Four games decide the C. V. Whitney Cup semifinals
By Alex Webbe
There was plenty of action on the playing fields of the International Polo Club as all eight 26-goal teams competing in the 2014 C. V. Whitney Cup played opening round games in an effort to secure playoff positions in the first leg of American polo’s Triple Crown.
The day started early with Orchard Hill (Steve Van Andel, Santiago Chavanne, Pablo MacDonough and Matias MacDonough) racing out to an 8-3 halftime lead before running away with a 12-7 win over a talented but disorganized Lechuza Caracas (Victor Vargas, Nico Pieres, Juan Martin Nero and Nico Espain) foursome.
Matias MacDonough scored the first and final goal (penalty conversion) of the opening chukker with his brother Pablo MacDonough adding a goal from the field. Orchard Hill took an early 3-1 lead. Nico Pieres converted a penalty shot for the only Lechuza Caracas goal of the chukker.
Both defenses tightened in the second period, with Pieres adding another goal for Lechuza Caracas. Orchard Hill continued to hold the lead, but Lechuza Caracas trailed by a single goal, 3-2.
Orchard Hill exploded for five goals in the third chukker with Pablo MacDonough scoring three times form the field while Matias MacDonough scored once from the field and once on a penalty shot. Lechuza Caracas managed a single goal from Pieres on a 60-yard penalty shot. The first half ended with Orchard Hill on top of an 8-3 score.
Four more goals in the fourth period extended the Orchard Hill lead to a commanding eight goals, 12-4 (two goals from Pablo MacDonough and single goals from Santiago Chavanne and Matias MacDonough -60-yard penalty conversion). Pieres scored the only goal of the chukker for Lechuza Caracas.
With Orchard Hill giving their horses a rest in the final two periods of play, Lechuza Caracas scored three times. Pieres and Juan Martin Nero scored penalty goals in the fifth and Nero added a goal from the field in the sixth. Orchard Hill celebrated the 12-7 win as the final horn sounded.
Pablo MacDonough led all scoring with six goals. Matias MacDonough was credited with five goals (three on penalty conversions), and Chavanne scored once for the win. Pieres scored five goals (four on penalty shots) for Lechuza Caracas. Nero added two in a losing effort.
CRAB ORCHARD 14, FLIGHT OPTIONS 10
In a match that looked more like “The Facundo Pieres Show”, Crab Orchard (Facundo Pieres, Magoo Laprida, Matias Magrini and George Rawlings) registered a 14-10 win over Flight Options (Eduardo Astrada, Miguel Astrada and Alejandro Astrada), with Facundo scoring twelve of Crab Orchard’s fourteen goals.
Pieres scored the first two goals of the match in the opening three minutes of play for a 2-0 Crab Orchard lead. Flight Options responded with a 30-yard penalty shot for a goal to trail 2-1, and tied it up on a goal from the field from Eduardo Astrada with 37 seconds left in the chukker. At the end of the first chukker it was all even at 2-2.
Pieres scored his third goal of the day to give Crab Orchard a 3-2 lead in the second, but the flight Options attack continued to press. Crab Orchard penalties resulted in a pair of penalty goals with Miguel Astrada and Alejandro Astrada each converting a shot for a goal and a 4-3 Flight Options lead.
Pieres scored four times in the third chukker, converting three penalty shots for goals and adding a fourth from the field. Flight Options was held to a single penalty conversion by Miguel Astrada and trailed by two goals, 7-5, at the end of the first half.
The pace continued to escalate but the goals were becoming harder to come by, as the second half got underway. Magoo Laprida scored a goal from the field for Crab Orchard in the opening 30 seconds of play. Miguel Astrada converted a penalty shot in the final seconds of the chukker. The Crab Orchard lead held at two goals, 8-6.
Miguel Astrada and Facundo Pieres added two goals apiece in the fifth chukker as Flight Options couldn’t seem to close the gap. Crab Orchard took a two goal, 10-8 lead into the final chukker.
Following a throw-in in front of the Crab Orchard goal to start the sixth chukker, Magoo Laprida scooped up the ball and raced 285 yards down the field to score, 11-8. Miguel Astrada converted a 60-yard penalty shot, 11-9, as Flight Options struggled to stay in the game. Consecutive goals from Pieres stretched the Crab Orchard lead to four goals, 3-9, midway through the period. Miguel Astrada cut the lead back down to three goals, 13-10 with precious little time left for a rally. Pieres put the nail in the coffin with a 290yard run down the field to score the final goal of the day in a 14-10 Crab Orchard victory.
Pieres scored nine of his game high 12 goals from the field. Laprida added two goals for the win. Miguel Astrada led the flight Options attack with eight goals (six on penalty conversions). Single goals were added by Eduardo Astrada and Alejandro Astrada.
VALIENTE 11, AUDI 9
In a hotly contested, physical match, Valiente (Bob Jornayvaz, Santi Torres, Sapo Caset and Adolfo Cambiaso) survived a scare as they made their way past a difficult Audi team (Marc Ganzi, Gonzalito Pieres, Rodrigo Andrade and Gonzalo Del Tour), 11-9.
Valiente (Bob Jornayvaz, Santi Torres, Sapo Caset and Adolfo Cambiaso) rocked Audi, 3-0, in the opening chukker on single goals from Santi Torres, Sapo Caset and Adolfo Cambiaso. Audi was unable to get out of Park, and was blanked in the opening seven minutes of the game.
Second chukker action saw Caset convert a 40-yard penalty shot, 4-0, with Gonzalito Pieres responding with a penalty goal of his own, 4-1. Caset scored the next two goals (the second coming on a 60-yard, near-side neck shot) for a 6-1 Valiente lead.
Caset’s fifth goal of the game had Valiente in front, 7-1, when Audi raced back into the fray. Pieres converted three consecutive penalty shots for goals, ending the chukker just three goals behind Valiente, 7-4.
The pace continued at break-neck speed but goals were hard to come by in the opening period of the second half. Gonzalo Del Tour accounted for the only goal of the chukker, cutting the Valiente lead to two goals, 7-5.
Caset converted a pair of penalty shots for goals to open the fifth, 9-5, but Audi rolled back into the picture. Single goals from Del Tour and Pieres (penalty goal) ended the chukker with Valiente on top by two goals, 9-7.
Fouls got Valiente into trouble as the final chukker got started. Pieres converted penalty shots for goals at 6:15 and again at 5:40 to tie it up at 9-9, as Valiente had to dig stop the erosion of momentum. Cambiaso scored on a pass from Caset from, and a penalty conversion from Caset, 11-9, with under two minutes left in the game ended it for Audi.
Caset scored half of his game high eight goals on penalty shots. Cambiaso scored twice and executed a number of brilliant passes that resulted in goals, and Santi Torres added a goal for the win. Gonzalito Pieres scores all seven of his goals on penalty shots. Del Tour added two goals to the pot in the loss.
ALEGRIA 11, COCA-COLA 8
The 2013 defending championship Alegria (Julian Mannix, Clemente Zavaleta, Polito Pieres and Hilario Ulloa) team took their first step in maintaining their title by defeating Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Sebastian Merlos, Julio Arellano and Facundo Obregon), 11-8 in C. V. Whitney Cup play.
Sebastian Merlos scored the first goal of the game, 1-0, but Alegria replied in spades, with Julian Mannix leading the rally with a goal from the field, 1-1. Ensuing goals from teammates Polito Pieres (penalty conversion) and Hilario Ulloa had Alegria on top, 3-1.
Second chukker goals from Sebastian Merlos and Julio Arellano had it all even at 3-3, with Alegria unable to score.
Facundo Obregon scored, 4-3, to put Coca-Cola in the lead with a goal from the field to open the third chukker. Consecutive goals from Ulloa, Mannix and Pieres ended the first half with Alegria in the lead, 6-4.
Fourth chukker goals from Ulloa and Mannix had Alegria on top, 8-4, before Merlos converted a penalty shot for Coca-Cola, 8-5. Pieres closed out the chukker with a penalty conversion for the 9-5 lead.
The two teams exchanged goals in the fifth, each side putting up a pair. Obregon and Arellano each scored a goal for Coca-Cola while Alegria got single goals from Pieres and Mannix. Alegria maintained its four goal advantage, 11-7.
Merlos accounted for the only goal of the final chukker, with Alegria riding off with the 11-8 victory.
Mannix and Pieres each scored four goals on the day for Alegria. Ulloa added three goals for the win. Merlos set the pace for the Coca-Cola offense with four goals. Arellano and Obregon scored two goals each.
The wins set the stage for Wednesday’s C. V. Whitney semifinals with Orchard Hill playing Crab Orchard at 1pm followed by a 3pm showdown between Valiente and Alegria.
"Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly" 
Rabii Benadada
