Lechuza Caracas and ERG win in Piaget Gold Cup Play

By Alex Webbe

Victories by Lechuza Caracas and ERG highlighted the second day of competition in the 2013 USPA Piaget Gold Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington in Saturday’s polo action.

Piaget’s Nacho Badiola scored the first goal of the game Saturday afternoon but three consecutive goals from Lechuza Caracas 8-goaler Polito Pieres had Piaget trailing 3-1. With just less than two minutes left in the first chukker 10-goaler Miguel Astrada blasted an 80-yard shot through the goalposts to cut the Lechuza Caracas lead to a single goal, 3-2.

Another goal from Pieres opened the second period as Lechuza Caracas extended its lead back to two goals, 4-2. Consecutive goals from Astrada and 10-goaler Sapo Caset (penalty conversion) had it all even at 4-4. With less than a minute left in the chukker, Lechuza Caracas team captain Victor Vargas scored, breaking the tie and giving Lechuza Caracas a 5-4 advantage.

There was no scoring until nearly midway through the third when Caset tied it up at 5-5 with his second penalty conversion of the game. Lechuza Caracas responded with consecutive goals from the field from Francisco Elizalde, and rode off the field at the end of the first half of play on the winning end of a 7-5 score.

Elizalde and Badiola exchanged goals in the fourth but a late foul on Piaget sent Pieres to the penalty line where he stroked the ball through the goalposts for a three goal, 9-6 lead.

The two teams exchanged goals in the fifth, with Astrada and Caset scoring single goals for Piaget while Vargas and Pieres did the same. The chukker ended with Lechuza Caracas maintaining its three goal lead, 11-8.

Piaget continued to press in the final chukker. A foul cost Lechuza Caracas another goal as Caset stroked the ball across the goal line, and just a minute later, the talented 10-goaler unloaded on a 110 yard shot that had Piaget within a goal, 11-10. The Lechuza Caracas defense tightened in the final minutes of the game, putting an end to any thought of a successful rally. Pieres picked up the final goal of the game at the 1:15 mark, racing the length of the field for the score, and Lechuza Caracas celebrated the 12-10 win.

Pieres led all scoring with seven goals. Elizalde accounted for three scores and Vargas added two goals in the victory. Caset scored five times for Piaget. Astrada added four goals and Badiola was credited with a single goal in the loss.

ERG 16, ORCHARD HILL 11

In a high-scoring run-and-gun contest that saw 27 goals being scored, Scott Wood’s ERG team posted an impressive 16-11 win over Steve Van Andel’s Orchard Hill lineup in USPA Piaget Gold Cup play to end the day’s competition.

Orchard Hill took control of the opening throw-in as Brazilian 8-goaler Rodrigo Andrade scored for the 1-0 lead. It would be nearly four minutes later until wood would score the second goal of the match to deadlock it at 1-1. Eduardo Astrada made it 2-1, ERG, at the 2:32 mark in the final goal of the chukker. It was Orchard Hill that trailed by a single goal after the opening chukker.

Matias Macdonough tied it up on a penalty conversion in the opening 30 seconds of the second chukker, 2-2, when ERG took control. Three consecutive goals from ERG (two from Paco de Narvaez and a penalty goal from Agustin Merlos) ended the chukker with Orchard Hill falling behind by three goals, 5-2.

Matias MacDonough cut the ERG lead to two goals, 5-3, after a 200-yard run at goal, but a Merlos put ERG back in charge with a pair of goals (one from the field and one on a penalty shot), that gave ERG a four goal 7-3 lead. Midway through the chukker, 10-goaler Pablo Macdonough scored his first goal of the game, 8-4, and his brother Matias MacDonough closed it out in the final minute of the period with a goal to put ERG on top of a three goal, 8-5 lead.

Things got no better for Orchard Hill in the second half. Merlos and Matias MacDonough exchanged penalty goals in the fourth. Orchard Hill team captain Steve Van Andel carried the ball through the goalposts after a long run, cutting the lead to two goals, 9-7, when ERG came alive. Consecutive goals from de Narvaez ended the period with ERG out in front, 11-7.

Orchard Hill and ERG swapped goals once again in the fifth. Astrada and Paco de Narvaez (penalty goal) each added a goal, but Astrada and de Narvaez (penalty goal) responded in kind. ERG continued to control the game with a four goal edge, 13-9.

Sixth chukker goals from de Narvaez and Merlos had ERG in front, 15-9 before a Matias Macdonough 60-yard penalty goal found its mark, but ERG continued to lead, by a comfortable 15-10 margin. Merlos scored again to put ERG up by six, 16-10, with Matias MacDonough scoring the final goal in the 16-11 ERG victory.

Merlos led the ERG attack with seven goals; de Narvaez scored six times. Astrada was credited with two goals while Wood added a goal for the win. Matias MacDonough scored seven goals in the game (four on penalty shots). Pablo MacDonough registered a pair of goals in the loss, with single goals coming from Andrade and Van Andel.