Valiente II/Tonkawa vs. Lechuza Caracas

03/15/2012, 10:00 am |

Valiente II/Tonkawa - 11, Lechuza Caracas - 10

In a game that looked more like an intense practice than a tournament match, Valiente II (3-0) rode to an 11-10 win over Lechuza Caracas in 2012 USPA Piaget Gold Cup play at the International Polo Club in Wellington, securing it the top seed in its section. In spite of the loss, Lechuza Caracas (2-1) will also be participating in the quarterfinals.

In the Friday morning action, Lechuza Caracas 10-goaler, Sapo Caset, scored the first goal of the game just 90 seconds into the chukker for a 1-0 lead. Two more penalty goals from Caset extended the Lechuza Caracas advantage to 3-0. Juan Martin Nero, Lechuza’s other 10-goaler, scored to make it 4-0 before Valiente II finally responded. With 1:27 on the clock, Cambiaso scored Valiente II’s first goal of the game. Less than a minute later, Cambiaso converted a penalty shot for a goal, ending the chukker with Lechuza ahead, 4-2.

Caset and Cambiaso exchanged penalty goals in the early minutes of the second chukker as Lechuza continued to lead, 5-3. Halfway through the period, Pelon Stirling scored from the field to cut the Lechuza lead to a single goal, 5-4. With time running out, Nero rifled a shot through the Valiente II goalposts from over 100 yards out. The chukker ended with Lechuza leading by two, 6-4.

Valiente II pressed its attack in the third, picking up an early goal from Stirling to cut the lead to a single goal, 6-5. Three minutes later, it was Stirling who tied it up at 6-6 with his second goal of the period. With just :52 left in the chukker, Cambiaso gave Valiente II its first lead of the game on a penalty conversion. The first half ended with Valiente II ahead, 7-6.

Valiente II held Lechuza Caracas scoreless for the second consecutive chukker in the fourth chukker. A goal from the field from Robert Jornayvaz was complimented by a penalty goal from Cambiaso and Valiente II extended its lead to three goals, 9-6.

Lechuza fought back in the fifth chukker, as Nero took the ball from the opening throw-in and drove it down the field for a goal, 9-7. Cambiaso responded with a 60-yard penalty conversion about a minute later, 10-7, and Alejo Taranco’s first goal of the game put Valiente II on top by four goals, 11-7. With a minute left in the period, Caset cut the lead back to three goals to end the chukker trailing Valiente II, 11-8.

With both teams already assured of appearing in the quarterfinals, they both seemed to be conserving their horses in the final period of play. Two goals from Caset were all of the offense that the sixth chukker with Valiente II cruising to an 11-10 victory.

Caset led the field with seven goals (three on penalties). Nero added three goals in a losing effort.
Cambiaso scored five of his team high six goals on penalty shots. Stirling added three goals and teammates Taranco and Jornayvaz scored one goal apiece for the win.