ELG blows out Casablanca 13-8; will play Audi in National Twenty Goal finals

By Alex Webbe

Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Sugar Erskine, Mike Azzaro and Hector Galindo) got off

on the right foot in the second semifinals of the 2013 USPA National Twenty Goal

tournament at the Grand Champions Polo Club with Grant Ganzi scoring the opening

goal from the field. ELG’s (Avery Chapman, Guille Aguero, Kris Kampsen and Tommy

Biddle) Kris Kampsen responded with a penalty conversion to tie it up at 1-1. Mike

Azzaro added two more Casablanca goals (one on a penalty shot) while Tommy Biddle

scored a second goal for ELG to keep it close. Casablanca held a 3-2 advantage after

the first chukker of play.

Guille Aguero tied it at 3-3 with a goal in the opening minute of the second period.

Biddle converted a 60-yard penalty shot and added another goal from the field, to give

ELG a two goal lead, 5-3. Ganzi’s second goal of the game cut the lead back to a

single goal, 5-4. Biddle ended the scoring in the second with another 60-yard penalty

conversion to put ELG on top of a 6-4 score.

Two more ELG goals went unanswered in the third with Biddle converting a short

penalty shot while Aguero took advantage of a throw-in in front of the Casablanca goal

to score his second goal of the match for an 8-4 halftime lead.

Aguero and Biddle added single goals in the fourth while miscues and errant shots at

goal kept Casablanca scoreless for the second consecutive chukker. The ELG lead

expanded to six goals, 10-4.

Kampsen and Biddle opened the fifth with goals from the field to give ELG a

commanding eight goal advantage, 12-4. Azzaro responded with a goal from the field

and a 40-yard penalty shot in the closing seconds of the chukker. ELG continued to

lead, 12-6.

Azzaro scored for Casablanca at the 6:30 mark of the final chukker, 12-7, but the rally

stalled. A goal from Aguero gave the six goal lead back to ELG, 13-7. Casablanca

continued to press the attack but ELG was up to it. Erskine scored the final goal of the

contest with 24 seconds on the clock and no one in pursuit of him in a 13-8 ELG victory.

Biddle was credited with seven goals (three on penalty conversions) for ELG. Aguero

scored four times and Kampsen added a pair of goals (one on a penalty shot) in the

win. Azzaro’s five goals led the Casablanca offense (three on penalty shots). Ganzi

scored twice and Erskine added a goal in the loss.

The victory boosts ELG into Saturday’s 3PM USPA National Twenty Goal finals against

a strong Audi lineup (Marc Ganzi, Carlitos Gracida, Nic Roldan and Carlos Gracida).