Thursday kicked off the second 20-goal tournament of the year at the International Polo Club as Valiente II/Tonkawa downed Valiente I, 13-11; Lucchese manhandled Orchard Hill 15-6; and Audi ran over Alegria 15-8.
By Alex Webbe
In Thursday’s opening match, Bob Jornayvaz’s Valiente II/Tonkawa foursome snuck past a determined Valiente I team 13-11 in a game that was in doubt until the final minute of play.
All three first chukker goals came on penalty shots as Valiente I and Valiente II/Tankawa battled for control of the game. Julio Gracida scored on two penalty shots for Valiente II/Tonkawa while Jeff Hall made good on a penalty shot for Valiente I. After the first seven minutes of the game Valiente II/Tonkawa held a narrow 2-1 advantage.
Nacho Astrada extended the Valiente II/Tonkawa lead to two goals with his first goal of the game, but Santiago Bottaro responded with a goal from the field for Valiente I. Toto Collardin rang up another goal from the field for Valiente II/Tonkawa, with Jeff Hall closing out the chukker with his second goal on the day. Valiente II/Tonkawa held its narrow one goal lead, 4-3.
Hall tied it up in the opening seconds of the third, but goals from Bob Jornayvaz and Gracida (penalty conversion) gave them a two goal advantage again, 6-4. Gracida added another goal with Santiago Toccalino closing out the scoring for a 7-5 Valiente II/Tonkawa halftime lead.
Gracida added two more goals in the fourth and teammate Collardin scored again for a 10-5 advantage before Valiente I organized its attack again. Goals from Robert Jornayvaz and Bottaro ended the chukker with Valiente I trailing, 10-7.
Valiente I charged onto the field in the fifth, scoring four consecutive goals while holding Valiente II/Tonkawa scoreless. A pair of goals from Hall and single goals from Toccalino and Bottaro gave Valiente I the lead, 11-10.
From the opening throw-in of the final chukker, Collardin took the ball down the field for the tying goal. Gracida added another goal just minutes later and Astrada drove in the final goal with just over a minute left to play. With no productive offense in the waning minute of play, Valiente I fell to Valiente II/Tonkawa, 13-11.
Gracida led all scoring with seven goals. Collardin added three goals and Astrada was credited with a pair of scores. Team captain Bob Jornayvaz scored once in the third in the Valiente II/Tonkawa win.
Hall scored five times for Valiente I. Bottaro added three goals; Toccalino was credited with two goals and Robert Jornayvaz scored once.
LUCCHESE 15, ORCHARD HILL 6
Fresh off a win in the finals of the Argentine Open Championship, 9-goaler David “Pelon” Stirling scored ten goals in leading John Muse’s Lucchese team to a resounding 15-6 win over Orchard Hill.
“We had a couple of practices earlier in the week,” offered Muse, “but we really didn’t play that well. We really got it together today,” he added.
Lucchese received one goal by handicap from the 20-goal Orchard Hill team and wasted little time in adding a pair of goals to it with Stirling scoring one goal from the field and one goal on a penalty conversion. Lucas Criado got Orchard Hill on the scoreboard before the final bell sounded and Lucchese left the field with a 3-1 lead.
Stirling added four more goals in the second while holding Orchard Hill to a single Criado penalty goal. After two periods of play Orchard Hill trailed Lucchese 7-2.
“The horses went well, the team went well,” smiled Stirling, “it was a very good day for us.”
Stirling would go on to add three more goals in the third chukker with teammate Santiago Torres adding his first goal of the game. Kris Kampsen would convert a 40-yard penalty shot for Orchard Hill’s only offense of the chukker as Lucchese left the field at the end of the first half with a commanding 11-3 advantage.
Conditions didn’t improve for Orchard Hill in the second half of the game. Goals from Andres Weisz and Torres were answered by a single goal from Criado as Lucchese continued to pummel their opponents, 13-4.
Weisz scored from the field in the fifth for Lucchese while Orchard Hill settled for a single penalty goal from Kampsen. There was no relief for the Orchard Hill four in the 14-5 contest with one period left to play.
Criado scored the opening goal of the final chukker, but that would be the end of it for them. A final penalty conversion from Stirling ended the game in a 15-6 thrashing by Lucchese.
Stirling scored ten times for Lucchese. Weisz and Torres each added two goals in the win and the team received one goal by handicap.
“I can’t remember the last time I missed so many goals,” said Weisz after the match. It’s frustrating,” he smiled as he shook his head.
A solid dependable player, Weisz was responsible for a number of assists and brilliant defensive plays throughout the match. He kept constant pressure on the Orchard Hill defense and set up his teammates time and time again.
Criado registered four goals from Orchard Hill. Kampsen scored twice.
AUDI 15, ALEGRIA 8
Audi scored the final win of the day in a 15-8 pummeling of Alegria highlighted by a nine goal exhibition by Nic Roldan.
Roldan converted two penalty shots and scored from the field in the opening chukker for a 3-0 start.
Roldan converted another 40-yard penalty shot in the second frame before Alegria responded with three consecutive goals. Two well-placed shots from Julian Mannix and a penalty conversion from Mariano Aguerre cut the Audi lead to a single goal, 4-3, but Brazilian 8-goaler Rodrigo Andrade notched his first goal of the game to end the period with Audi on top of a 5-3 score.
Consecutive goals from Marc Ganzi, Lucas Lalor and Roldan had Audi up 8-3 before any offense stirred for Alegria. Naco Taverna finally answered for Alegria with a goal, but Audi continued to lead, 8-4.
Roldan added two more goals in the fourth, with Andrade registering his second of the day. Aguerre converted a penalty shot for a goal for Alegria as they fell behind, 11-5.
A goal from the field and a penalty conversion from Roldan had Audi riding off with a 13-5 score in the fifth before a pair of goals from Aguerre cut into the growing lead. With one chukker left to play, Audi held on to a six goal, 13-7 advantage.
Aguerre added one more penalty conversion in the sixth while Andrade scored twice from the field for the final 15-8 score in the Audi victory.
Roldan set the pace for the Audi team with nine goals. Andrade accounted for four goals and Ganzi and Lalor each tallied a single goal.
Aguerre scored five times for Alegria. Mannix added two goals and Taverna accounted for a goal.
World Dressage Masters CDI 5* Presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach
