By Alex Webbe
On the strength of wins over Newport/Port Mayaca and Pony Express, Piaget will move into Sunday’s finals of the Polo Gear-RoxWorld Invitational Friday afternoon at the Grand Champions Polo Club.
Newport/Port Mayaca got things started in the first chukker of the day with goals from Stevie Orthwein and Chris Nevins (penalty conversion). Piaget fired back with single goals from the field from Lucas Lalor and Walter Scherb. The first chukker ended in a 2-2 tie
The heated competition continued in the second chukker with Gene Goldstein scoring from the field for Newport/Port Mayaca while teammate Nevins scored on his second penalty shot. Marc Ganzi responded for Piaget, scoring on a penalty shot and then picking up the ensuing throw-in and racing 150 yards down the field for a goal. After two periods the score was knotted up at 4-4.
Lalor opened the scoring in the third with a goal from the field to put Piaget out in front, 5-4. J. J. Celis evened it at 5-5 before Lalor sealed the deal with his third goal of the contest for the 6-5 win.
Pony Express held the field for the next three chukkers with Pony Express riding out to do battle with them.
Newport/Port Mayaca’s Gene Goldstein opened the game with a goal from the field followed by goals from Tomas Goti and Tommy Biddle. Stevie Orthwein closed out the first period with a tying goal and the teams left the field all even at 2-2.
The Pony Express exploded for four goals in the second frame, getting a pair of goals from Goti and single goals from Biddle and team captain Bob Daniels. Newport/Port Mayaca was held to a single goal from Nevins. After two periods of play, Pony Express led by three goals, 6-3.
Both teams continued to battle up and down the field with shots at goal going wide or being stopped by defensive plays. Daniels scored his second goal of the match to give Pony Express a 7-3 edge, and with time running down, Goldstein scored the final goal of the match in a 7-4 Pony Express victory.
The final face-off of the day pitted Piaget against Pony Express in a winner-take-all contest. The winner would be facing Audi in Sunday’s noon finals while the loser would be part of a three team round-robin consolation match.
Tomas Goti opened the dual with a goal from the field, but foul trouble gave Audi the edge. Three straight penalty goals from Marc Ganzi had Piaget riding an early two goal lead, 3-1.
Tommy Biddle scored for Pony Express to cut the lead to a single goal in the second, 3-2, but Piaget responded with goals from Sugar Erskine and Ganzi’s first goal from the field. After two periods of play Piaget held a 5-2 advantage.
Pony Express staged a last chukker rally picking up goals from Goti and Biddle, and cutting the Piaget lead to a single goal, 5-4.
Piaget went ahead by two, 6-4, with a goal from the field from Walter Scherb, but Pony Express kept the heat on. Biddle’s third goal of the match cut the lead to a single goal, once again, 6-5, with Pony Express continuing to press. Late in the chukker, Scherb broke loose with the ball and carried it to within feet of the Pony Express goal line, coming up short, but the run served its purpose. Time ran out and Piaget rode off the field with the win and a date with Audi in the Sunday noon finals.
A nine-thirty am consolation round will precede the finals with Pony Express, Newport/Port Mayaca and Elangeni Ranch playing one another.