Coca-Cola vs. Audi

03/29/2012, 2:00 pm | Isla Carroll West

Audi - 15, Coca-Cola - 11

Audi and Lechuza kicked off the opening round of play in the 2012 Nespresso US Open Championship with wins over Coca-Cola and La Ensenada, respectively Thursday afternoon at the International Polo Club in Wellington.

Argentine 10-goaler, Gonzalito Pieres, scored twelve times in leading Audi to a resounding 15-11 win over a struggling Coca-Cola team in first round play of the season’s most prestigious tournament.
Gonzalito Pieres scored the first goal of the game just over halfway through the first chukker, but Coca-Cola went ahead, 2-1, on single goals from team captain Gillian Johnston and American 9-goaler Julio Arellano (penalty goal).

Trailing by a goal in the second chukker, Audi quickly turned things around with Gonzalito Pieres scoring four unanswered goals (two on penalty shots). Luis Escobar kept Coca-Cola from being shut out, scoring the final goal of the chukker with 24 seconds on the clock. The momentum and lead had changed hands, and Audi commanded a 5-3 lead.

Two more goals from Gonzalito Pieres in the third and a goal from his brother, Nico Pieres, gave Audi an 8-5 halftime lead. Arellano scored both goals for Coca-Cola in the chukker on penalty shots, the last one coming in the last 45 seconds of the period.

The fourth chukker was no more charitable for Coca-Cola than had been the previous two periods. Johnston scored her second goal of the game to bring Coca-Cola to within two goals of the lead when Gonzalito Pieres took over once again. A pair of penalty goals and a goal from the field from Gonzalito Pieres were complimented by a goal from brother Nico Pieres. At the end of the fourth chukker Audi was driving off with a 12-6 advantage.

Coca-Cola finally seemed to get into rhythm in the fifth as they ran up three straight scores before allowing Jeff Hall to slip the ball through the goalposts with less than 30 seconds to play in the chukker. Hilario Ulloa scored his first goal of the day followed by successful scoring efforts by Johnston and Arellano. The Audi lead had been cut to four goals, 13-9 with one chukker remaining to be played.

Two more goals from Gonzalito Pieres (one from the field and one by penalty) in the final chukker were answered by single goals from Johnston and Arellano (penalty conversion) as Audi recorded the 15-11 victory.

At the end of the day, Gonzalito Pieres lit it up with 12 goals (six on penalty shots). Nico Pieres was credited with two goals and Hall scored once in the win.

Arellano led the Coca-Cola attack with five goals (four on penalty shots). Johnston scored three times; Escobar twice and Ulloa added a goal.