By Alex Webbe
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Gypsy/Tri-Tech (Suzanne Figi, Gustavo Pavon, Graham Bray, Gaston Von Wernich, and Remy Muller) built up a 6-2 halftime lead over Empire 10 (Erik Hammon, Craig Stienke, Mariano Fassetta and Ashton Wolf) before cruising to an 8-6 win in the finals of the 2012 8-10 goal Emerald Cup Sunday afternoon at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
Gaston Von Wernich scored the first goal of the game on a 60-yard penalty shot followed by a goal from the field from Remy Muller. Empire’s Ashton Wolf scored the final goal of the chukker as Gypsy/Tri-Tech took the early 2-1 lead.
Goals from Muller and Von Wernich (penalty goal) went unanswered in the second chukker as Empire failed to find the range. At the end of the second chukker the Gypsy/Tri-Tech led had grown to three goals, 4-1.
Erik Hammon tried to light a fire under the Empire offense with the opening goal of the third chukker, but Gypsy/Tri-Tech fired back with goals from Graham Bray and Von Wernich. At the end of the first half Gypsy/Tri-Tech rode off the field with a 6-2 advantage.
Muller opened the second half with a goal from the field while Mariano Fassetta responded with a penalty conversion for Empire. Gypsy/Tri-Tech continued to lead by four goals, 7-3.
Muller converted a penalty shot for Gypsy/Tri-Tech’s only goal of the fifth period, but Empire could do little better. A goal from the field from Fassetta kept them from getting shutout, but Empire continued to trail, 8-4.
A 40-yard penalty shot from Fassetta and a goal from the field from Wolf were the only offense in the final chukker as Gypsy/Tri-Tech rode out the 8-6 championship win.
Muller led all scoring with four goals. Von Wernich added three and Bray was credited with one goal in the victory.
Fassetta was credited with three goals for Empire. Wolf scored twice and Hammon added a goal.
THERMAL TAKES ROSE CUP FINAL
Thermal (Hayward Pardue, Dayelle Fargey, Romero Gonzalez and Goyo Mariscal) handed Flower’s Farms (David flowers, Rick Paicius, Ernie Ezcurra and Erik Wright) their first loss of the month in a 9½-7 win in the finals of the 4-goal rose Cup earlier in the day.
Thermal received ½ goal by handicap and quickly ran the lead up with a pair of goals from the field from Goyo Mariscal. Flower’s Farms managed a single goal in the opening chukker from Rick Paicius. At the end of the first chukker, thermal held a 2½ – 1 lead.
Paicius cut into the Thermal lead with an unanswered goal in the second. Flower’s Farm trailed, by ½ goal, 2½ to 2.
Thermal found its offense again in the third as they registered two goals from the field from Romero Gonzalez and a single goal from Mariscal. Ernie Ezcurra accounted for Flower’s Farms only goal as they continued to trail 5½-3.
The fourth chukker was the turning point for Thermal. A pair of penalty conversions from Dayelle Fargey and single goals from Gonzalez and Mariscal pushed the Thermal lead to 9½-4, with Flower’s Farms managing a single penalty goal from Erik Wright.
Flower’s Farms managed to score three last chukker goals against a generous Thermal defense with Paicius scoring twice (one from the field and one penalty goal) and Wright converting a penalty shot for a goal. Thermal left the field with a 9½-7 win.
Mariscal led the Thermal attack with four goals. Gonzalez scored three times and Fargey accounted for two goals in the victory. Thermal received ½ goal by handicap.
Paicius led the Flower’s Farms assault with four goals. Wright accounted for a pair of goals and Ezcurra scored once.