Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Bayne Bossom, Juan Jo Gonzales and Carlitos Galindo) have had a successful 4-goal season at the Empire Polo Club, recording wins in both the Stagecoach Challenge and the USPS Sportsmanship Cup, and appear poised to add the 2018 USPA Circuit Players Cup to their trophy room.
Scoring their second win of the tournament, Evergreen remains the only undefeated team in this year’s competition.
After handily dispatching Empire (Rob Scapa, Eileen Duffy, Erik Wright and Jim Wright) on Saturday, Evergreen took the field at 9:30 Sunday morning and throttled a foul prone C & R Farms team (Cheryl Schindel, Luis Saracco, Ross Adam and Alonzo Andrade), 12-6.
Eight first chukker fouls put C & R Farms on the ropes in the opening chukker with Evergreen’s Carlitos Gracida converting on three penalty shots. The Evergreen defense was just a s focused as they shut down the C & R attack for the 3-0 lead.
C & R got on the scoreboard in the second with a 60-yard penalty conversion from Luis Saracco to make it 3-1. A goal from the field from Bayne Bossom was the only other score in the chukker as Evergreen rode off the field on top of a 4-1 lead.
C & R bounced back in the third with Ross Adam scoring twice from the field and teammate Alonzo Andrade adding a 40-yard penalty goal to tie the game at 4-4. Galindo scored on a 60-yard penalty shot to end the first half with Evergreen in front by a single goal, 5-4.
Saracco’s second goal of the day leveled the score once again, 5-5, but Galindo and Evergreen were just getting started. Galindo scored two of his three goals on penalty conversions with Bossom adding a goal from the field. After four periods of play, Evergreen held a four-goal advantage, 9-5.
Defense was the key to fifth chuker play with Evergreen holding C & R scoreless. Evergreen only managed a goal of their own, but increased their led to five goals, 10-5, with one period remaining in regulation play.
Saracco opened the sixth with a goal from the field, but the C & R rally was short-lived. Goals from Bossom and Galindo ended the game with Evergreen riding away with the 12-6 win.
Galindo scored six of his game-high eight goals on penalty shots. Bossom added four gals for the Evergreen victory. Saracco’s three goals led the C & R attack. Adam scored twice, and Andrade added a goal in a losing effort.
The win was Evergreen’s second of the tournament and left them atop the standings at 2-0. The C & R loss was their first, falling to 1-1.
Hanalei Bay 16, Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine 5
In a noon USPA Players Cup match, Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi, Ian Schnoebelen, Taylor Freeman and Ashton Wolf) embarrassed Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine (Tanweer Khan, Victor Lopez, Cameron Smith and Warwick Prendiville) with a healthy dose of offense and defense that carried them to a resounding 16-5 victory.
The 3-goal Hanalei Bay team received one goal by handicap and quickly added to it with every member of the team getting on the scoreboard in the first chukker. Taylor Freeman and Krista Bonaguidi scored the first two goals of the game, 3-0, with Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine answering with a single goal from Warwick Prendiville, 3-1. Ian Schnoebelen and Ashton closed out the scoring in the opening chukker with single goals as Hanalei Bay raced out to an early 5-1 lead.
Wolf scored his second goal of the day in second chukker action followed by a pair of goals from Freeman. Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine was unable to score and fell behind by seven goals, 8-1.
Wolf and Bonaguidi each added a goal in the third with Schnoebelen converting a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal. Prendiville and Victor Lopez scored the final two goals of the period, but it was Hanalei Bay who was in control of the game with an eight-goal advantage, 11-3 at the end of the first half.
The Hanalei Bay attack continued to roll unabated in second half play. Bonaguidi’s third goal of the day came on a 30-yard penalty shot with Wolf and Schnoebelen adding single goals. A stellar defensive effort by Hanalei Bay blanked the Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine offense for the second time, extending their commanding lead to eleven goals, 14-3.
Two more goals from Freeman in the fifth were answered by a single 40-yard penalty conversion from Prendiville. After five periods the Hanalei Bay lead stood at 16-4.
With Hanalei Bay resting their horses in the final chukker, Prendiville scored the only sixth chukker goal in a 16-5. Hanalei Bay beat-down.
Freeman’s five goals led the field with teammate Wolf accounting for four goals and Bonaguidi and Schnoebelen adding three goals apiece. Hanalei Bay received one goal by handicap. Prendiville scored four times for Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine with Lopez adding the only other goal in the loss.
The win was the first for Hanalei Bay (1-0) while Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine suffered their second setback in as many games, 0-2.
USPA Players Cup competition will continue next weekend with the finals set t be played on Sunday, February 11th.