By Alex Webbe
Empire Polo Club’s 8-10 goal Medjhool Challenge Cup went to Tentnology as they scored 13-10 final victory over an aggressive Trinity over the weekend following opening round lay.
Empire (Eric Hammon, Craig Steinke, Mariano Fassetta and Ashton Wolf) scored the first win of the tournament in a hard-fought, 10-9 overtime victory over Barrossa (Jeff Graham, Ernie Ezcurra, Erik Wright and Santiago Trotz) at the Indio club Friday morning.
Empire jumped out to an early 3-1 start on a pair of goals from Fassetta and a single penalty goal from Steinke. Ezcurra answered back with a goal from the field for Barrossa.
Barrossa hammered back in the second period with three more gals from Ezcurra and a penalty goal from Wright for a 5-4 lead. Steinke accounted for the only Empire goal of the chukker.
The two teams exchanged single goals in the third with Ezcurra scoring a goal from the field for Barrossa while Steinke converted a penalty shot for a goal. At the end of the first half, Barrossa led, 6-5.
Fassetta scored to tie it up at 6-6 in the fourth but Barrossa’s Trotz scored on a penalty shot to keep Barrossa ahead once again, 7-6.
The Empire defense kept Barrossa from scoring in the fifth while Fassetta made good on two penalty shots for an 8-7 lead. With time becoming the enemy, both teams pressed their attacks. Trotz scored a pair of goals for a 9-8 Barrossa lead, but a final score from Fassetta tied it up at 9-9, forcing the game into sudden-death overtime.
Just under a minute into the overtime, a Barrossa player fouled and Fassetta converted the penalty shot for a goal and an Empire 10-9 win.
TRINITY 12, GYPSY/TRI-TECH 10
In Friday’s afternoon match, Trinity (Rich Paicius, Robin
Paicius, tim Rudy and Agustin Zavaleta) handed Gypsy/Tri-Tech a 12-10 defeat with Agustin Zavaleta scoring six goals on the day.
With both teams trying to feel out one another in the opening chukker of play, Zavaleta managed to score the only goal, combined with shutout defense and a two goal handicap offered by the 10-goal Gypsy/Tri-Tech team (Suzanne Figi, Graham Bray, Gston Von Wernich and Chris Maloney). At the end of the first seven minutes of play, Trinity led, 3-1.
Goals from Tim Rudy and Zavaleta in the second were partially offset by a single goal from Graham Bray as Trinity extended their lead to four goals, 5-1.
Gypsy/Tri-Tech delivered their most effective chukker of the game in the third. Goals from Von Wernich, Maloney and Bray went unanswered as the Trinity lead was cut to a single goal, 5-4 to end the first half.
Trinity’s attack woke up for the fourth chukker and added three more goals to their total. A pair of goals from Zavaleta and a goal from the field from Rich Paicius gave them a two goal, 8-6, lead with Bray and Von Wernich scoring single goals for Gypsy/Tri-Tech.
Rich Paicius and Zavaleta scored single goals in the fifth, but Gypsy/Tri-Tech responded in kind. Maloney and Bray responded with single goals to trail Trinity 10-8 at the end of the fifth.
Bray and Von Wernich scored single goals once again in the sixth and tied it up at 10-10, but Trinity was p to the challenge. A goal from Zavaleta was followed by a goal from Rich Paicius for the 12-10 final.
Zavaleta was credited with six goals on the day. Rich Paicius scored three times and Tim Rudy scored once.
Bray registered five goals for Gypsy/Tri-Tech. Von Wernich added three goals and Maloney scored twice in the loss.
TENTNOLOGY 10, EMPIRE 9
Tentnology (Gery Warner, Nicolas Maciel, Artie Cameron and Santi Wulff) scored a 10-9 overtime win over Empire 10 (Craig Steinke, Marianno Fasetta, Artie Cameron and Santi Wulff) Saturday morning on the strength of six goals from Santi Wulff and an overtime goal from Nicolas Maciel at the Empire Polo Club.
Tentnology scored three first chukker goals with Maciel putting in two goals and Sulff adding a single goal. Empire responded with single goals from Ashton Wolf and Erik Hammon. Tentnology held an early 3-2 lead.
Fasetta scored on a 60-yard penalty shot in the second while blanking Tentnology and it was all even at 3-3 at the end of the second.
Tentnology broke the deadlock in the third with goals from Nicolas Maciel and Santi Wulff. Empire was unable to mount a productive charge and trailed 5-3 after the first half of play.
Empire cut the Tentnology lead back to a single goal, 6-5, in the fourth chukker as it picked up goals from Fasetta (a 60-yard penalty conversion) and Wolf. Tentnology recorded a single goal from Santi Wulff.
Wulff scored the first goal of the fifth chukker as Tentnology jumped ahead, 7-5, but Empire struck back. Wolf’s third goal of the game cut the lead back to a single goal, 7-6.
Three sixth chukker scores from Empire (two from Fasetta and one from Steinke) had them up, 9-7 before Tentnology fought back. Wulff scored twice (once on a penalty shot and once from the field) to tie it up and force the sudden-death overtime.
Three minutes and twenty-eight minutes into play, Nicolas Maciel put the ball through the Empire goal posts for the victory.
Wulff led the Tentnology attack with six goals. Maciel scored for times in a losing effort.
A balanced Empire attack ad Fasetta leading the charge with four goals. Wolf scored three times and Steinke and Hammen each scored one goal.
TENTNOLOGY 13, TRINITY 10
Santiago Wolff scored nine goals in leading his Tentnology team to a 13-10 win over Trinity in the Sunday finals of the 8-10 Medjhool Challenge Cup.
Trinity’s Tim Rudy opened the scoring for Trinity with a goal from the field followed by single goals from Tentology’s Wolff and Artie Cameron. Tentnology possessed a 4-1 lead going into the second chukker, after receiving two goals by handicap.
Two second chukker goals from Wolff and a goal from Maciel saw Zavaleta respond with a single goal, 5-4.
Tentnology scored the only goal of the third chukker, shutting out the Trinity offense. Tentnology cruised to a 6-4 halftime lead.
The two teams exchanged single goals in the fourth with Rick Paicius scoring for Trinity and Cameron notching a goal for Tentnology. Tentnology held its two goal lead, 7-5.
Four fifth chukker goals from Tentnology’s Santiago Wolff had them in front, 11-8 with Trinity trailing with a pair of goals from Zavaleta and a goal from Rick Paicius.
Tentnology closed the door on Trinity with their final two goals of the day. Maciel and Wolff supplied the firepower for Tentnology in the 13-10 win. Trinity received closing goals from Rick Paicius and Zavaleta, but it was Tentnology with the 13-10 victory.
Santiago Wolff held scoring honors with nine goals on the day. Artie Cameron and Nicolas Maciel scored two goals each.
Agustin Zavaleta led the Trinity team with four goals. Rick Paicius scored three times and Tim Rudy added a goal.
GYPSY/TRI TECH 9, BARROSSA 7
Graham Bray and Gaston Von Wernich led the pace for a very productive Gypsy/Tri Tech side in the team’s 9-7 win.
Gypsy/Tri Tech staggered through a scoreless first chukker, watching Santiago Trotz score the opening goal for Barrossa, 1-0.
Two goals from Von Wernich were countered by a single goal from Barrossa’s Erik Wright and the score was all even at 2-2.
Two more goals from Gypsy/Tri Tech (one from Bray and one from Von Wernich) ended the first half with Barrossa trailing, 4-2.
Bray added two more goals in the fourth while shutting out Barrossa. The period ended with Gypsy/Tri Tech up, 6-2.
Wright scored three straight goals for Erik Wright while the Barrossa defense shut out Gypsy/Tri Tech, who continued to lead, 6-5.
Erne Ezcurra and Erik Wright scored single goals for Barrossa but Gypsy/Tri Tech was prepared. Two more goals from Bray and a goal from Von Wernich ended the game with Gypsy/Tri Tech taking home the 9-7 win.