Catalina Hotel sneaks past Grand Champions in final seconds of play

By Alex Webbe

With seconds on the clock and the score knotted up at 9-9, Catalina Hotel was driving the ball
to the lip of the Grand Champions goal mouth. A a foul put Catalina Hotel team captain Alan
Lieberman on the penalty line where he drove through the winning goal Saturday afternoon
in the consolation match of the 2011 US Trust Cup played at the Palm City Polo Club in Boca
Raton.

Catalina Hotel took the early lead on a pair of first chukker goals from Kris Kampsen. Natascha
Baecher got Grand champions on the scoreboard with a goal from the field, but Catalina Hotel
left the field with an early 2-1 advantage.

Catalina added two goals in the second chukker with Kampsen scoring his third of the game
while teammate Nathan Lieberman scored his first. Grand Champions stormed back, however,
getting three goals from Baecher and a goal from 13-year-old Grant Ganzi. Grand Champions
had gained both the momentum and the lead in a 5-4 contest.

Defenses tightened in the third period with Ganzi converting a penalty shot for a goal while
Kampsen answered for Catalina Hotel with his fourth score of the day. At the end of the first
half, Grand Champions held on to a 6-5 lead.

Baecher and Ganzi added single goals in the fourth chukker while a resilient Grand Champions
defense held Catalina Hotel scoreless. With just two periods left to play Grand Champions held
a healthy 8-5lead.

Catalina Hotel switched gears in the fifth chukker, picking up a pair of goals from 8-goaler Nic
Roldan and a single goal from Kampsen. Grand Champions struggled to find its offense, failing
to score and finding themselves in an 8-8 tie as the period ended..

Baecher scored the first goal of the final chukker, but Kampsen’s sixth goal of the day had it all
even at 9-9, and set up Alan Lieberman’s game winning penalty goal as Catalina Hotel rode off
with the 10-9 win.

Kampsen scored six times for Catalina Hotel. Roldan and Nathan Lieberman scored two goals
apiece and Alan Lieberman scored the winning goal.

Baecher accounted for six goals for Grand Champions, with Grant Ganzi scoring three times.