Lechuza defeats Bendabout to ride into US Open Polo Championship semi-finals
Sapo Caset lit the lamp ten times and had an assist, as Lechuza spanked a commanding 14-10 win over Bendabout in the quarter-final game of the United States Open Polo Championship being contested at the International Polo Club in Wellington.
The foursome of Lechuza opened the game at very high pace and scored three goals in the opening period while limiting Bendabout only for a single point. The Lechuza troika of Sapo Caset, Juan Martin Nero and Victor Vargas scored one goal each in the seven
and half minutes of play to establish their early dominance in the game. Julio Arellano scored a solitary goal to bring Bendabout into the score net. The first set of play was completed with Lechuza sitting on top with a two-goal lead, 3-1.
The attackers of Bendabout cranked up their offence in the second and took one score lead. They obtained four goals, while minimised Lechuza only for a single score. Gillian Johnston and Arellano connected on one penalty-shot apiece and had it all even at
3-3. In the later time, Sugar Erskine notched another two goals of which one was scored from the field and converting another penalty-shot. Caset scored the single goal for Lechuza to show their presence on the field. The second round action was concluded
with Lechuza holding a narrow one goal lead, 5-4.
The full-back players from the two sides further squeezed their positions and made the game more interesting. However, the scoring only belonged to Bendabout and Lechuza remained score-less in the period. Johnston managed the only goal of the chukka and
expanded the Bendabout lead up to two goals, 6-4 at the half-time.
The lead changed hands with Lechuza at the start of the second half of play. Erskine scored a goal to open the period and stretched the lead to three points. However, the strikers of Lechuza were not sitting inertly and watching the game go by. Caset marked
four goals of which three came on penalty shots while other from the field and changed the face of the scoreboard by getting a single goal lead. Erskine in a counter-offence tied the knots at 8-8, but Caset managed another score and regained the one goal,
9-8 advantage.
The two teams exchanged one goal in the second last period and Lechuza retained its narrow advantage. Vargas scored a goal for Lechuza, while Erskine managed a solitary effort for Bendabout.
The final set of play was quite hard-hitting, as five goals were scored in the period. Caset scored another three points in the period while Nero added his second goal of the day to take an insurmountable four-goals lead, 14-10. Arellano nailed the solitary
goal of the period but it could not save them from humiliating defeat. Lechuza won the game, as the final horn of the time-completion sounded. With the triumph, Lechuza moved into the semi-final stage and will face Las Monjitas on Wednesday April 13, 2011.
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