Zacara defeat Bendabout in USPA Piaget Gold Cup – US Polo Update
Facundo Pieres marked the final goal in the final set of play to carry Zacara to a 15-13 victory over Bendabout in the first round contest of the United States Polo Association Piaget Gold Cup being played at the International Polo Club in Florida on Wednesday.
Zacara received one goal by handicap and established their first lead in the game. Wasting little time, Pieres scored three goals and created pressure for the opposite side. Julio Arellano connected on a penalty shot and brought his team into the score net.
The opening chukka ended with Zacara holding a commanding three-goal, 4-1 advantage.
The second round was also hard hitting, as five goals were scored from both sides and made the game more interesting. Mariano Uranga and Pieres scored one goal each and expanded the lead to an insurmountable five goals. The players of Bendabout were not
sitting around and letting the game pass by, as Arellano connected on three unanswered penalty shots while Sugar Erskine added a goal from the field to creep the score close. After two chukkas of play, Bendabout was standing one goal away from Zacara’s lead,
6-5.
The pace of the game continued to accelerate, as the two teams exchanged three goals in the third set of play. Pieres nailed a pair of goals while Sebastian Merlos converted a penalty shot for Zacara. Arellano responded with a brilliant three score run.
The first half of play was concluded with Zacara holding a narrow one-goal, 9-8 advantage.
In the fourth period, both teams swapped two goals to hold back the suspense in the game. Merlos and Pieres notched one goal each for Zacara, as Arellano and his team-mate Magoo Laprida did it for Bendabout. Despite impressive game play by Bendabout, the
slight lead of Zacara was still present, 11-10 at the end of the fourth period.
Zacara received another three goals in the second last period and stretched the lead up to three goals. The trio of Zacara including Lyndon Lea, Merlos and Pieres accounted for one goal apiece and enthralled the spectators. Laprida scored the solitary goal
for Bendabout and trailed three points, 14-11 with one chukka left to contest.
At the start of the final chukka, Pieres posted the ball for the ninth time in Bendabout posts and increased the lead to four goals. The strikers of Bendabout cranked up their offence, but there was not enough time remaining on the clock. Arellano and Erskine
contributed for one goal each at the final horn and Zacara rode off the field with a 15-13 victory.
Facundo Pieres was the leading point-scorer of the match with nine goals while Merlos added three notches. Lyndon Lea and Uranga accounted for one goal apiece in the win.
Julio Arellano also scored nine times but to no avail, as Laprida and Erskine marked two goals apiece in the losing effort.
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