By Alex Webbe
Power Horse (Melissa Ganzi, Walter Scherb, Adrian Laplacette and Juan Bollini) galloped out to a 4-1 halftime lead before defeating Audi Polo 6-4 to capture the 2012 YPO Challenge Cup at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington Sunday morning.
Scherb scored the opening goal of the game but was quickly countered by Audi Polo’s Lalor. Both defenses tightened up for the remainder of the chukker, ending in a 1-1 tie.
Three unanswered goals from Power Horse took the wind out of the sails of the Audi Polo team in the second chukker of the four chukker match. Laplacette and Bollini scored from the field while Scherb converted a penalty shot for a goal. At the end of the first two chukkers of play, Power Horse held a 4-1 advantage over Audi Polo.
Moed got Audi Polo in the scoring column in the third, but goals from Laplacette and Scherb (penalty goal) kept Power Horse in control with a 6-2 lead with one chukker left to play.
Lalor scored from the field for Audi Polo in the fourth and Hall converted a penalty shot, but that was where it ended as Power Horse took the game by a 6-4 score.
Scherb led the Power Horse attack with three goals. Laplacette scored twice and Bollini added a goal for the win.
Lalor led the Audi attack with two goals. Moed and Hall scored single goals in the loss.
AGUA CALIENTE 6, CANADA POLO 5 OT
Agua Caliente (Alejandro Poma, Nacho Badiola, Marc Ganzi and Juan Borga) scored a 6-5 win over Canada Polo (Robin Melton, Jason Crowder, Joey Casey and Duke Buchan) to secure a third place finish in the 2012 YPO Challenge Cup, but needed an overtime period in which to do it.
Agua Caliente jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with a pair of goals from Borga and a single goal from Poma while the defense kept Canada Polo from scoring in the opening chukker.
Canada Polo got back into the mix in the second period when it picked up a penalty goal from Crowder and a goal from the field from Buchan. Agua Caliente continued to lead, but the margin was cut to a single goal, 3-2.
Poma scored again for Agua Caliente in the third but Canada Polo scored on another penalty goal from Crowder and Buchan’s second goal of the day. After two periods it was all even at 4-4. Ganzi put Agua Caliente back on top, 5-4, with a goal from the field, but Canada Polo rallied with a goal from Melton to knot it up at 5-5 to end regulation play.
Ganzi scored the winning goal in overtime for the 6-5 Agua Caliente win.
Ganzi, Poma and Borga scored two goals apiece for the victory. Canada Polo’s Crowder and Buchan scored two goals apiece. Melton added a goal in a losing effort.