Marc Ganzi’s Audi/Excalibur team scored a 10-8 win over Beluga to earn a Friday semifinal berth against PB Equine/ELG. (Photo by Sandy Klein)
The 2013 Pedro Morrison Memorial Cup got underway Wednesday morning with Audi/Excalibur (Michael Donahue, Carlitos Gracida, Nic Roldan and Marc Ganzi) scoring a win over Beluga (Misha Rodzianko, Carlos Baez, Tommy Biddle and Joey Casey)in a 10AM game played at Boca Raton’s Palm City Polo Club.
Audi/Excalibur took advantage of two goals by handicap from the 14-goal Beluga foursome to race out to a 7-3 halftime lead on their way to a 10-8 win in the opening game of the Grand Champions’ 2013 Pedro Morrison Memorial Cup played on the grounds of the Palm City Polo Club Wednesday morning.
First chukker goals from Carlitos Gracida and Nic Roldan had Audi/Excalibur ahead by four goals before Beluga ever got on the scoreboard. Tommy Biddle scored Beluga’s first goal on a powerful shot from the field that carried well over 100 yards for a score. Gracida’s second goal of the chukker ended the scoring with Audi/Excalibur in the lead, 5-1.
Second period goals from Nic Roldan and Marc Ganzi extended the Audi/Excalibur lead to six goals, 7-1. Biddle closed out the chukker with his second goal of the game. Audi/Excalibur continued to lead, 7-2.
The Beluga defense stepped it up in the third period, shutting out the Audi/Excalibur attack for the first time all day, but managed only a single goal themselves. Joey Casey converted a short penalty shot just three minutes into the chukker as Beluga continued to trail, 7-3, after the first half of play.
Gracida opened the second half with a goal but Beluga answered back. A pair of goals from Biddle in the last two minutes of the chukker cut the Audi/Excalibur lead to three goals, 8-5.
Misha Rodzianko scored the only goal of the fifth chukker as the Audi/Excalibur attack ground to a halt. Beluga continued to trail, but cut the Audi/Excalibur lead two goals, 8-6, with one chukker left in regulation time.
Gracida and Michael Donahue each scored a goal in the opening two minutes of the sixth chukker as Beluga continued to press its attack. Biddle added two penalty goals, but Beluga could pull no closer, dropping the game to Audi/Excalibur, 10-8.
Biddle’s six goals (two on penalty shots) led all scoring. Rodzianko and Casey each added a goal in a losing effort. Gracida led the Audi/Excalibur offense with four goals. Roldan scored twice while Ganzi and Donahue each scored a goal for the win.
CASABLANCA 10, KIG 9
Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Mike Azzaro and Wes Finlayson) received one goal by handicap from KIG (Charlie Armstrong, Leo Mandelbaum, Brandon Phillips and Mariano Gracida) and outscored KIG 3-2 in the opening chukker to take an early 4-2 lead in the second match of the Pedro Morrison Memorial Cup at Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington Wednesday afternoon. Single goals from Mariano Gracida and Leo Mandelbaum had KIG leading early, 2-1. A pair of goals from Juancito Bollini and Mike Azzaro ended the period with Casablanca in front, 4-2.
Both defenses tightened up in the second chukker, with Azzaro scoring the only goal. Casablanca continued to lead, 5-2.
Azzaro and Bollini scored single goals in the third to extend the Casablanca lead to 7-2. Brandon Phillips kept KIG from being shutout for the second consecutive chukker with a goal. Casablanca ended the first half with a four goal, 7-3 advantage over KIG.
The two teams traded goals in the fourth chukker with Mandelbaum (on a 250 yard run down the field) and Phillips scoring for KIG while Grant Ganzi and Azzaro countered with goals for Casablanca. The Casablanca lead held at four goals, 9-5.
Casablanca went ahead, 10-5 with Bollini scoring the only goal of the fifth, and it looked as if KIG was dead in the waters. They were held scoreless for the second time in the match.
Undeterred, KIG fought back in the sixth period. On a great individual effort, Gracida carried the ball over 160 yards down the field for a goal, 10-6, followed by a goal from Mandelbaum to cut the Casablanca lead to three goals, 10-7. Gracida added two more goals in the final two minutes of the game to pull within a goal of Casablanca, 10-9, when time expired.
Bollini and Azzaro scored four goals apiece for Casablanca. Ganzi added a goal and the team received one goal by handicap in the win. Gracida led the KIG offense with four goals. Mandelbaum was credited with three goals and Phillips scored twice in the loss.
PB EQUINE/ELG 12, NEWPORT 9
PB Equine/ELG (Scott Swerdlin, Guille Aguero, Kris Kampsen and Avery Chapman) played Newport (Kaisser Maakar, Gene Goldstein, Tommy Biddle and Luis Escobar) to a 9-9 tie after five periods before producing three sixth chukker goals for the 12-9 victory.
In a slow start, Guille Aguero scored the only goal of the opening period for an unassuming 1-0 lead for PB Equine/ELG.
Two more second chukker goals from Aguero (a 290 yard run following a throw-in 10-yards in front of the PB Equine/ELG goal) and a single goal from teammate Kris Kampsen (on a 200 yard race down the field for the score) were answered by single goals from Tommy Biddle and Luis Escobar and one goal on a rarely awarded Penalty 1. PB Equine/ELG continued to lead by a single goal, 4-3.
Aguero put PB Equine/ELG on top 5-3 to open the third, but Newport’s Biddle responded with a goal from the field and a 40-yard penalty conversion to lock it up at 5-5.
Scoring went back and forth in the fourth with Biddle scoring from the field in the opening minute of play. Kampsen answered with a goal for PB Equine/ELG less than a minute later, 6-6. Gene Goldstein scored his first goal of the day on a penalty shot, 7-6. Kampsen tied it up once again, scoring with just 10 seconds left in the chukker, 7-7.
Fifth chukker goals from Biddle (penalty conversion) and Goldstein put them ahead by two goals, 9-7. PB Equine/ELG responded with single goals from Kampsen and Aguero to knot it up once again, 9-9 in the final minute of the period.
Goals were hard to come by in the first half of the final chukker with neither team being able to break through for a score. Avery Chapman converted a penalty shot at the 3:20 mark of the final period to edge Newport 10-9. Kampsen scored the final two goals of the match as PB Equine/ELG rode off with a hard-fought 12-9 win.
Kampsen led all scoring with six goals. Aguero scored five times and Chapman converted a penalty shot for a goal for PB Equine/ELG. Newport’s Biddle scored three of his team-high five goals from the field. Goldstein scored twice (once on a penalty shot) and Escobar scored once. Newport was also awarded a goal on a Penalty 1.
The Casablanca win will have them facing Paladin (David Krantz, Juan Bollini, Piki Alberdi and Melissa Ganzi) in a 10AM Friday morning game against Casablanca on the grounds of the Palm City Polo Club. Audi/Excalibur will meet PB Equine/ELG in a 4PM match later that day at the Grand Champions Polo Club.