Bonbardier Pacific Coast Open action at the Santa Barbara Polo Club.
Action in Santa Barbara Polo Club’s 2013 Bombardier Pacific Coast Open got underway on Sunday when a re-vamped La Herradura lineup (Carlitos Gracida, Sterling Giannico, Marianito Obregon and Carlos Gracida) had to be assembled to work around the injury to Alvaro Fernandez (broken rib), and the reshuffled combination did the trick. Charging out to a powerful 8-3 halftime lead, La Herradura held on to score a 10-9 win and improve their record to 2-1. The loss was the first of the tournament for ERG, dropping them from the ranks of the undefeated with a 2-1 record as well.
Carlos Gracida opened the scoring with the conversion of a 40-yard penalty shot for the early La Herradura lead. Jeff Blake responded for ERG with a goal from the field, 1-1. Marianito Obregon closed out the scoring in the opening chukker with a goal to put La Herradura ahead, 2-1.
Second chukker goals from Carlitos Gracida, Carlos Gracida and Obregon (penalty conversion) had La Herradura leading 5-2. Sugar Erskine scored ERG’s only goal of the period.
A pair of goals from Carlos Gracida and a single goal from Sterling Giannico extended the La Herradura lead to five goals in third period play. Erskine accounted for the only score of the chukker for an anemic ERG offense as they fell behind, 8-3 at the end of the first half.
A reinvigorated ERG team took the field in the fourth chukker and dominated play. Erskine scored three times (twice on penalty shots) to cut the lead to just two goals, 8-6. La Herradura fouls gave ERG a number of additional opportunities to score, but penalty shots went wide, and La Herradura survived the rally.
Penalty goals from Obregon and Carlos Gracida stretched the La Herradura to three goals in the fifth. ERG managed just a single score on a goal from the field from Paco de Narvaez. ERG trailed, 10-7, with one chukker left in regulation time.
De Narvaez scored the only two goals of the sixth chukker, but La Herradura managed to survive, registering a 10-9 win.
Carlos Gracida led the La Herradura attack with five goals. Obregon scored three times while Giannico and Carlitos Gracida added single goals for the win. Erskine’s vie goals set the pace for ERG. De Narvaez added three goals and Blake scored once in the loss.
RESTORATION HARDWARE 17, CATAMOUNT 10
Catamount (Scott Devon, Brandon Phillips, Mike Azzaro and Julio Gracida) took it on the chin for the second consecutive week and suffered their third loss in the Pacific Coast Open in a 17-10 loss to Restoration Hardware.
Julio Gracida scored the first goal from the field for Catamount, with Hilario Ulloa responding with a goal form Restoration Hardware, 1-1. Scott Devon scored from the field followed by a penalty goal from Gracida for a 1-1 lead. Ulloa closed out the scoring in the first chukker on a 30-yard penalty shot. Catamount enjoyed a 3-2 advantage going into the second period.
Devon’s second goal of the game put Catamount on top, 4-2, but Restoration Hardware charged back with goals from Adam Snow and Ulloa (penalty conversion). The second chukker ended in a 4-4 deadlock.
Restoration Hardware scored the first three goals of the third chukker with Snow leading it off followed by a pair of goals from teammate Ulloa for a 7-4 lead. Gracida converted a penalty shot for a goal, but Ulloa answered back with his third goal of the chukker, 8-5. Mike Azzaro ended the first half with a penalty goal but Catamount now trailed by two goals, 8-6.
Restoration Hardware team captain Ben Soleimani and Ulloa opened the second half with consecutive goals, 10-9. Ulloa added a penalty goal and Santi Von Wernich scored his first goal of the day for an impressive 12-6 lead. Phillips scored the final goal of the period on a penalty conversion but Catamount found themselves in a deep hole, trailing 12-7.
The two teams exchanged goals in the fifth, with Ulloa and Soleimani scoring the first two goals of the chukker for a 14-7 lead for Restoration Hardware. Azzaro and Phillips each scored penalty goals as the period ended with Restoration Hardware firmly in control of a 14-9 game.
Phillips cut the Restoration Hardware lead to four goals in the opening minutes of the sixth chukker, but that would be where it would end. Ulloa added a goal and Snow scored twice as Restoration Hardware ended preliminary play in the 2013 Bombardier Pacific Coast Open with a resounding 17-10 win.
Ulloa led all scoring with an impressive ten goals (three on penalty shots). Snow scored four times; Soleimani twice; and Von Wernich added a goal in the rout. Gracida and Phillips scored three goals apiece for Catamount while teammates Devon and Azzaro each scored twice in the loss.
LUCCHESE 13, FMB 12
After three consecutive Pacific Coast Open Championships, the 2013 season had to be a disappointing one for Lucchese (Tavi Usandizaga, Andres Weisz, Pelon Stirling and John Muse). The team put it all behind them in the final game of the day, however, as they scored a 13-12 win over FMB (Dan Walker, Inaki Laprida, Lucas Criado and Henry Walker) and won a berth in Thursday’s semifinals.
Tavi Usandizaga scored the first goal of the game for a brief 1-0 Lucchese lead. A 40-yard penalty goal from Lucas Criado and two goals from the field from Henry Walker had FMB leaving the field at the end of the first chukker with a 3-1 lead.
Lucchese lost no time in making up for their opening chukker shortcomings. Lucchese 10-goaler Pelon Stirling connected on penalty shots from 60-yards and 30-yards to tie it up at 3-3. A goal from the field from the talented 10-goaler gave Lucchese their second lead of the game, 4-3. Lucchese fouls sent FMB’s Criado to the penalty line where he connected on consecutive penalty shots to end the chukker in a 5-5 deadlock.
Stirling opened the third chukker with a 60-yard penalty conversion and added a goal from the field for a 7-5 advantage. Weisz added his second goal of the game while the Lucchese defense held FMB scoreless. At the end of the first half Lucchese sat on top of an 8-5 score.
A penalty goal from Criado and a goal from the field from Henry Walker shaved the Lucchese lead down to a single goal in fourth chukker play. Lucchese continued to press its attack, however, resulting in FMB fouls. Stirling scored consecutive 60-yard penalty shots to end the chukker with Lucchese leading, 10-7.
Criado and Stirling exchanged goals in the opening minutes of the fifth period, with Criado converting a penalty shot to end the chukker. Lucchese continued to lead, but FMB trailed by just two goals, 11-9, going into the sixth.
Criado cut the Lucchese lead to a single goal, 11-10. Stirling answered back with a goal from the field, 12-10. Criado scored again, 12-11. Lucchese pressed their attack and a penalty allowed Stirling to score on a penalty shot, 13-11. Criado’s scored for the ninth time to cut the Lucchese lead to a single goal, 13-12 when time ran out.
The Lucchese win earned them a berth in the Pacific Coast Open semifinals, and eliminated FMB from the field.
Stirling scored six of his game high ten goals on penalty shots, converting six of seven shots. Weisz scored twice and Usandizaga added a goal for the win. Six of Criado’s team-high nine goals came on penalty shots. Dan Walker added a pair of goals with Henri Walker scoring once in a losing effort.
The final results of the early rounds of competition left Restoration Hardware in the number one position with a perfect 3-0 record. La Herradura finished second with a 2-1 record. ERG also had a 2-1 record, but fell to third place as a result of their loss to La Herradura. Lucchese snuck into semifinal play on the strength of their win over FMB.
Semifinal pairings have Restoration Hardware facing Lucchese while ERG will get a re-match with La Herradura in Thursday’s action.
Photos by David Lominska.