The Wanderers score win in USPA National 20-Goal Tournament

By Alex Webbe

The Wanderers received one goal by handicap from the Port Mayaca lineup and never trailed
as they scored a 10-9 win in the opening game of the 2011 USPA National 20-Goal Tournament
hosted by the Grand Champions Polo Club Tuesday morning.

Joining a field of six teams, 5-goaler Brandon Phillips scored the opening goal from the field for
an early 2-0 advantage. Stevie Orthwein responded with a goal for Port Mayaca, but a second
goal from Sugar Erskine put the Wanderers on top of a 3-1 score.

The pace quickened in the second chukker with Luis Escobar scoring from the field for Port
Mayaca. Bo Goodman took the ensuing throw-in and raced 150 yards down the field for a
score to give the Wanderers a 4-2 lead. Attacks by both sides were turned aside, and the
chukker ended with Port Mayaca trailing by two goals.

Erskine scored his second goal of the game to open the third period, but Port Mayaca came
storming back. Leo Mandelbaum took control of the ball and the game as the third chukker
progressed. Mandelbaum scored consecutive goals to end the chukker with Port Mayaca
within striking distance of the Wanderers, trailing by a single goal, 5-4.

Phillips scored the first goal of the second half with a well-placed shot from the field that
traveled 75 yards. Port Mayaca was fouled while mounting an attack near the Wanderers’ goal,
and Orthwein converted the penalty shot for a goal. After four chukkers of play, the Wanderers
held on to a narrow one goal lead, 6-5.

Mandelbaum’s third goal of the game tied it up at 6-6 for the first time, but Phillips answered
with a pair f goals for the Wanderers (one from the field one on a penalty shot) to lead 8-6.
Orthwein closed out the scoring in the chukker with a penalty conversion to cut the lead back
to a single goal, 8-7.

Phillips put the Wanderers up by two goals, 9-7, on a penalty conversion in the sixth, but J.
J. Celis drove the ball through the goal posts for Port Mayaca to tighten it up at 9-8. Phillips
added another from the field, 10-8, but Orthwein scored his third goal of the day, cutting the
margin to a single goal, once again, 10-9.

Port Mayaca continued to press its attack, but time ran out and the Wanderers rode off with
the 10-9 win.

Phillips led all scoring with six goals. Erskine accounted for a pair of goals and Goodman scored
once for the win. The Wanderers received one goal by handicap.

Orthwein set the pace for Port Mayaca with four goals. Mandelbaum scored three times and

Escobar and Celis added single goals.

Action will continue in the 2011 USPA National 20-Goal Championship at the Grand Champions
Polo Club on Wednesday, October 9 with an 11am match between KIG Investments (Bash Kazi,
Hector Galindo, Jeff Blake and Tommy Biddle) and Audi Polo (Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini, Kris
Kampsen and Jason Crowder).