Hawks and Isla Carroll win in Ylvisaker Cup play

Kris Kampsen scored eight times as the Wanderers/Isla Carroll rebounded from a dismal opening half to defeat Bendabout 14-11 in Ylvisaker Cup play Thursday afternoon at the International Polo Club in Wellington.

Trailing by four goals, 7-3, after the second chukker of play, the Wanderers scored 11 goals over the course of the next four chukkers while holding Bendabout to a mere four goals.

Playing with eleventh-hour substitute Marc Ganzi taking the place of a sidelined John Goodman (back), the Wanderers stumbled through the opening chukkers trying to find a rhythm as Bendabout took advantage of every mistake the realigned team made.

Nick Roldan scored four of his seven goals in the first two chukkers with Ulysses Escapite adding two and team captain Gillian Johnston adding a single goal, but that was about where it ended.

“We started out playing well in the first two chukkers,” said Roldan, “but couldn’t get it done in the second half.”

Kampsen converted two penalty shots and scored once from the field in the third while the Wanderers defense held Bendabout to a single Owen Rinehart goal. Bendabout left the field at halftime with an 8-6 lead, but the tides had turned.

Kampsen converted another penalty shot for a goal and Nacho Figueras drove the ball through the Bendabout goal posts in the fourth while holding them to a single Nick Roldan goal. Bendabout continued to lead, but the margin was one goal, 9-9.

We missed John (Goodman) in the lineup today,” said Kampsen, “but we were interchanging positions throughout the game. We’re all capable of playing anywhere on the field, and I think that was a big advantage.”

The Wanderers defense shut out Bendabout in the fifth chukker while Sugar Erskine scored three times. Kampsen added another penalty goal and the Wanderers left the field with a 12-9 lead.

Ganzi scored from the field and Kampsen converted another penalty shot while Bendabout was held to a pair of goals from Roldan in the final 14-11 Wanderers win.

The win improves the Wanderers record to 3-1 and insured them of a spot in Wednesday’s tournament semifinals. Bendabout fell to 1-2.

Kampsen led all scoring with eight goals. Erskine scored three times and Figueras accounted for a pair of goals. Ganzi scored once in the win.

Roldan’s seven goals set the pace for Bendabout. Ulysses Escapite scored twice and Gillian Johnston and Owen Rinehart scored single goals.

HAWKS 11, LUCCHESE 9

In a battle of unbeatens, Fred Mannix, Jr. scored two goals in the final chukker of play to rally the Hawks (3-0) to an 11-9 win over previously undefeated Lucchese (3-1) in Ylvisaker Cup play.

With one game left to play against Lechuza on Sunday, the Hawks look to make their way to Wednesday’s semifinals with a final win.

In a game that began cautiously and ended in a 2-2 tie after the opening chukker of play, the pace accelerated, with the Hawks taking control of the game. With goals from Julian Mannix, Fred Mannix, Jr. and Mariano Aguerre, the Hawks soared to an impressive 8-4 halftime lead and seemed to be the masters of their own destiny.

Lucchese, however, had other ideas.

A resilient defense shut out the hard charging Hawks in the fourth chukker while Lucchese’s Pancho Bensadon scored three times. The Hawks continued to lead, but the score was now 8-7.

“We had a good fourth chukker,” offered Bensadon, “We really got back to playing the way we know how to play.”

Single goals were exchanged in the fifth chukker to keep the score close, and then Luis Escobar’s goal in the final period tied it at 9-9. The pace had ramped up to warp speed as each play was more important than the last. Long passes, attempted cut shots, deft defensive ride-offs and blocked shots all came into play until the whistle sounded.

Fred Mannix, Jr. converted a penalty shot for a 10-9 lead and then scored again just twenty seconds later for the final margin of victory, 11-9.

“That was a rough one,” said Garcia-Velez after the game

“That was a fun one,” offered Fred Mannix, with a big smile on his face.

While the players relaxed in chairs the veteran Aguerre was busy coaching his young charges, first working with Julian Mannix and then Cachi Garcia-Velez as he complimented on their play and then offered words of instruction in an effort to improve their efforts in the next game.

On the strength of their 3-1 record, Lucchese has earned a berth in Wednesday’s semifinals despite the loss, while there will be a final Sunday showdown between the Hawks and Lechuza to decide the final semifinalist.

Ylvisaker Cup play continues on Saturday with a 3:30 pm match between Mt. Brilliant (0-3) and Zacara (3-0).

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TAGS: 2010 IPC, American Polo, Fred Mannix Jr., Gillian Johnston, International Polo Club, John Muse, Julian Mannix, Kris Kampsen, Luis Escobar, Marc Ganzi, Mariano Aguerre, Nacho Figueras, Nick Roldan, Owen Rinehart, Polo, Polo Players, Polo sport, Polo Tournament, Sugar Erskine, Wellington, Wellington Florida, Ylvisaker Cup