals came via penalty conversions) for a four goal, 11-7 lead with one chukker left to play in regulation time.
Valiente continued to press, trying to recapture some momentum, but the Palm Beach Illustrated defense was up to the challenge. Caset managed the only goal of the chukker as Palm Beach Illustrated rode on to the 11-8 victory.
Obregon scored five of his game high six goals on penalty shots. Laprida added two goals and teammates Zenni and Collingwood each chipped in a goal for the win. Palm Beach Illustrated also received a goal by handicap. Caset was credited with four goals for Valiente. Garbarini scored twice and single goals were added by Jornayvaz and Torres.
EL CABURE 10, COCA-COLA 5
In a sub-par performance, Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Jeff Hall, Julio Arellano and Nick Morrison) fell to El Cabure (Scott Wood, Sugar Erskine, Agustin Merlos and Carlucho Arellano) 10-5 in Ylvisaker Cup play.
After an opening chukker that had Coca-Cola ahead 2-1, a stagnant offense watched El Cabure outscore the red and white shirted Coca-Cola team 9-3 over the balance of the game, shutting them out in three of the game’s six chukkers.
Agustin Merlos scored the first goal of the game on a penalty conversion for a temporary 1-0 advantage. Ensuing goals from American 9-goaler Julio Arellano and Jeff Hall (7) closed out the chukker with Coke on top, 2-1.
The two teams traded goals in the second period with Merlos converting a 60-yard Safety for a goal while Coca-Cola got a goal from the field from Arellano for the 3-2 edge.
Third chukker action, however, was all El Cabure. Two goals from Merlos (one on a 60-yard penalty shot) and single goals from Scott Wood, Carlucho Arellano and Sugar Erskine were coupled with shutout defense as El Cabure took the lead at the end of the first half, 7-3.
Merlos scored El Cabure’s only goal of the fourth period while Coca-Cola picked up single goals from Hall and Julio Arellano (penalty goal). At the end of the fourth chukker Coca-Cola continued to lead, 8-5.
A defensive tone was set once again in the fifth. Merlos added another 60-yard penalty shot for a goal for El Cabure. Coca-Cola was held scoreless, and trailed by four goals once again, 9-5.
Merlos closed out the game by scoring his seventh goal of the game while the El Cabure defense shut down each and every Coca-Cola assault. At the end of regulation time, El Cabure celebrated the 10-5 win.
Merlos scored four of his seven goals on penalty shots. Wood, Erskine and Carlucho Arellano each added a goal for the victory. Julio Arellano scored three times for Coca-Cola (once on a penalty shot). Hall added two goals in a losing effort.
LOS MACHITOS/HEATHCOTE 12, AUDI 11
Los Machitos/Heathcote (Steve Lefkowitz, Sterling Giannico, Hilario Ulloa and Matias Magrini) turned the tables on Audi (Marc Ganzi, Carlitos Gracida, Nic Roldan and Nico Pieres) Wednesday afternoon at the International Club by scoring four sixth chukker goals to score a come-from-behind 12-11 win in Ylvisaker Cup competition.
The two teams traded goals in the opening chukker with Los Machitos/Heathcote getting goals from the field from Sterling Giannico and Matias Magrini. Audi answered with a goal from the field from Nico Pieres and a penalty goal from Nic Roldan for a 2-2 tie.
Magrini converted a 40-yard penalty shot that put Los Machitos/Heathcote on top, 3-2, in the second chukker. Roldan was good from the penalty line from 60-yards out for Audi, 3-3, and a closing goal from Marc Ganzi ended the chukker with Audi on top, 4-3.
Audi had captured the momentum of the game in the second period and carried it with them into the third. Roldan scored the first two goals of the chukker on great individual efforts, 6-3, and Ganzi extended the Audi lead to four goals, 7-4, on his second goal of the day. Hilario Ulloa (substituting for Mariano Aguerre-strained elbow) ended the chukker with a pair of goals from the field. Ulloa cut the Audi lead to two goals, 7-5 to end the first half of play.
Magrini (penalty conversion) and Roldan traded goals in the opening minutes of the second half, with Audi maintaining the upper hand, 8-6. Pieres scored the final goal of the period as Audi boasted a three goal lead, 9-6.
Los Machitos/Heathcote cut the Audi lead to two goals in the fifth period on goals from Giannico and Ulloa. Pieres scored on a penalty shot as Audi enjoyed a 10-8 led with one chukker left to play.
Roldan opened the sixth chukker with a goal from the field that put Audi in front by three goals, 11-8, but that was when Audi stalled out. Four consecutive Los Machitos/Heathcote goals carried the team to a 12-11, with Giannico and Ulloa scored two goals apiece in the final period of the match.
Roldan scored a game high six goals. Pieres scored six times (two of them on penalty shots). Pieres added three goals and Ganzi scored twice in the loss. Ulloa led the Los Machitos/Heathcote offense with five goals. Giannico added four goals and Magrini scored three times in the win.