Ylvisaker Cup finals a family affair

By Alex Webbe

It looks like it’s going to be a family affair in the finals of the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup at the International Polo Club on Sunday afternoon with Melissa’s Piaget team scoring a 13-12 semifinal overtime win over Lucchese while husband Marc Ganzi’s Audi team downed Coca-Cola 10-6 in Wednesday’s other semifinal.

Both Audi and Coca-Cola approached Wednesday’s Ylvisaker Cup cautiously with the first score not coming until the sixth minute of play. Audi’s Nic Roldan converted a penalty shot for the first score of the match with Julio Arellano making good on a penalty shot for Coca-Cola in the final second of the chukker for a 1-1 tie.

Rodrigo Andrade, the “Brazilian cannon”, put Audi on top with a goal in the opening minute of the second period. Both teams had unsuccessful runs at goal before Coca-Cola got into foul trouble. Roldan made good on a penalty shot at goal at the 3:24 mark of the chukker, adding a second penalty goal in the period with just 18 seconds left to play. Two chukkers into the game, Audi held a 4-1 lead.

Julio Arellano got Coca-Cola on the scoreboard with a penalty conversion to open the third, cutting the Audi lead to two goals, 4-2. A couple of minutes later 3-goaler Mason Wroe carried the ball 200 yards down the field for another Coca-Cola score, and the Audi was cut to a single goal, 4-3. Roldan closed out the first half with his fourth goal of the game and a 5-3 Audi advantage.

Audi wasted little time getting back to work in the second half. Roldan scored another goal from the penalty line and Andrade scored from the field. With two-and-a-half minutes left in the chukker, Audi’s lead had grown to four goals, 7-3. A last second goal from Wroe kept Coca-Cola from getting shut out, but they continued to trail, 7-4.

Andrade stole the ball from a Coca-Cola player in the opening minute of the fifth chukker and centered a pass to a streaking Roldan. Roldan drove it through the goalposts for a four goal, 8-4 lead. With time running out in the period, Arellano scored on a penalty goal. After five chukkers Coca-Cola continued to trail Audi, 8-5.

Audi ran it up to 9-5 on a goal from Roldan in the opening minutes of the final chukker. Sugar Erskine scored a goal from the field for Coca-Cola, but time was running out and Audi held a comfortable 9-6 lead. Andrade took the final throw-in 150 yards for the final score as Audi captured a berth in Sunday’s Ylvisaker Cup finals against their stable-mate Piaget team.

PIAGET 13, LUCCHESE 11 OT

Earlier in the day, Miguel Astrada’s twelfth goal of the game came in overtime as Piaget made their way into the finals of the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup finals on the strength of a 13-12 win Wednesday afternoon at the International Polo Club in Wellington.

Piaget took control early with Astrada scoring the first goal of the game on a penalty conversion. Less than two minutes later Astrada added a goal from the field for a 2-0 lead. Lucchese fought their way back into the game on a pair of goals from Santi Torres, knotting it up at 2-2. The final goal of the chukker came on a penalty shot with Astrada converting for the 3-2 advantage.

Piaget continued to press the attack into the second period with Lucchese committing fouls in an effort to halt the pressure. Consecutive penalty goals from Astrada had Piaget up 5-2 before Lucchese finally answered. A penalty goal from Pelon Stirling was followed by a goal from the field from Cote Zegers, cutting the lead to a single goal, 5-4. Astrada closed out the scoring, however, with his sixth goal of the game, giving Piaget a two goal, 6-4 lead.

Defenses tightened in the third with a more cautious Lucchese team working their magic on the field. Stirling was the first to score, followed by a beautifully executed backhand shot taken by Torres as he rode parallel to the Piaget goal. The Lucchese defense had finally managed to blank the powerful Piaget attack, and at the end of the first half the score was all even at 6-6.

Astrada opened the second half with a goal from the field for a 7-6 Piaget lead, but Stirling responded with a goal for Lucchese, 7-7. Both offenses were stymied for the balance of the period.

Crowder converted a penalty shot to open the scoring in the fifth chukker with Astrada following with another penalty goal. Lucchese suddenly found themselves trailing by two goals, 9-7, with the momentum shifting in favor of Piaget. Stirling tried to rally the Lucchese attack by plucking the ball out of the air and driving it through the Piaget goal posts, cutting the lead back to a single goal, 9-8. Foul trouble came back to haunt the Lucchese team once again with Astrada converting to close the chukker. At the end of five periods of play, Piaget sat on top of a 10-8 score.

Astrada scored the opening goal of the sixth chukker to extend the Piaget lead to three goals, 11-8, when Lucchese came storming back. Goals from Stirling (penalty shot) and Torres cut the Piaget lead down to a single goal, 11-10. With 2:21 left in regulation time, Stirling converted a penalty shot to tie it up at 11-11. Piaget regrouped and rode on the Lucchese goal. Melissa Ganzi was carrying the ball across the front of the Lucchese goal when she was fouled. The infraction put Astrada at the penalty line once again where he scored for the eleventh time, giving Piaget the lead once again, 12-11. Lucchese refused to give up, and with time running out, a Piaget foul gave Lucchese the chance they needed. Stirling drive the ball through the Piaget goal posts with :26 left on the clock, and the game was slated for sudden-death overtime.

After a brief intermission that allowed the players to change onto fresh horses, the teams returned to the field. Piaget took early possession of the ball, and in an effort to stem the tide, a Lucchese player committed a foul. Astrada converted the 60-yard penalty shot, and an elated Piaget team rode off of the field on the wings of a 13-12 overtime win.

Astrada led all scoring with twelve goals (eight on penalty shots). Crowder added a goal in the win.

Stirling scored seven times for Lucchese. Torres added four goals and Zegers scored once in a losing effort.