Apr 24, 2016
Marc Ganzi scored a sixth chukker goal Saturday afternoon to lift Aspen Valley (Will Jacobs, Marc Ganzi, Nacho Lezica and Juan Bollini) to a 5-4 win over Grand Champions (Kirstie Allen/Alex Webb, Oliver Firestone, Martin Estrada and J.J. Celis) to capture the Regional Presidents Cup 8-goal at the Grand Champions Polo Club.
Oliver Firestone opened the scoring in the first chukker with a goal from the field. Marc Ganzi responded with a goal for Aspen Valley as both teams tried to feel out the opposition. At the end of the first chukker the score was all even at 1-1.
Both teams played stellar defense in the second chukker. Crisp passing and solid ride-offs set the tone, with Martin Estrada scoring the only goal of the chukker to give the lead to Grand Champions, 2-1.
J.J. Celis scored his first goal of the game in third chukker action, but Aspen Valley fought back. An Aspen Valley attack was cut short by a Grand Champions foul that sent Ganzi to the penalty line where he converted the shot from 30-yards out. The goal proved to be the final score of the first half and had Grand Champions defending a narrow lead, 3-2.
Defense continued to be the stature on the field with goals hard to come by. Nacho Lezica scored the tying goal for Aspen Valley, 3-3, with what proved to be the only goal of the period. Grand Champions and Aspen Valley continued to struggle offensively. A fifth period goal from Estrada was countered by a goal from the field from Aspen Valley’s Juan Bollini, ending the chukker in a 4-4 deadlock. Scoring was no easier in the final chukker than it had been all day. Attacks were shut down with shots on goal going wide of the mark or just intercepted by the opposition. Ganzi’s third goal of the game proved to be the winner as Aspen Valley escaped with the 5-4 victory.
Top scorer Ganzi, with three goals, earned MVP honors for his efforts. Lezica and Bollini each added a goal for the win. Estrada led the Grand Champions assault with two goals. Firestone and Celis each scored once in the loss.
Oliver Firestone’s "Manchita" was named Best Playing Pony.
Text and photo credit: Grand Champions Polo Club
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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