Piaget vs. Audi

02/03/2012, 10:00 am |

Audi - 10, Piaget - 9

Although a milestone in the career of any young polo player, the debut of 13-year-old Grant Ganzi on the Piaget team couldn’t slow down the Audi attack as Marc Ganzi (Grant’s father) led his team to a 10-9 win in sudden-death overtime over wife Melissa’s Piaget foursome.

“Marc and I play against one another all of the time,” said Melissa. “We thought this would be a good opportunity for Grant to get some experience at the high-goal level,” she added.

Audi opened play with a pair of goals from Nic Roldan (one from the field and one on a penalty conversion), with Jason Crowder scoring a chukker ending goal to get Piaget on the scoreboard.

Piaget turned it on in the second period, adding two more goals from Crowder while holding Audi to a single goal from Rodrigo Andrade. After two chukkers of play it was all even at 3-3.

Crowder’s fourth goal of the game had Piaget ahead 4-3 when Audi responded. A goal from Roldan and three consecutive goals from Andrade, the last being batted out of mid-air for the score, stopped Piaget in their tracks as Audi rode off of the field on top of a 7-4 score.

Argentine 9-goaler Miguel Astrada scored his first goal of the day in the fourth, but Roldan quickly answered back, taking control of the ensuing throw-in and carrying it down the field for a score. Audi maintained a three goal lead after four chukkers, 8-5.

Astrada flexed his polo muscles in the fifth, first by converting a 60-yard penalty shot for a goal and then by picking up the ball of his own goal line and dashing nearly 300 yards for a goal. Audi was held scoreless for the first time all day but continued to lead, 8-7.

After two near goals earlier in the game, Grant Ganzi finally got on the scoreboard with a tying shot in the sixth, 8-8. Marc Ganzi responded with an Audi goal, but with seconds on the clock, Astrada nailed a shot through the Audi goal posts for a 9-9 tie and sudden-death overtime.

Both Audi (1-0) and Piaget (0-1) had early opportunities to control the ball, but it was Andrade who scored the game winner for the 10-9 win.

Astrada and Crowder scored four goals apiece for Piaget. Grant Ganzi added a goal in a losing effort.

Andrade registered five goals for Audi. Roldan contributed four for the win and Marc Ganzi accounted for a goal.