Newport and Elangeni Ranch score wins in USPA Fall Classic

By Alex Webbe

The teams fought to a 5-5 halftime tie before a six goal second half lifted Elangeni Ranch to an 11-8 win over Audi in the opening round of the USPA Fall Classic hosted by Grand Champions Polo Club.

Audi received one goal by handicap and moved out to an early 3-0 lead picking up a penalty goal from Luis Escobar and a goal from the field from Melissa Ganzi while shutting out the Elangeni Ranch attack in the opening chukker.

A reversal of fortune found Elangeni Ranch scoring three consecutive goals while the Audi offense was unable to score.  A goal from Jota Chavanne and a pair of goals from Diego Cossio had the teams all even at 3-3 after the first two chukkers.

Hector Galindo scored consecutive goals in the third for a 5-3 Elangeni Ranch lead, but Audi stormed back.  Goals from Juan Bollini and Ganzi ended the first half with the score deadlocked at 5-5.

Galindo and Bollini exchanged goals in the fourth (6-6) and the score remained tied at 7-7 after the fifth with Chavanne scoring for Elangeni Ranch and Ganzi scoring her third goal of the game for Audi.

Chavanne converted a penalty shot for a goal in the sixth chukker but Bollini answered with a goal for Audi to keep it all even at 8-8.  Two straight goals from Galindo, including a delicately-sliced backhander from the backline and a run through the Audi defense, put Elangeni Ranch up by two, 10-8.  A final goal from Chavanne closed out the scoring in the 11-8 Elangeni Ranch win.

Galindo led all scoring with five goals.  Chavanne scored four times and Cossio added two for the Elangeni Ranch victory.

Ganzi and Bollini scored three goals apiece.  Escobar scored once and Audi received one goal by handicap.

NEWPORT 12, PIAGET 11

A sore shoulder slowed down Piaget 8-goaler Nic Roldan in the first two chukkers of play as Newport tallied consecutive goals from Paul Knapp, Brandon Phillips and Pite Merlos before Sugar Erskine finally got Piaget on the scoreboard with a goal from the field.   After the first seven minutes of play Newport held a 3-1 advantage.

Natalie Baecher opened the second chukker with a goal, but Knapp responded with a pair of goals and Brandon Phillips closed out the chukker with his second goal of the game and a 6-2 lead.

Sidelined by the sore shoulder, Leo Mandelbaum substituted for Roldan as play continued.

Phillips converted a penalty shot for a goal and added another from the field for Newport.  Gene Goldstein scored his first goal of the day as Newport extended its lead to six goals, 9-3.  Piaget picked up a goal from Marc Ganzi.

Erskine broke through the Newport defenders in the fourth to score a pair of foals.  Goldstein added a goal for Newport and the period ended with Newport on top of a comfortable 10-5 score.

Three more Piaget goals in the fifth cut into the Newport lead.  Ganzi scored twice and Mandelbaum added a goal.  A penalty goal from Phillips kept Newport ahead 11-8, but the momentum was shifting.

A penalty goal from Ganzi was followed by two more goals from Baecher to knot it up at 11-11 with time running out.  Merlos took a pass from Phillips for the winning score as time ran out on the Piaget attack.

Phillips led the Newport attack with five goals.  Knapp added three and teammates Goldstein and Merlos scored two goals apiece.

Ganzi led the Piaget offense with four goals.  Erskine and Baecher scored three goals each and Mandelbaum added a goal.

Play is scheduled to continue in the USPA Fall Classic with a consolation match set for 10am, followed by the noon finals.