Facundo Pieres shines in Zacara win

By Alex Webbe

The game was tied seven times and never out of reach of either team until the final
minutes of the last chukker Sunday afternoon as Zacara (2-0) rallied to score a
15-12 win over Orchard Hill (0-2) in the 2012 Nespresso United States Open Polo
Championship competition at the International Polo Club in Wellington.

Zacara opened up the game with three consecutive goals before Orchard Hill found its
offense. Argentine 10-goaler Facundo Pieres scored the first goal of the game on 60-
yard penalty shot and then followed up with a goal from the field a couple of minutes
later. Mike Azzaro scored his first goal of the game to give Zacara a 3-0 lead. With
two-and-a-half minutes left in the chukker, Pablo MacDonough got Orchard Hill on
the score board with a well-placed shot through the Zacara goal posts. A minute later
Mariano Gonzalez converted a penalty shot, and then tied it up, 3-3, with thirty-five
seconds remaining on the clock.

Lucas Criado took the opening throw-in of the second period and carried I down the
field for a go-ahead goal, 4-3. Magoo Laprida made it all even at 4-4 just a minute
later with a goal from the field, and a goal from Zacara team captain Lyndon Lea had
Orchard Hill trailing 5-4 with three-and-a-half minutes left in the chukker. Gonzalez took
the ensuing throw-in and knotted it up again at 5-5, but it was a penalty goal from Pieres
that ended the period with Zacara on top of a 6-5 score.

Pieres opened the third chukker with a goal from the field, 7-5 when Orchard Hill’s
Criado scored three straight goals from the field. At the end of the first half of play,
Orchard Hill held an 8-7 advantage over a talented Zacara lineup.

Pieres opened the fourth with a goal from field from the throw-in to tie it at 8-8, and a
goal from Laprida had Zacara in front, 9-8. Orchard Hill responded with three goals in a
row (one from Gonzalez and two from MacDonough), extending their lead to two goals,
11-9.

The Zacara offense opened up in the fifth, scoring an early goal from Pieres and a
second unanswered goal from Laprida for an 11-11 tie.

Pieres was named MVP and Lucas Criado’s 10-year-old chestnut mare took Best
Playing Pony honors.

Zacara took the field by storm in the final period of the game. Pieres scored the first
two goals of the chukker in the first 50 seconds of the sixth, 13-11, and then made it
three in a row as he scored again halfway through the period, 14-11. Laprida slammed

the door on a struggling Orchard Hill offense with his fourth goal of the game, 15-11.
Macdonough salvaged some pride as he kept Orchard Hill from getting blanked with a
goal from the field but it was Zacara celebrating the 15-12 victory.

Pieres scored nine times for Zacara (four on penalty shots). Laprida added four goals
and Azzaro and Lea scored single goals in the win.

Criado, Gonzalez and MacDonough scored four goals apiece for Orchard Hill.

VALIENTE II 10, LA ENSENADA 8

Earlier in the day, Valiente II (2-1) scored a 10-8 win over La Ensenada (0-3) in US
Open action, effectively eliminating them from the tournament.

La Ensenada opened the scoring with goals from Juan Garcia Grossi and Lucas James
for a 2-0 lead. Valiente II responded with single goals from Pelon Stirling and Santiago
Chavanne. At the end of the chukker Valiente II held the lead by a narrow one goal
margin, 4-3.

La Ensenada’s team captain, Ernesto Gutierrez, tied it up with a goal in the second, but
Stirling scored his first goal of the chukker on a 60-yard penalty shot and added another
from the field. With two chukkers finished, Valiente II was in front by a one goal margin,
4-3.

Goals from Stirling and Alejo Taranco went unanswered, and Valiente II left the field
after the first half of play with a 6-3 score.

Defense tightened in the second half but Matias Magrini slipped through the Zacara
defense for a goal. Chavanne scored a goal for Valiente II and La Ensenada found
themselves trailing, 7-4.

La Ensenada scored the first two goals of the fifth chukker with Grossi notching the first
score of the period followed by a goal from James. Stirling stopped the bleeding for
Valiente II with his fifth gal on the day. Grossi scored again with Chavanne ending the
chukker with goal to keep Valiente II on top, 9-7.

Scoring was hard to come by in the sixth. Stirling converted a penalty shot for another
Valiente II goal, 10-7. La Ensenada continued to press the attack, managing a single
goal from the field from James for the 10-8 Valiente II victory.

Stirling led the Valiente II attack with six goals. Chavanne scored three times and
Taranco added a goal as well.

Grossi and James set the pace for La Ensenada with three goals each. Gonzalez and
Magrini added single goals in a losing effort.

COCA-COLA 9, LECHUZA CARACAS 7

Lechuza Caracas (2-1), the defending US Open Champion suffered their first loss of the
tournament as Coca-Cola (2-2) scored a 9-7 victory over a talent-laden roster.

An opening goal from Lechuza Caracas 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero was countered by a
goal from the field from Hilario Ulloa for a 1-1 first period.

The two teams exchanged goals in the second with Julio Arellano giving a brief led to
Coca-Cola, 2-1. Moments later Lechuza Caracas team captain Victor Vargas scored
the tying goal, 2-2.

Scoring continued to be scarce with the two teams trading single goals in the third.
Sapo Caset scored his first goal of the game for a 3-2 Lechuza Caracas lead, but
Arellano managed another Coca-Cola goal to deadlock it at 3-3 at the end of the first
half.

Coca-Cola picked up goals from Gillian Johnston and Hilario Ulloa in the fourth with
Lechuza Caracas responding with a single goal from Caset. Coca-Cola had finally
broken the tie and taken a delicate one-goal, 5-4 advantage.

Lechuza Caracas battled back into contention in the fifth, scoring three goals while
allowing Coca-Cola a single goal from Ulloa. Lechuza Caracas counted goals from
Vargas, Caset (penalty conversion) and Nero as they move out in front of a 7-6 score.

The final chukker, however, belonged to Coca-Cola with Arellano taking center stage.
A pair of penalty goals and a goal from the field were more than enough to carry Coca-
Cola to the 9-7 win.

Arellano led all scoring with five goals. Ulloa scored three times and Johnston added a
goal for the win.

Caset scored three goals for Lechuza Caracas. Vargas and Nero each scored twice in
the loss.