WELLINGTON, FL – January 23, 2013 – For the second consecutive game, Audi came from behind in the second half to defeat unbeaten Villa del Lago, 9-7, Wednesday in the semifinals of the Joe Barry Memorial Cup Tournament.
Audi, riding a three-game win streak after losing its tournament opener, will meet Crab Orchard, 12-11 winners over unbeaten Zacara in the other semifinal, on Sunday in the championship at International Polo Club Palm Beach.
Grand Champions Polo Club-based Audi (3-1), which had been allowing 10.6 goals per game, shut out Villa del Lago (3-1) in the third, fifth and sixth chukkers and held them to seven goals.
Audi’s Nic Roldan, a Cardinal Newman alum, led his team in scoring with five goals.
“We are super happy,” Roldan said. “We are a last-half team. The last three chukkers we always pull through. There’s nothing wrong with that, but we would like to be able to play six solid chukkers but, whatever, we’ll take it.”
Player-sponsor Marc Ganzi, turning in his finest performance of the season, added three goals including an insurance goal in the final chukker and Carlitos Gracida scored one goal.
“We are a second-half team, that’s for sure,” Ganzi said with a smile.
Villa del Lago’s Polito Pieres scored six goals, but only one in the second half.
Audi, the 2009 U.S. Open, used a balanced attack to frustrate Pieres and his teammates in the second half to advance to the final of a tournament that has eluded both Ganzi and Roldan in past years.
“This is awesome; for Nic Roldan and myself this feels good, really good,” Ganzi said. “This was a nice team win today. Carlitos played amazing. He made all the details happen. Nic did a great job distributing the ball. Nico was helping on defense. Just a great team effort, a really good team win.”
After Pieres’ hot hand in the first two chukkers gave Villa del Lago a 5-4 lead at the half, Audi’s defense shut down Villa del Lago in the second half.
“The game plan was for me to basically play sort of a sweeper in the back,” Ganzi said. “Nic and Nico wanted me to wait in the back and be patient and when the ball would come then make the play. We kept the game plan simple and hit backhanders. They never got through us. It worked really well. If one did get through I was there waiting, being patient and telling myself, don’t foul, don’t foul.”
The frustration was evident as Villa del Lago missed nine shots on goal.
“They just kept getting more and more frustrated,” Ganzi said. “We were awesome on the counter attack, too.”
There were a few anxious moments early in the sixth chukker when Villa del Lago’s Magoo Laprida was trying to steal the ball when he was sandwiched between two horses and tumbled to the field hitting the back of his head. After a quick check by trainers, Laprida returned to the game.
After a season-opening loss to Orchard Hill, Roldan and his Audi teammates are jelling as a team. Audi lost to Orchard Hill, 12-7, in its opener and then defeated defending champion Coca-Cola, 17-11, and previously undefeated La Herradura, 10-9.
“We are progressively getting better game-by-game and the horses feel great,” Roldan said. “As a team, everyone is doing their part. Marc is playing amazing. Carlitos stepped it up really big today and Nico is solid in the back. We are all getting to know each other and it’s fun.”
Said Nico Pieres: “This was good. We played much better in the second half than the first half. In the final we have to play all the chukkers really good. We need to focus on the start like the second half but we are improving.”
Three-time U.S. Open champion Crab Orchard returns to IPC after a year’s absence and is led by former 10-goalers Mariano Aguerre and Matias Magrini. Aguerre, recently raised to 10 goals in Argentina, is Nico Pieres’ brother-in-law.
In the second semifinal, Zacara, down 11-7 headed into the final chukker, staged a furious comeback with three goals from Facundo Pieres and one from player-sponsor Lyndon Lea. Crab Orchard’s Matias Magrini and Aguerre each had six goals with Magrini scoring the team’s final goal on a penalty shot for a 12-9 lead. Pieres scored two more goals, the last one with 25 seconds left as Crab Orchard held on for the win.
2013 SCHEDULES
AUDI/PIAGET GAMES
January 27, Sunday: Championship final, Audi vs. Crab Orchard, 3 p.m.
AUDI/PIAGET TOURNAMENT LINEUP
Jan. 8-27, Joe Barry Memorial Cup
Jan. 29 – Feb. 24, Ylvisaker Cup
Feb. 20 – March 3, Iglehart Cup
Feb. 20 – March 3, CV Whitney Cup
March 5 – March 24, USPA Piaget Gold Cup
March 26 – April 21, 109th Maserati U.S. Open Polo Championship
GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB
WHERE: On the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, Wellington.
INFORMATION: There are great field side views for tournament action. Everyone is welcome to watch polo during the spring and fall tournament season and other special events including the Buzz Welker Memorial Junior Tournament, Women’s Championship Tournament and Gay Polo League Tournament.
Sharon Robb for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
MEDIA CONTACT:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com