Lucchese and Lechuza Caracas pick up
Ylvisaker Cup wins

By Alex Webbe

John Muse’s Lucchese team took the field Friday afternoon to face Audi in the opening
round of play in the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup at Wellington’s International Polo Club, and
walked away a 10-9 winner in a hard-fought match.

Lucchese took early control of the game as Sebastian Merlos scored a pair of first
chukker goals while Audi was unable to mount an effective opening period attack. Audi
trailed 2-0 after the first seven minutes of play.

Both teams were miserly in their defensive efforts with Lucchese’s Kris Kampsen being
allowed the only goal from the field in the second period. A foul committed by Audi n
the goal mouth had the officials award a goal to the Lucchese team for a 4-0 lead.

Audi finally got on track in the third with Nic Roldan scoring in the opening twenty
seconds of play. Four minutes later Roldan converted a penalty shot for a goal and
Audi cut the Lucchese lead to two goals, 4-2. Merlos scored his third goal of the game
in the final minute of the chukker and Audi found themselves on the losing side of a 5-2
halftime score.

The second half opened with both teams showing aggressive offenses that resulted in
goals. Kampsen was credited with two goals from the field and a penalty conversion
and teammate Andres Weisz scored on a goal from the field as well. Audi got two
goals from Nico Pieres and one from Roldan. The fourth period ended with Lucchese
extending its lead to four goals, 9-5.

Audi continued to press the attack and Lucchese, for the most part, did its job
defending. Roldan converted a pair of penalty shots for goals while Merlos managed
a single goal on a penalty shot for Lucchese. At the end of five, Lucchese held a 10-7
advantage.

Audi pulled out all the stops in the final chukker of the match. In the opening minute, a
Lucchese penalty sent Roldan to the foul line where he converted the shot for a goal.
Less than three minutes later Roldan scored from the field to cut the Lucchese lead to a
single goal, 10-9. Audi continued to press the Lucchese defenders and they continued
to come up strong. Kampsen’s efforts at defending the talented Roldan may well have
been the difference in the match as time and again he frustrated the Audi 8-goaler,
limiting him to only three goals from the field on the day. The final horn sounded and

Lucchese rode off with the 10-9 win.

Kampsen and Merlos scored four goals apiece for Lucchese; Weisz added a goal and
the team received one goal on a Penalty 1. Roldan set the pace for Audi with seven
goals on the day, four on penalty shots. Pieres added two goals in a losing effort.

LECHUZA CARACAS 8, FARAWAY POLO 6

The 8-6 winning score for Lechuza Caracas in its win over Faraway Polo belied the
intensity of the match or the number of horse races from one end of the field to the other
in an effort to score, but it was Lechuza Caracas, to be sure, that rode off with the win.

Despite a revamped lineup that included Argentine 8-goaler Polito Pieres and 5-goaler
Carlos Avendano, goals were hard to come by in the opening chukkers. In the first
two periods, Faraway Polo was held scoreless and Lechuza Caracas managed just
two goals as shots at goal went wide and attacks were defused at the last minute by
disciplined defenses.

Victor Vargas scored the opening goal and the only goal of the opening chukker. Polito
Pieres accounted for the only goal in the second as Lechuza Caracas built up a humble
2-0 lead.

The two teams erupted for six gals n the third chukker, with Pieres converting three
penalty shots for goals and Faraway Polo’s Santiago Chavanne responding with one
penalty goal and two goals from the field. The first half ended with Lechuza Caracas on
top, 5-3.

Although the intensity increased, for the balance of the game the teams were held to
single goals in each of the three remaining chukkers.

Pieres and Chavanne (penalty goals) exchanged goals in the fourth with Chavanne
converting a penalty shot for a goal while Vargas scored a goal from the field.

Vargas scored his third goal of the game in the final chukker. Pelon Escapite scored
the final goal of the game, cutting the Lechuza Caracas lead back to two goals, but time
expired before Faraway Polo could get another run at the Lechuza Caracas goal, falling
8-6.

Pieres registered five goals for Lechuza Caracas, two from the field and three on
penalty shots. Vargas added three goals in the win. Chavanne led the Faraway Polo
attack with five goals, four on penalty conversions. Escapite added a goal in a losing
effort.

Ylvisaker Cup action will continue on Saturday, February 2 with a 1pm match featuring
ERG and Villa Del Lago followed by a 3pm contest between Valiente and Orchard Hill.