20-goal Les Armour Cup semifinal results-3-1-13

ERG wins; will face Orchard Hill in Les Armour final

By Alex Webbe

ERG scored a 12-11 win over Piaget Friday morning at the International Polo Club to
capture a berth in the finals of the Les Armour Cup, the subsidiary of the C. V. Whitney
Cup.

ERG started the first chukker with gusto, with Paco de Narvaez scoring the first two
goals of the game (the second coming on a powerful 90-yard shot) for an early 2-0 lead.
A strong Piaget lineup responded with single goals from 10-goaler Sapo Caset and
Nacho Badiola, 2-2. Eduardo scored the final goal of the chukker in the last 48 seconds
of play for the 3-2 edge.

The second chukker belonged to Agustin Merlos and Sapo Caset as they both rang
up a pair of goals. Merlos opened the period with a goal in the first minute of play with
Caset responding with a goal just one minute later, 4-3. A penalty goal from Caset
tied it up at 4-4 with two minutes left in the chukker. Merlos scored the final goal of the
chukker with 58 seconds on the clock and ERG maintained their one goal 5-4 lead with
less than a minute on the clock.

Eduardo Astrada scored the first goal in the third chukker for ERG, but brother Miguel
Astrada responded by carrying the ball down the field with Eduardo on his hip to score
a goal of his own, 6-5. Caset converted a 40-yard penalty shot for the tying goal, 6-6, to
end the first half.

ERG controlled most of the fourth chukker. Single goals from de Narvaez and Eduardo
Astrada had them on top of an 8-6 score before Piaget answered. Miguel Astrada
scored a goal for Piaget with 23 seconds in the period, but left the field trailing 8-7.

The two teams battled through the first half of the fifth chukker without a score when
an ERG foul sent Caset to the penalty line. He converted the goal for an 8-8 deadlock.
De Narvaez put ERG back in the lead, 9-8, with his fourth goal of the match and Merlos
extended the lead to two goals, 10-8 in the final 35 seconds.

An injury time out was called after the fifth chukker with Piaget 10-goaler Miguel Astrada
leaving the game due to a muscle pull. Trying to replace a 10-goaler was not going to
happen, so team captain Melissa Ganzi sat down and brought in 5-goalers Juan Bollini
and Brandon Phillips to play out the final chukker.

ERG wasted little time breaking in the new lineup, with Merlos scoring twice from the
field for a four goal, 12-8 lead. Phillips finally got Piaget on the scoreboard with a goal
from the field at the three minute mark, 12-9. Caset converted a penalty shot for a goal,
12-19, with just under two minutes remaining in regulation time. Piaget pressed the

attack only to be repelled by the ERG defenders. In the final seconds of the chukker,
Phillips broke loose with the ball and carried it 200 yards down the field for the final
score of the game. Piaget came up one goal short as ERG rode off with the 12-11 win.

Caset led the pack with six goals on the day. Astrada and Phillips scored two goals
apiece and Nacho Badiola added a single goal in the game. Merlos set the pace for
ERG with five goals. De Narvaez scored for times and Eduardo Astrada added three
goals in the win.

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