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Valiente and Lechuza Score Wins in Open Play

The prospect of brother playing brother in serious high goal polo isn’t rare, but the chance of five brothers taking the field at the same time is. Thursday morning. In a preliminary match of the 2010 US Open Championship, Camilo Bautista’s Las Monjitas team faced Bob Jornayvaz’s Valiente foursome with the five Astrada brothers taking the field.

Bautista had recruited an “All-Astrada” team with Eduardo, Javier and Alejandro Novillo Astrada. Jornayvaz selected Miguel and Nacho Astrada to join with Magoo Laprida on his Colorado-based team.

Not quite a “Civil War”, but close enough for polo aficionados.

It just so happened that on Thursday afternoon, however, the two Astrada brothers wearing the white jerseys of the Valiente team (Miguel and Nacho) scored more goals than Eduardo, Javier and Alejandro scored for Camilo Bautista’s Las Monjitas foursome, winning their second consecutive game without a loss. Las Monjitas evened its record at 1-1.

Valiente took an early 2-1 lead after a pair of penalty conversions by Nacho Astrada while Las Monjitas got on the board in the first chukker on a goal from the field from Alejandro Astrada.

Nacho Astrada added two more goals in the second chukker while Valiente got another goal from Miguel Astrada. Alejandro Astrada converted a penalty shot for another goal, but Las Monjitas trailed by a three goal margin that they would never overcome.

Valiente was up 8-5 at the end of the first half and led 10-6 after the fourth as Las Monjitas (1-1) struggled to get its offense on track.

Magoo Laprida added his second goal of the game in the fifth followed by goals from Nacho Astrada and Miguel Astrada as Valiente stretched its lead to seven goals, 13-6.

Coasting through the last seven minutes of play, Valiente (2-0) gave up two goals, and left the field with a well-earned 13-8 win.

Nacho Astrada led all scoring with eight goals on the day. Miguel Astrada scored three times and Laprida added two goals in the win.

Alejandro Astrada scored five times for Las Monjitas. Javier Astrada added two goals and 10-goaler Eduardo Astrada scored once.

LECHUZA CARACAS 11, BENDABOUT/WANDERERS 6

In afternoon US Open play Lechuza Caracas rebounded from an opening round loss to score a resounding 11-6 win over a confused Bendabout/Wanderers lineup.

Bendabout held in the game early, trailing 3-2 after the first chukker and 5-4 after the second, but Lechuza put up three unanswered goals in the third period and stretched its lead to four goals, 8-4, to end the first half.

Goals from team captain Victor Vargas and 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero in the fourth were complimented by shut-out defense and Lechuza took a six goal lead, 10-4.

Bendabout continued to try and organize some sort of attack in the fifth, getting a penalty goal from Mike Azzaro and a goal from the field from Jeff Hall, but that was where it ended for them.

Santiago Toccalino scored the only goal of the sixth and final chukker as Lechuza took the game, 11-6.

Sapo Caset led the scoring for a balanced Lechuza attack with five goals. Nero added three goals and Vargas scored twice. Toccalino accounted for a single goal in the win.

Azzaro and Hall scored a pair of goals apiece for Bendabout/Wanderers. Sugar Erskine and team captain Gillian Johnston accounted for single goals.

Us Open play continues on Saturday when Piaget(0-3) and Pony Express (0-3) square off at 1 pm followed by a pivotal match between Crab Orchard (2-1) and Orchard Hill (2-1), with the winner advancing to the semifinals.