C. V. Whitney opens the 26-Goal
Season at IPC with four games

By Alex Webbe

After a see-saw battle through the opening half of play, Valiente I drove on to score a 9-
6 win over Lechuza Caracas, last year’s defending C. V. Whitney Cup champion at the
International Polo Club in Wellington, kicking off the 26-goal season.

Miguel Astrada got Valiente I on the scoreboard early on a goal from the field, with
Lechuza Caracas tying it up at 1-1 about halfway through the opening chukker of play.

Second chukker action provided more defense than offense with Polito Pieres scoring
for Valiente I on a 200 yard run down the field. Obregon kept it even at 2-2 with his
second penalty goal of the contest as Lechuza Caracas seemed unable of penetrating
the Valiente I defense.

A pair of goals from Miguel Astrada were countered by a single score from Lechuza
Caracas 10-goaler Sapo Caset as the first half ended with Valiente I guarding a narrow
4-3 advantage.

Confidence grew in the veteran Valiente I team as they took the field in the second half
as they picked up goals from team captain Bob Jornayvaz and Pieres. A determined
Valiente I defense kept Lechuza Caracas from scoring as they extended their lead to
three goals, 6-3.

Penalties were costly to Lechuza Caracas in the fifth period with Pieres and Miguel
Astrada each converting a penalty shot for a goal. Lechuza Caracas team captain
Victor Vargas scored the only goal of the chukker for his team as they trailed 8-4 with
one chukker left to play.

Goals from 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero and Obregon cut into the Valiente I lead, 8-6,
but the Lechuza Caracas rally would be cut short. Pieres scored the final goal of the
game in the 9-6 Valiente I win.

Pieres and Miguel Astrada scored four goals apiece in the victory, with Pieres being
named MVP. Jornayvaz added a single goal and Miguel Astrada’s horse, Wembley,
was honored as Best Playing Pony.

Obregon scored three goals to lead the Lechuza Caracas offense. Nero, Caset and
Vargas added single goals in the loss.

ORCHARD HILL 12, ALEGRIA 10

Alegria charged out to a 6-3 halftime lead earlier in the day in C. V. Whitney Cup play,
but it would be Orchard Hill’s second half rally that would carry the day in a 12-10 win in
the single elimination tournament.

Julian Mannix got Alegria on the scoreboard first with a goal from the field while Orchard
Hill struggled to find its offense. The first chukker ended in a 1-0 Alegria lead.

Orchard Hill was shut out for the second consecutive chukker while Alegria picked up
goals from Mariano Aguerre and Fred Mannix (penalty goal). Two chukkers into the
game, Orchard Hill was trailing, 3-0.

Lucas Criado finally got Orchard Hill in the scoring column, 3-1, in the third period,
followed by an Alegria penalty goal from Tomas Garcia del Rio, 4-1. Ten-goaler Pablo
MacDonough and Mariano Gonzalez each scored a penalty goal for Orchard Hill, 4-3,
but del Rio and Aguerre responded in kind as the first half ended with Alegria riding a 6-
3 lead.

Orchard Hill team captain Steve Van Andel opened the second half with a goal from
the field, 6-4, but Alegria answered with a penalty goal from Fred Mannix and a goal
from the field from del Rio. Alegria had extended its lead to four goals, 8-4, with two
chukkers left to be played.

Orchard Hill did an about face in the fifth, blanking the Alegria offense for the first time
all day and putting up five unanswered goals. Gonzalez opened the scoring with a
penalty goal followed by a goal from the field from Criado. Three straight goals from
MacDonough gave Orchard Hill their first lead of the day and had them holding a 9-8
advantage.

Aguerre scored the first goal of the sixth chukker, tying it up at 9-9, but Orchard Hill had
the momentum going in their direction. A penalty goal from Gonzalez and a goal from
the field from Criado had Orchard Hill ahead, 11-9. Del Rio responded with his fourth
goal of the game, but Orchard Hill was on a roll. Gonzalez scored the final goal of the
game to give Orchard Hill a 12-10 win.

MacDonough and Gonzalez scored four goals apiece in the Orchard Hill win. Criado
added three goals and Van Andel chipped in a goal in the victory.

Del Rio scored four times for Alegria. Aguerre was credited with three goals and Fred
Mannix added a pair. Julian Mannix scored one goal in the loss.

ZACARA 11, LAS MONJITAS 10

In a noon C. V. Whitney Cup match, Las Monjitas led throughout the game, leading by
as many as three goals with just one chukker to play before falling to Zacara on a last

second goal in the 11-10 Zacara win.

Zacara’s Joaquin Pittaluga scored the opening goal of the game, but Javier Astrada
responded with three first chukker goals for a 3-1 Las Monjitas lead. Javier Astrada
converted a penalty goal and added two goals from the field as Las Monjitas took early
control of the game.

Ten-goaler Facundo Pieres got Zacara back into it in the second with a pair of goals,
and Magoo Laprida added a goal from the field. Las Monjitas scored single goals from
Eduardo Astrada and Javier Astrada, however, and held on to a narrow 5-4 edge going
into the third period.

Defenses took hold in the third chukker, limiting Las Monjitas to a single goal from
the field from Javier Astrada. Pieres converted a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal, but
Zacara continued to trail, 6-5, after the first half of the game.

Two more goals from Eduardo Astrada in the fourth were countered by a single goal
from Pieres. Las Monjitas continued to dominate, holding an 8-6 advantage.

Zacara picked up another goal from Pittaluga in the fifth chukker, but goals from Javier
Astrada and Eduardo Astrada extended the Las Monjitas lead to three goals, 10-7, with
seven-and-a-half minutes left in regulation time.

Pieres found his rhythm in the sixth chukker as he scored back-to-back goals from
the field. A converted penalty shot tied it up at 10-10 with time running out. Zacara
continued to press the attack with several shots just missing the mark. With just
seconds on the clock, Laprida pushed the ball through the Las Monjitas goal posts for
the 11-10 win.

Pieres led the field with seven goals. Teammates Laprida and Pittaluga scored two
goals each.

Javier Astrada was credited with six goals for Las Monjitas. Eduardo Astrada added
four goals in a losing effort.

COCA-COLA 14, AUDI 7

In the upset of the day, a talented Audi lineup that included 10-goaler Gonzalito Pieres
was humbled by an aggressive Coca-Cola team 14-7 in a battle that was one-sided
from the beginning.

First chukker goals from Coca-Cola’s Luis Escobar and Julio Arellano were answered
by a single penalty goal from Jeff Hall with Audi finding themselves in the whole from
the get-go.

The Coca-Cola team produced shutout defense in the second and third chukkers to
build a commanding 8-1 halftime lead.

In second chukker action, Gillian Johnston and Hilario Ulloa scored single goals from
the field while Julio Arellano converted a 40-yard penalty shot to give Coca-Cola a 5-1
advantage.

A streaking Ulloa added two more goals in the third period while Arellano picked up
his first goal from the field. Coca-Cola found themselves on the winning side of an
impressive 8-1 halftime score.

Ulloa added two more goals to his personal total and Coca-Cola got another goal from
Arellano in the fourth. Audi finally got some offense started, garnering single goals from
Nico Pieres and Gonzalito Pieres. The fourth chukker ended with Coca-Cola boasting
an 11-3 lead with two chukkers left to be played.

Audi took the field in the fifth chukker with a sense of resolve. A more organized attack
found team captain Marc Ganzi at the front end of the offense as he scored three
consecutive goals for Audi. Ulloa closed out the scoring with his seventh goal of the
day as Coca-Cola left the field to remount for the final chukker of play with a six goal,
12-6 lead.

Audi tried to recapture the ardor it had exhibited in the fifth period, but were cut
short. Arellano scored from the field to give Coca-Cola a seven goal, 13-6 lead. Hall
converted a penalty shot for Audi and team captain Gillian Johnston scored the final
goal of the game in the 14-7 rout.

Ulloa ended the day with a total of seven goals. Arellano added four goals in the win.
Johnston was credited with two goals and Escobar scored once.

Ganzi scored three times for Audi. Hall added two penalty goals and Gonzalito Pieres
and Nico Pieres were held to single goals.