Audi and Alegria go to 2-0 in Piaget Gold Cup play
By Alex Webbe
Audi (Marc Ganzi, Gonzalito Pieres, Rodrigo Andrade and Gonzalo Del Tour) Opened the morning play in the 2014 USPA Piaget Gold Cup at the International Polo Club by winning a 10-9 squeaker over Flight Options (Melissa Ganzi, Eduardo Astrada, Miguel Astrada and Alejandro Astrada) in what to all who attended was a “family affair”.
With Audi’s Marc Ganzi riding-off wife Melissa Ganzi as the two teams battled for control of the ball, Flight Options was fighting to even their 0-1 record while the Audi team, 1-0, was hoping to score their second consecutive win against no losses.
Audi 10-goaler Gonzalito Pieres scored the first goal of the game just over a minute into the opening chukker on a penalty conversion, 1-0, but Flight Options fought back with Miguel Astrada scoring the first goal of the game from the field at 4:21 and following it up with a 60-yard penalty conversion with just 1:57 left in the chukker for a 2-1 lead.
Second period play had Pieres scoring his second goal of the game in the opening minute, 2-2. Eduardo Astrada kept flight Options on top, 3-2, just two minutes later, on a goal from the field. The two teams rode out the balance of the chukker in a scoreless duel. Flight Options maintained their one goal lead.
Brazilian 8-goaler Rodrigo Andrade scored his first goal of the game at the 6:11 mark of the third chukker to tie it up at 3-3. Teammate Pieres gave Audi the halftime lead with a goal from the field with 1:08 left in the period. At the end of the first half of play Audi rode off the field with the 4-3 edge.
After nearly three minutes of play in the fourth, Miguel Astrada tied it up at 4-4. A minute later he connected on a 60-yard penalty shot to put Flight Options back in the lead, 5-4. Eduardo Astrada’s second goal of the contest extended the Flight Options lead to two goals, 6-4 with less than three minutes in the chukker. Andrade cut the lead to a single goal with a well-executed neck shot with just 17 seconds on the clock. With two chukkers left in regulation time, Flight Options once again held a fragile one goal lead, 6-5.
Eduardo Astrada widened the Flight Options lead with his third goal of the game in the opening 24 seconds of the fifth, 7-5. Gonzalo Del Tour cut the lead back to a single goal just over a minute later with his first goal of the day, 7-6. Pieres tied it up with a penalty shot at the 3:02 mark and gave Audi the lead, 8-7, with a second penalty goal at 1:37 for the final goal of the chukker.
Alejandro Astrada scored consecutive goals in the opening two-and-a-half minutes of the sixth chukker as Flight Options leap-frogged Audi back into the lead, 9-8, but penalties would prove to be their undoing. Pieres converted a penalty shot at the 2:23 mark to tie it up at 9-9, and then score the winning goal on another 30-yard penalty shot with just 16 seconds left ion the clock, for the 10-9 win.
Pieres led all scoring with seven goals five on penalty shots). Andrade scored twice and Del Tour added a goal for the victory. Miguel Astrada scored four goals (two on penalty shots) for Flight Options. Eduardo Astrada added three goals and Alejandro Astrada was credited with two goals in the loss.
The win keeps Audi undefeated at 2-0 while flight Options taxied off the field with an 0-2 record.
ALEGRIA 11, ORCHARD HILL 10
Mariano Aguerre’s return to the Alegria lineup (Julian Mannix, Clemente Zavaleta, Mariano Aguerre and Hilario Ulloa) was met with success as the former 10-goaler took the leadership role on the field as the team took an early lead that they carried throughout the game in an 11-10 win over Orchard Hill (Steve Van Andel, Santiago Chavanne, Pablo MacDonough and Matias MacDonough).
Hilario Ulloa scored the first goal of the game just 19 seconds into play, and added another goal at the 5:51 mark for the early 2-0 lead. A pair of penalty conversions from Clemente Zavaleta was countered by a 60-yard penalty shot from Matias MacDonough. At the end of the first chukker Alegria held a commanding 4-1 advantage over Orchard Hill.
Alegria team captain Julian Mannix scored twice from the field to open the second period, 6-1, when Orchard Hill’s offense seemed to find itself. Matias MacDonough converted a 40-yard penalty shot and 10-goaler Pablo MacDonough closed out the chukker with a goal from the field at the 29 second mark. Alegria continue to lead by three goals, 6-3.
The two teams traded goals in the third. The MacDonough brothers each scored a goal for Orchard Hill with Mariano Aguerre and Zavaleta countering with single goals for Alegria. At the end of the first half Alegria continued to hold a three goal advantage over Orchard Hill, 8-5.
The Orchard Hill defense showed up in the fourth chukker. A shutout defensive performance combined with goals from Pablo MacDonough and Matias MacDonough (penalty goal) cut the Alegria lead down to a single goal, 8-7.
The defensive postures continued through the fifth. Ulloa scored just 30 seconds into the chukker, 9-7, but Orchard Hill fought back. An Alegria foul resulted in an Orchard Hill 40-yard penalty goal from Matias MacDonough. The chukker ended with Alegria holding on to the 9-8 lead.
Goals from Zavaleta and Aguerre tot the sixth chukker underway with Alegria boasting a three goals lead, 11-8 with just 3:48 left to play. Matias MacDonough converted a penalty shot with 2:36 left to play, cutting the lead to two goals, 11-9. A goal from the field from Matias Macdonough brought Orchard Hill to within a goal of the lead, 11-10, but that would be where it would end. Alegria would ride off the field with the victory and a 2-0 record. Orchard Hill was saddled with its second consecutive loss, 0-2.
A balanced Alegria attack had Zavaleta leading the team with four goals (three on penalty shots). Ulloa scored three times and Aguerre and Mannix added two goals apiece. Matias Macdonough led the field with seven goals on the day (six on penalty conversions). Pablo MacDonough added three goals in a losing effort.
"Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly" 
Rabii Benadada
