Palm Beach Illustrated and Los Machitos/Heathcote qualify for Iglehart Cup semifinals
By Alex Webbe
On the strength of an impressive 14-6 Friday afternoon win over CT Energia (Alessandro Bazzoni, Kris Kampsen, Joao Ganon and Nick Monteverde), Palm Beach Illustrated (Jared Zenni, Guille Aguero, Marianito Obregon and Carlucho Arellano) will jump into the semifinals of the 2014 Iglehart Cup at the International Polo Club.
A reshuffled lineup that had only one of the team’s original players (team captain Jared Zenni) returning from three previous tournaments seemed to have the right team chemistry as they raced out to an early lead, and never trailed.
Palm Beach Illustrated spotted the 19-goal CT Energia team one goal to start but quickly made it up on a penalty conversion from Carlucho Arellano on a short penalty shot for a goal. Brazilian 7-goaler Joao Ganon scored on a 60-yard penalty shot for a 2-1 advantage. Consecutive goals from Marianito Obregon and Guille Aguero closed out the chukker with Palm Beach Illustrated on top, 3-2.
The two teams exchanged goals in a chukker where nothing seemed to go right for either team. Nick Manifold tied it up at 3-3 for CT Energia, but a goal from Carlucho Arellano kept Palm Beach Illustrated ahead, 4-3 after two chukkers of play.
The third period belonged to Palm Beach Illustrated as they scored five unanswered goals for a commanding 9-3 edge at the end of the first half. Aguero and Obregon scored two goals apiece with Arellano adding another goal in the one-sided chukker.
Jared Zenni and Aguero scored single goals in the fourth with CT Energia’s Alessandro Bazzoni scoring for CT Energia. After four chukkers CT Energia trailed by seven goals, 11-4.
CT Energia showed signs of life in the fifth with Ganon converting a pair of penalty goals, but Obregon kept Palm Beach Illustrated comfortably in front, 13-6.
The young and talented Palm Beach Illustrated team coasted through the final seven minutes of the game, adding a goal from Aguero for the 14-6 final while the CT Energia attack looked helplessly on. The final horn sounded giving the game to Palm Beach Illustrated, and boosting them into the Wednesday semifinals against Villa Del Lago (Jim Zenni, Agustin Obregon, Polito Pieres and Inaki Laprida).
LOS MACHITOS/HEATHCOTE 13, CASABLANCA 9
Los Machitos/Heathcote (Steve Lefkowitz, Sterling Giannico, Hilario Ulloa and Matias Magrini) led through much of the game before blowing Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Lucas Lalor, Nic Roldan and Jeff Hall) out of the water with a four goal sixth chukker on their way to the 13-9 win in the second Iglehart Cup game of the day.
Jeff Hall got Casablanca on the scoreboard with a goal from the field in the first 30 seconds of the game for the early 1-0 edge. Matias Magrini responded with a goal from the field must a minute later, and Sterling Giannico scored the final goal of the chukker with just 36 seconds on the clock for the 2-1 lead.
Second period action was all Los Machitos/Heathcote as they ran up three consecutive goals while holding the Casablanca lineup scoreless. Giannico scored the first goal of the chukker at 5:08 before both defenses shut down the respective attacks. Magrini scored Los Machitos/Heathcote’s fourth goal of the day with 1:16 left in the period and Hilario Ulloa scored his first goal of the day in the final 26 seconds of the chukker for a comfortable 5-1 advantage.
Casablanca turned the tables on Los Machitos/Heathcote in the third. Nic Roldan scored his first goal of the game just 31 seconds into the chukker, 5-2, and then added another on a 200-yard run down the field. 5-3. Lucas Lalor closed out the scoring with his first goal, but Los Machitos/Heathcote managed to hold on to the lead, 5-4.
Three fourth chukker goals from Magrini (one on a 60-yard penalty conversion) were countered by a single penalty goal from Roldan. With two chukkers left to play Casablanca trailed b three goals, 8-5.
Hall scored his second goal of the game to open the fifth, cutting the Los Machitos/Heathcote lead to two goals, 8-6. Fouls got Los Machitos/Heathcote as Roldan converted a pair of 30-yard penalty shots to tie it up at 8-8. With 2:16 left in the period, Ulloa drove the ball through the Casablanca goalposts for a 9-8 lead.
Los Machitos/Heathcote turned it up a notch in the sixth chukker and it came back in spades. Two penalty goals from Magrini and single goals from Ulloa and Giannico gave them the game. Casablanca came back with a single goal from Roldan with 37 seconds left in the chukker, but it was Los Machitos/Heathcote who would be celebrating the 13-9 victory.
Magrini led all scoring with seven goals (here n penalty conversions). Ulloa and Giannico scored three goals apiece for the win. Roldan’s six goals (three on penalty shots) led the Casablanca attack. Hall scored twice and Lalor added a goal in the los.
The victory will send Los Machitos/Heathcote into Wednesday’s Iglehart Cup semifinals where they will face Faraway (Hutton Goodman, Martin Pepa, Santiago Chavanne and Mariano Gonzalez).
"Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly" 
Rabii Benadada
