Elegani Ranch wins USPA Fall Plate

By Alex Webbe

Luis Escobar led the way with five goals as Elegani Ranch outscored Piaget 10-
7 to score the first win of the fall season in the 2011 USPA Fall Plate at the Grand
Champions Polo Club in Wellington Sunday afternoon.

J. J. Celis scored the first goal of the game for Elegani Ranch on a penalty shot but
Piaget responded with single goals from Sergio Sylvestre and Marc Ganzi. Piaget left
the field after the first chukker with a narrow 2-1 advantage.

Two penalty goals from Escobar and a goal from the field from Diego Cossio were
accompanied by a miserly defense that held Piaget to a single goal from Leo
Mandelbaum, as Elegani Ranch took a 4-3 lead.

“It was a strange day for me,” said Piaget’s Marc Ganzi. “One minute the ball seemed
to be sitting right in front of me and the next minute it was somewhere else, very
frustrating.”

Ganzi led Piaget with eight goals in Friday’s win and was hoping to take the season’s
first cup championship.

Three more Elegani Ranch goals in the third and shutout defense had Piaget trailing 7-3
at halftime. Escobar added two more goals from the field and Cossio added his second
goal of the game.

Cossio had Elegani Ranch ahead by five goals, 8-3 after opening the fourth chukker
with a goal, but Sylvestre answered for Piaget to keep them from getting shutout in the
period. At the end of four periods of play, Elegani Ranch held on to an 8-4 lead.

Cossio and Sylvestre exchanged single goal in the fifth as Piaget couldn’t seem to find
its scoring punch. Elegani Ranch continued to lead by four goals, 9-5, with one chukker
left to play.

Escobar’s fifth goal of the contest pushed the Elegani Ranch lead to five goals at 10-5,
but Piaget continued to battle back. Ganzi scored the final goal of the game for Piaget
but it was Elegani Ranch who took the cup with a 10-7 victory.

Escobar led all scoring with five goals. Cossio added four and Celis accounted for a
goal in the win.

Ganzi and Sylvestre scored three goals apiece for Piaget. Mandelbaum scored once in
a losing effort.

AUDI 10, FLAT OUT 6

In earlier action, Audi relied on a balanced attack to run off with the consolation round of
the 2011 USPA Fall Plate in a 10-6 romp over Flat Out.

Paul Knapp got Flat Out on the scoreboard with a goal from the field in the opening
chukker, but three consecutive goals from Audi (Timmy Sharma, Joey Casey and Jason
Crowder) gave Audi an early 3-1 edge.

Casey scored the only goal of the second chukker as Audi played lights-out defense,
extending its lead to 4-1.

Flat Out rebounded in the third, getting a pair of goals from Kris Kampsen and single
goals from Jota Chavanne and Paul Knapp. Juan Bollini scored on a well-placed
backhander to keep Audi from getting shutout as the teams left the field at the end of
the first half in a 5-5 tie.

Crowder got hot in the fourth, scoring a pair of goals for Audi before Kampsen got flat
Out on the scoreboard with his third goal on the day. At the end of four chukkers Audi
led, 7-6.

Both defenses stiffened in the fifth, with Crowder managing the only goal of the period.
Audi stretched its lead to two goals, 8-6.

Crowder and Casey added single goals in the final period while Flat Out failed to score
for the second straight chukker as Audi rode off with the 10-6 win.

Crowder scored four times for Audi. Casey added three goals; Bollini accounted for two
and Sharma added a goal.

Kampsen led the Flat Out offense with three goals. Knapp scored twice and Chavanne
added one goal.

Polo action will continue at the Grand Champions Polo Club next week with the USPA
Kay Collee Memorial Cup.