Sunday, Feb. 11th, 2018
By Alex Webbe
C & R Farms (Cheryl Shindell, Luis Saracco, Aly Payan and Alonzo Cruz) started Sunday’s match against Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Juan Jo Gonzales and Bayne Bossom) like gangbusters as they squared off in the 2018 USPA General Patton 4-goal tournament at the Empire Polo Club Sunday afternoon, but there are six chukkers in a polo match, and Evergreen made use of them as they rolled past C&R Farms, 11-6.
Alonzo Cruz scored the first goal of the game on a 30-yard penalty conversion followed by a goal from the field from Aly Payan. C&R Farms defenders held the high-scoring Evergreen machine scoreless in the first seven minutes of play and left the field at the end of the first chukker in front, 2-0.
Second period goals from Luis Saracco and Cruz extended the C&R Farms lead to four goals, 4-0. Evergreen continued to struggle to find their offense. Carlitos Galindo finally got Evergreen on the scoreboard with the final goal of the chukker. C&R Farms held the lead, however, 4-1.
Evergreen appeared to steady themselves in the third. Single goals from Juan Jo Gonzalez and Bayne Bossom and a solid defensive effort that kept C&R Farms from scoring cut the lead to a single goal, 4-3, at the end of the first half of play.
Saracco opened the scoring in the second half with a goal from the field to make it 5-3, C&R Farms, but Evergreen was undeterred. Goals from Gonzalez and Bossom ended the scoring in the fourth and leveling the score at 5-5.
Gonzalez was on fire as Evergreen rode onto the field in the fifth period. Two penalty conversions and a goal from the field were more than a match for C&R Farms’ single goal from Cruz, as Evergreen took the momentum and the lead, 8-6.
The Evergreen defense stepped up in the sixth and final chukker, delivering their second shutout period of the match. Two goals from Galindo and Gonzalez’s seventh score of the day gave the game to Evergreen, 11-6.
Gonzalez led all scoring with seven goals. Galindo added three goals and Bossom scored once for the win. Cruz was high-scorer for C&R Farms with three goals. Saracco was credited with two scored and Payan added a goal in a losing effort.
Action will continue in the 4-goal 2018 USPA General Patton Cup on Friday, February 23rd with C&R (1-1) Farms facing an 0-2 Empire team (Rob Scapa, Eileen Duffy, Erik Wright and Jim Wright) once again before meeting Evergreen on Sunday. The team with the best record will be awarded the trophy.