Lechuza Caracas vs. Orchard Hill

04/15/2012, 12:00 pm |

Lechuza Caracas - 13, Orchard Hill - 11

Orchard Hill came out with their A-game, and kept it close for much of the game, but a strong finish by Lechuza Caracas gave them a 13-11 win and a berth in Wednesday’s semifinals of the 2012 Nespresso US Open Championship at the International Polo Club in Wellington.

Lechuza Caracas boasted two 10-goal players in their lineup with Sapo Caset and Juan Martin Nero, and ran out to an early 2-0 lead on the strength of a pair of penalty goals from Caset. Orchard Hill responded with two goals from the field from their own 10-goaler, Pablo MacDonough, leaving it all even at 2-2 after the first chukker of play.

Goals from Mariano Gonzalez and Lucas Criado had Orchard Hill on top of a 4-2 score just three minutes into the second period. Nero cut the lead to a single goal with his first score of the afternoon, 4-3. Gonzalez added a penalty goal, extending the lead to two goals, 5-3. Caset and Nero closed out the scoring in the last minute-and-a-half of the chukker with single goals for a 5-5 tie.

Criado scored in the first thirty seconds of the third chukker for a 6-5 Orchard Hill advantage. Caset converted a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal and a 6-6 score. Nero put Lechuza Caracas ahead, 7-6, with his third goal of the day, but goals from Criado and MacDonough had Orchard Hill leading 8-7 at the end of the first three chukkers.

Lechuza Caracas owned the opening chukker of the second half, picking up two goals from Caset; the first coming in the first three minutes of the chukker and the second with just five seconds on the clock. The Lechuza Caracas defense held Orchard Hill scoreless, taking a 9-8 lead into the fifth period.

The two teams exchanged goals in the fifth, with MacDonough and Gonzalez getting on the board for Orchard Hill and Caset adding a pair of goals for Lechuza Caracas. Lechuza Caracas continued to lead, 11-10.

Caset scored the opening goal of the final chukker to give Lechuza Caracas a 12-10 lead, but orchard Hill fought right back. A 60-yard penalty conversion from Gonzalez had Orchard Hill breathing down their neck, 12-11. A final rush at the Orchard Hill resulted in a well-placed and authoritative shot through the goals posts by Lechuza Caracas team captain Victor Vargas for the 13-11 win.

Caset scored nine times in the victory (four times on penalties). Nero added three goals and Vargas accounted for the final goal.

MacDonough and Gonzalez scored four goals each (two of Gonzalez’s goals were on penalty shots). Criado was credited with three goals.