Valiente in C. V. Whitney final; Cambiaso injured, leaves game
By Alex Webbe
Valiente (Bob Jornayvaz, Santi Torres, Sapo Caset and Adolfo Cambiaso) lost 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso just two minutes into the third chukker, but rode on with fellow 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero taking his place in the lineup and registered a 13-11 win over defending champion, Alegria (Julian Mannix, Clemente Zavaleta, Matias Magrini and Hilario Ulloa), and a position in the C. V. Whitney Cup final against Orchard Hill (Steve Van Andel, Santiago Chavanne, Pablo MacDonough and Matias Macdonough).
In a defensive-oriented opening chukker Adolfo Cambiaso scored the only goal of the game for the early 1-0 lead.
Alegria responded in force in the second chukker with Polito Pieres (replacing the injured Mariano Aguerre) scoring twice (once on a penalty shot) and Hilario Ulloa adding the tying goal (Sapo Caset scored twice for Valiente). The second period ended with the score deadlocked at 3-3.
Cambiaso is thought to have been hit in the elbow by the hard plastic ball and was forced to retire from the game just two minutes into the third chukker. Juan Martin Nero took his place and promptly added two goals while Caset converted a 60-yard penalty shot for his third of the day. Alegria team captain, Julian Mannix, scored a single goal from the field for Alegria. At the end of the first half Valiente led, 6-4.
Four more fourth chukker goals by Valiente were answered by a single 40-yard penalty shots five goals, 10-5. Pieres converted the penalty shot for Alegria’s only score of the chukker.
Pieres went on a tear in the fifth period, scoring three consecutive goals. Valiente responded with two penalty conversions. The chukker ended with Valiente’s Caset converting a pair of penalty goals to maintain a 12-8 lead.
Fred Mannix scored the first goal of the period as Pieres charged into the fray on Thursday converting two more penalty goals. Valiente was guarding a 12-11, one goal advantage. Caset scored the final goal of the day for a 13-11 win.
Pieres led all scoring with eight goals for the victory. Mannix added two goals and Ulloa added a goal for the team. Caset led the team with six goals. Nero scored four goals; Torres added two goals in the loss, and Cambiaso scored twice.
AUDI 12, COCA-COLA 9
Earlier in the day, Audi (Marc Ganzi, Gonzalito Pieres, Rodrigo Andrade and Gonzalo Del Tour) trailed Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Sebastian Merlos, Julio Arellano and Facundo Obregon) for just 37 seconds in the first chukker, the only time all game long that they were behind, as they galloped off with 12-9 win in the Les Armour Cup semifinals, the subsidiary of the C. V. Whitney Cup at the International Polo Club Thursday morning.
Goals were scarce in the opening period of play with Coca-Cola’s Gillian Johnston scoring the first goal of the game with just 1:31 left in the opening chukker. Gonzalo Del Toru equalized the score with a goal from the field at the 53 second mark. The first period ended in a 1-1 tie.
Goals by Del Tour and Marc Ganzi gave Audi a 3-1, two goal lead in the opening two minutes of the second chukker. Facundo Obregon converted a 60-yard penalty shot to cut the Audi lead to a single goal, 3-2. Del Tour scored on a penalty shot just a minute later with teammate Rodrigo Andrade closing out the chukker with a goal and a 5-2 Audi lead.
Coca-Cola pressed their attack in the Third with Obregon scoring the first three goals of the chukker. A penalty goal in the opening minute of the chukker was followed by atwo goals from the field as Coca-Cola tied it up at 5-5. Ganzi scored the final goal of the period with just 1:11 on the clock to give his team the narrow 6-5 halftime lead.
Del Tour scored the opening goal of the second half just 19 seconds into the chukker and followed it up at the 4:40 mark with a spectacular individual effort that had him scooping the ball out of his own goal mouth and racing 290 yards down the field for a goal and an 8-5 lead. Julio Arellano scored the final goal of the chukker as Audi left the field with a two goal, 8-6 advantage.
Audi stretched their lead to four goals in the fifth. A pair of goals from Del Tour (one on a penalty shot) and a goal from Ganzi who scored on a 170-yard run were answered by a single goal from Arellano as Coca-Cola fell behind, 11-7.
Obregon scored the first goal of the sixth chukker with 2:39 left in the game, cutting the lead to three goals, 11-8, and Sebastian Merlos brought Coca-Cola to within two goals of the lead, 11-9, with his first goal of the game. Andrade, however, dashed any hopes Coca-Cola had with the final goal of the game with 47 seconds on the clock in the 12-9 Audi victory.
Del Tour led all scoring with seven goals. Ganzi scored three times and Andrade added two goals for the win. Obregon’s five goals set the pace for the Coca-Cola offense with five goals. Arellano was credited with two goals while Johnston and Merlos each scored a goal in a losing effort.
FLIGHT OPTIONS 8, LECHUZA CARACAS 7
Lechuza Caracas (Victor Vargas, Nico Pieres, Juan Martin Nero and Nico Espain) led through the first four chukkers of the game before losing to Flight Options (Eduardo Astrada, Miguel Astrada and Alejandro Astrada) in a low-scoring 8-7 game to qualify for the semifinals of the Les Armour Cup Thursday afternoon.
Goals from Lechuza Caracas team captain victor Vargas and 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero went unanswered as Flight Options fell behind, 2-0.
Miguel Astrada scored the only goal of the second chukker, cutting the Lechuza Caracas lead to a single goal, 2-1.
Third chukker action had the two teams trading goals with Nico Pieres scoring twice for Lechuza Caracas and Miguel Astrada adding a pair of goals for Flight Options. At the end of the first half it was Lechuza Caracas who carried the narrow 4-3 lead.
Single goals in the fourth chukker by Nico Pieres for Lechuza Caracas and Miguel Astrada for Flight Options kept Lechuza Caracas on top of the 5-4 score with two chukkers left in regulation play.
Miguel Astrada added two more goals in the fifth, both coming from the field while the Flight Options defense kept Lechuza Caracas off of the scoreboard. For the first time all day, Flight Options took the lead, 6-5.
Lechuza Caracas rallied in the sixth as Pieres scored twice (once on a penalty shot). Flight Options managed a single goal from Miguel Astrada as regulation time ran out, 7-7, and the two teams prepared for a sudden-death overtime chukker.
It was Alejandro Astrada who scored the winning goal in overtime for the 8-7 win.
Miguel Astrada scored seven of his team’s eight goals. Alejandro “Negro” Astrada scored once, the winning goal. Pieres scored five times while Vargas and Nero added single goals in the loss.
"Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly" 
Rabii Benadada
