(L to R) Facundo Pieres with the ball, Juan Martin Nero in support and Lucchese’s Magoo Laprida trailing the play in US Open play at the International Polo Club on Sunday. (Photo by alex Pacheco)
After trailing for a good part of the game, Orchard Hill (Facundo Pieres, Julian de Lusarreta, Juan Martin Nero and Steve Van Andel) came back to tie the game in the fifth chukker and score the winning goals in the final chukker in their 11-9 win over a tough Lucchese lineup (John Muse, Nico Pieres, Magoo Laprida and Sapo Caset) Sunday afternoon in US Open competition at the International Polo Club.
Lucchese took the early lead on a pair of goals from 10-goaler Sapo Caset. Facundo Pieres scored Orchard Hill’s only goal of the chukker on a 40-yard penalty conversion. At the end of the first chukker of play it was Lucchese with the 2-1 lead.
Facundo Pieres opened the scoring in the second period with another 40-yard penalty conversion for a goal, tying the game at 2-2. Caset scored on a goal from the field with 4:54 on the clock for the 3-2 edge. Orchard Hill was awarded a goal on a Penalty 1 called against Lucchese, ending the period all even at 3-3.
Facundo Pieres converted a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal that had Orchard Hill in front for the first time all day, 4-3, but the lead didn’t last. Caset scored on a 30-yard penalty shot and added a goal from the field that put Lucchese back on top, 5-4. Magoo Laprida scored a goal from the field that gave Lucchese a two goals lead, 6-4 with less than five minutes left in the period. Facundo Pieres scored his first goal from the field with 2:07 on the clock, pulling Orchard Hill t within a goal of the lead, 6-5, but Caset couldn’t be stopped. Scoring his third goal of the chukker and sixth of the game, Caset scored the final goal of the first half, giving Lucchese a two goal, 7-5 advantage over the powerful Orchard Hill team.
Julian de Lusarreta scored the first goal of the fourth chukker over two-and-one-half minutes into the second half, 7-6. A minute later Caset converted a 30-yard penalty shot that kept the Lucchese lead at two goals, 8-6. Facundo Pieres scored the final goal of the chukker on a 60-yard penalty shot that had Orchard Hill within a goal of the lead, 8-7.
Plays started clicking for the Orchard Hill attack in fifth chukker action. Argentine 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero, the Number 3 ranked player in the world, scored his first goal of the game to tie it at 8-8, and de Lusarreta gave Orchard Hill the lead moments later, 9-8. Nico Pieres (younger brother of Facundo Pieres) leveled the score at 9-9 to end the chukker.
Both teams were on the attack as the sixth chukker got started. Runs up and down the field resulted in nothing until Nero drove the ball through the Lucchese goal posts two minutes into the period for a 10-9 Orchard Hill lead. Lucchese fought back, but the Orchard Hill defense held, despite all out efforts by the Lucchese attack. A late foul sent Facundo Pieres to the penalty line where he converted the final goal of the match from 60-yards out for an 11-9 score and an Orchard Hill victory.
Facundo Pieres scored five of his team-high six goals on penalty shots and led the Orchard Hill offense in scoring. Nero and de Lusarreta scored two goals each and the team received a goal on a Penalty 1. Caset led the field in scoring on the day with seven goals (two on penalty conversions). Nico Pieres and Laprida added single goals in the loss.
Julian de Lusarreta was named MVP while Sapo Caset’s Modelo earned Best Playing Pony honors.
Audi 11, Flexjet 7
Audi (Marc Ganzi, Rodrigo Andrade, Gonzalito Pieres and Freddie Mannix) came out on top of a morning contest with Flexjet (Melissa Ganzi, Agustin Merlos, Sebastian Merlos and Nic Roldan), 11-7, in a game was tightly played in the opening three chukkers.
L to R)-Audi team captain Marc Ganzi in pursuit of Flexjet’s Sebastian Merlos. (Photo by Alex Pacheco)
Audi took control of the opening chukker with team captain Marc Ganzi putting the first goal on the scoreboard in the opening 20 seconds of play, 1-0. Gonzalito Pieres extended the Audi lead to two goals, 2-0, on a 40-yard penalty conversion at the 5:50 mark. Flexjet fought back but the pace and teamwork of the Audi team was too much for them in the opening period. Pieres added a final goal to the Audi total to end the chukker in front, 3-0.
A determined Flexjet team returned to the field in the second chukker focused and ready to play. Early fouls by Audi sent Agustin Merlos to the penalty line where he converted from the 30 and 40-yard lines, cutting the Audi lead to a single goal, 3-2. Expert stick-work by Agustin Merlos and cutout defense prevailed for Flexjet as the period wore on. Agustin Merlos closed out the chukker with his third goal of the game, leveling the score at 3-3.
Sebastian Merlos scored the first goal of the third period midway through the chukker, giving Flexjet their first lead of the game, 4-3. Marc Ganzi countered with a tying goal a minute later and Pieres ended the chukker with a 30-yard penalty goal that gave Audi the 5-4 halftime lead.
An aggressive Audi attack dominated the field as the second half got underway. Brazilian 9-goaler Rodrigo Andrade scored his first goal of the day in the opening minute of the fourth chukker, 6-4, followed by a goal from Marc Ganzi, 7-4. Andrade added another goal with 4:53 left in the chukker and Pieres scored on a 40-yard penalty sot to close out the chukker with Audi leading by five goals, 9-4.
Pieres and Agustin Merlos traded penalty goals to open the fifth chukker. Pieres scored from the 60-yard line while Agustin Merlos converted a shot from 30-yards out, 10-5. Pieres scored his sixth goal of the match from the field, 11-5, with Agustin Merlos fighting to bet Flexjet back into the hunt with consecutive goals (one on a 60-ayrd penalty shot) that ended the fifth chukker with Audi on top, 11-7.
The final chukker of the game was an exercise in futility for the Flexjet lineup as Audi controlled the ball for much of the period. Shots on goal were far and few between as Audi ran out the clock for the 11-7 win.
Pieres led the field in scoring with six goals (five on penalty conversions). Marc Ganzi added three goals and Andrade scored twice for the win. Agustin Merlos scored four of his team-high five goals on penalty shots with older brother Sebastian Merlos adding two goals from the field in a losing effort.
The victory boosts the Audi record to 1-1, while Flexjet remains winless as 0-2.
Play continues in the 2016 United States Open Championship on Wednesday, April 13th at the International Polo Club with a 10am contest between White Birch and Dubai. Both teams enter the game with perfect 2-0 records and each will be looking to secure a first place finish in Bracket I standings. At 4pm Valiente will face Coca-Cola with both teams looking for their first US Open win.