Las Monjitas and Alegria score
Armour Cup wins

By Alex Webbe

Las Monjitas scored a hard-fought 9-8 win over Audi Friday morning at the International
Polo Club in Wellington in the Les Armour Cup (the subsidiary of the 26-goal C. V.
Whitney Cup).

Ten-goaler Eduardo Astrada scored the first goal of the contest, converting a penalty
shot for a 1-0 Las Monjitas lead. Audi responded with a 60-yard penalty goal from Jeff
Hall. Inaki Laprida put Las Monjitas back on top, 2-1, on a well-directed shot through
the Audi goalposts. A second penalty goal from Hall had it all even at 2-2 at the end of
the chukker.

The Audi attack got into gear in the second period with Nico Pieres scoring twice, for
a 4-2 advantage, while Las Monjitas fought to get control of the ball. Eduardo Astrada
answered with a goal for Las Monjitas, but Gonzalito Pieres scored the final goal of the
chukker for a 5-3 Audi lead.

Both teams settled into the game by the start of the third chukker with a premium being
put on defense as charge after charge was turned aside. Javier Astrada managed to
score the only goal of the period on a 60-yard penalty conversion. At the end of the first
three chukkers of play, Audi was ahead, 5-4.

Hall and Javier Astrada exchanged goals from the field to open the second half, with
Audi missing an important penalty shot. With two chukkers left to play, Audi continued
to lead, 6-5.

Las Monjitas caught fire in the fifth, picking up two goals from Javier Astrada (one from
the field and one on a penalty shot) and a single goal from Eduardo Astrada. Lights out
defense kept Audi off of the scoreboard and Las Monjitas rode out in front, 8-6.

Gonzalo Pieres scored a goal from the field to cut the Las Monjitas lead to a single goal,
8-7, but Javier Astrada converted a penalty shot for goal and a 9-7 lead. Hall scored
the final goal of the game, cutting the lead to a single goal once again, 9-8, and Audi
seemed to be on the upswing when time expired in a Las Monjitas win.

Javier Astrada led all scoring with five goals. Eduardo Astrada added three goals and
Laprida scored once.

Hall and Nico Pieres were credited with three goals apiece. Gonzalito Pieres added two

goals in the loss.

ALEGRIA 10, LECHUZA CARACAS 9

Alegria jumped out to a 7-3 halftime lead over Lechuza Caracas Friday afternoon in Les
Armour Cup competition and held on to win a 10-9 game in the 26-goal tournament.

Mariano Aguerre scored the first goal of the game for Alegria, followed by a 40-yard
penalty conversion from Fred Mannix for an early 2-0 advantage. Lechuza Caracas 10-
goaler Sapo Caset got his team on the scoreboard with a penalty goal, 2-1, to end the
first chukker.

A goal from the field from Facundo Obregon and another penalty goal Caset were
combined with a disciplined defense that held Alegria scoreless in the second period.
After two chukkers Lechuza Caracas led, 3-2.

The Alegria foursome demolished Lechuza Caracas in the third. A well-executed goal
from the field from Julian Mannix tied it at 3-3, and a following goal from his brother Fred
Mannix had gave the lead back to Alegria, 4-3. Two more goals from Fred Mannix (one
from the field and one on a penalty shot) were accentuated by a chukker closing score
from Julian Mannix. With five unanswered goals, Alegria rode out to a 7-3 halftime lead.

Proving that they were up to the task, a refreshed Lechuza Caracas team took the field
in the fourth chukker scoring four straight goals. Caset led the charge with three goals
(two on penalty shots) and team captain Victor Vargas scored once. A resolute defense
held Alegria scoreless, and at the end of four chukkers, the game was all even at 7-7.

Juan Martin Nero scored the only goal of the fifth chukker as both teams battled
heroically in an effort to take the momentum. Lechuza Caracas carried an 8-7 lead into
the final chukker of play.

Aguerre tied it up at 8-8 early in the sixth chukker on a penalty conversion followed by
a well-coordinated scoring effort that saw Aguerre pass the ball down the field to Fred
Mannix who passed it to his brother Julian Mannix who carried it 150 yards down the
field for a score and a 9-8 lead. Tomas Garcia Del Rio converted a 40-yard penalty
shot for his first goal of the game and a 10-8 advantage as Lechuza Caracas struggled
to get back into the game. Caset cut the lead to a single goal, 10-9, but that would be
as close as they would get. Time expired as Alegria held on for the win.

Caset led the field with six goals. Teammates Vargas, Obregon and Nero scored single
goals in a losing effort.

Fred Mannix scored five times in the Alegria win. Julian Mannix accounted for three
goals while Aguerre and Del Rio scored once.