ORCHARD HILL VS COCA-COLA; POSTAGE STAMP FARM TO PLAY TONKAWA
By Alex Webbe
Orchard Hill won a semifinal spot by downing Horseware earlier in the day where they will face Coca-Cola in a noon contest. Additional wins by Postage Stamp Farm and Tonkawa (on Saturday) will fill out Wednesday’s playoff schedule with the two teams facing one another in a 3pm match. Coca-Cola overcame an 8-5 halftime deficit Sunday afternoon at the International Polo Club to record a 16-11 win over Valiente II (Robert Jornayvaz, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Diego Cavanagh and Joaquin Panelo) and earn a trip to Wednesday’s semifinals.
Orchard Hill 15-10 Horseware
Orchard Hill (Steve Van Andel, Lucas Criado, Facundo Pieres and Nico Escobar) opened the day with a resounding 15-10 win over Horseware (Matt Coppola, Juan Martin Obregon, Mariano Gracida and Tommy Collingwood) after racing out to a commanding 10-3 halftime lead on a match played at Isla Carroll.
Top Scorer Orchard Hill: Facundo Pieres (9).
Top Scorer Horseware: Juan Martín Obregón (8).
Score Orchard Hill: 4-1, 9-2, 10-3, 12-5, 14-6, 15-10.
Postage Stamp Farm 10-9 Villa Del Lago
Postage Stamp Farm (Annabelle Gundlach, Brandon Phillips, Mariano Aguerre and Kris Kampsen) outlasted Villa del Lago (Jim Zenni, Agustin Obregon, Hilario Ulloa and Carlucho Arellano) in a game that produced 28 fouls and had three players replaced due to injuries.
After a 1-1 opening chukker, Postage Stamp Farm took a 4-2 lead on the strength of three penalty conversions from Kris Kampsen in the second chukker but lost team captain Annabelle Gundlach to an injury. Timmy Dutta was brought in to replace her and the game continued. Postage Stamp Farm extended their lead to four goals in a third period that saw Villa Del Lago team captain Jim Zenni leave the game following an injury (bicep). Harrison Azzaro (son of Mike Azzaro) took his place on the field and the game continued.
Fifth chukker goals from the field from Kampsen and Mariano Aguerre had Postage Stamp Farm in front by six goals, 9-3. The bad news came when Ulloa tapped a penalty shot from midfield and then unloaded on it only to hit Kampsen on the cheek (shattering it) and sending him from the field. Gringo Colombres was recruited from the sidelines, and play continued. Villa Del Lago staged a sixth chukker rally that resulted in four goals while a dazed and depleted Postage Stamp Farm team held on for the 10-9 win.
Top Scorer Postage Stamp: Kris Kampsen (6).
Top Scorer Villa del Lago: Hilario Ulloa (8).
Score Postage Stamp: 1-1, 4-2, 7-3, 9-3, 10-5, 10-9.
Coca-Cola 16-11 Valiente II
Coca-Cola took the early lead on goals from Julian de Lusarreta and Wes Finlayson (replacing the injured Del Walton) had them up, 2-0. Robert Jornayvaz kept Valiente II from getting shutout with the final goal of the chukker to trail, 2-1. Gillian Johnston’s first goal of the day opened the second period and extended the Coca-Cola lead to two goals, 3-1. Diego Cavanagh found his rhythm, however, and with a goal from the field and a 30-yard penalty conversion, tied the game at three goals apiece.
Cavanagh and Arellano traded penalty goals in the fourth with Cavanagh converting a pair from the 40-yard marker while Arellano scored on to penalty shots from 60-yards out. Coca-Cola rallied for four fifth period goals with Johnston and de Lusarreta each adding a goal and Arellano converting two more penalty shots. Valiente II received one goal on a Penalty 1 but found themselves trailing, 12-11, with one chukker left in regulation play. Coca-Cola put the game out of reach for Valiente II with Arellano opening the sixth chukker scoring with a goal from the field and a 30-yard penalty conversion, 14-11. Single goals from de Lusarreta and Finlayson went unanswered as the Coca-Cola defense held the Valiente II attack scoreless in the final seven minutes of the game. When the final horn sounded, it was Coca-Cola with the 16-11 victory.
Top Scorer Coca-Cola: Julio Arellano (7).
Top Scorer Valiente II: Diego Cavanagh (7).
Score Coca-Cola: 2-1, 3-3, 5-8, 8-10, 12-11, 16-11.
The 2017 Ylvisaker Cup will continue as follows:
Tuesday 14:
3pm, George Haas Cup: Grand Champions/Casablanca vs. Goose Creek
Wednesday 15:
10am, Glenn Hart Cup: Travieso vs. Equine Liquid Biocell
Ylvisaker Cup Semifinals
12pm: Orchard Hill vs. Coca-Cola
3pm:Postage Stamp Farm vs. Tonkawa
Sunday 19:
10am: Glenn Hart Cup Final
12pm: George Haas Cup Final
3pm: Ylvisaker Cup Final.