EFG Bank (2-0) made it two in a row, scoring a 13-12 win over Mt. Airy/Willow Farm (0-2) in the second round of play in the Intercoastal Challenge 12-goal Pro-Am at International Polo Club Sunday morning.
Tiffany Busch scored the first goal of the day for EFG Bank, but was countered by a goal from Mt. Airy/Willow Farm’s Mike Egan in the only scoring of the period.
Three unanswered goals from Ruben Coscia in the second chukker had EFG ahead 4-1, as Mt. Airy/Willow Farm was held scoreless, unable to mount any effective offense.
“We just weren’t taking control of the throw-ins,” said Mt. Airy/Willow Farm 5-goaler Brandon Phillips. “We dominated play in the field, but gave up too many throw-ins.”
Phillips and Wade scored single goals for Mt. Airy/Willow Farm in the third, but EFG Bank got single goals from Busch, Coscia and Carlucho Arellano to take a 7-3 halftime lead.
Phillips and Wade scored two goals apiece in the fourth, making up some ground, but two more goals from Coscia kept EFG Bank on top of a 9-7 score.
EFG dominated the fifth chukker, getting a pair of goals from both Coscia and Arellano. Phillips answered with a pair of goals from Mt. Airy/Willow Farm, but EFG extended its lead to 13-9
The Mt. Airy/Willow Farm defense finally showed up in the final chukker, turning aside the EFG offense while Phillips scored the final three goals of the match (two on penalty shots, one from the field), but it was EFG Bank that held on for the 13-12 win.
JAN PAMELA/LITTLE OWL 13, VALIENTE/BLANCO 11
In other Intercoastal Challenge Cup action, Jan Pamela/Little Owl (2-0) relied on a balanced attack to defeat a talented Valiente/Blanco (0-2) foursome 13-11.
Valiente/Blanco received one goal by handicap and promptly took a 2-1 lead after the first chukker, with Brad Blake converting a penalty shot for a goal. Steve Dalton scored Jan Pamela/Little Owl’s only goal of the period on a penalty shot.
Santiago Bottarro added a goal for Valiente/Blanco in the second, but goals from Dalton and Joe Wayne Barry had it all even at the end of the chukker, 3-3.
J. P. Uihlein scored a pair for Jan Pamela/Little Owl in the third with Bottarro closing out the period with two goals of his own. At the end of the first half the score stood at 5-5.
The teams exchanged goals in the fourth with Wayne Garrison and Dalton getting on the scoreboard for Jan Pamela/Little Owl while two more goals from Bottarro kept it all even at 7-7 going into the fifth.
Garrison broke the tie with his second goal of the game, and a penalty conversion from Dalton had Jan Pamela/Little Owl up 9-7 before Bottarro scored for the sixth time for Valiente/Blanco. Barry closed out the scoring in the period with a goal from the field, and Jan Pamela/Little Owl rode off the field with a two-goal, 10-8 lead after five chukkers of play.
Valiente/Blanco poured it on in the final chukker picking up three goals as Blake converted a penalty shot and added a goal from the field and Bottarro scored his seventh goal of the match, but Jan Pamela/Little Owl wasn’t sitting around watching the game go by. Two more goals from Dalton and Uihlein’s third goal of the game were all they needed as they stayed undefeated with the 13-11 win.
Intercoastal Challenge Cup play is scheduled to continue on Sunday, January 23 when Jan Pamela/Little Owl (2-0) meets EFG Bank (2-0) in a 10am contest while Mt. Airy/Willow Farm (0-2) faces Valiente/Blanco (0-2) at noon.
Equestrian Idol “All Stars” Musical Cabaret
Annual Polo Ball at Nespresso Grande Pavilion
