World Polo League

By: Rebecca Baldridge
Photos by: ChukkerTV

WELLINGTON, FL, May 24, 2021— Sorrento Polo Team defeated Seminole Casino Coconut Creek by 12-11 to take the Pedro Morrison Memorial title, while Sebucan edged out Barbaroso Leather by 10-9 in the subsidiary.

Seminole Casino Coconut Creek (Fran Spinacci, Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, and Alejandro Novillo Astrada) met Sorrento Polo Team (Federico Parker, Tito Gaudenzi, Marc Ganzi, and Nic Roldan). Seminole Casino Coconut Creek ceded three goals to Sorrento Polo Team on handicap.

Tito Gaudenzi jumping the boards during play.

Juancito Bollini put Seminole Casino Coconut Creek on the board in the first chukker, while Nic Roldan was able to score from Penalty 5 from the spot to ensure that Sorrento Polo Team ended the first period with their three-goal lead intact. In the second chukker, Bollini found the goalposts twice, bringing Seminole Casino Coconut Creek within one before Roldan answered with a goal. A foul from Seminole Casino Coconut Creek gave Marc Ganzi the chance to convert a Penalty 3 and the chukker ended with Seminole Casino Coconut Creek trailing 6-3. In the third period, Bollini and Alejandro Novillo Astrada helped Seminole Casino Coconut Creek close in on Sorrento again, but Roldan swept the ball through in answer. A final goal from Grant Ganzi ended the half with Seminole Casino Coconut Creek behind by just one goal, at 7-6.

Alejandro Novillo Astrada reaches for the ball with Nic Roldan and Juancito Bollini close behind.

Roldan got Sorrento Polo Tam on the board first in the fourth chukker, with an answer from Novillo Astrada. Roldan scored yet again to end the period 9-7. The pentultimate chukker saw both teams battling ferociously to score, with Bollini putting the first ball through. Tito Gaudenzi and Roldan scored to take the total on the board up to 11-8 for Sorrento Polo Team , but Novillo Astrada came back with an answer and Grant Ganzi converted a Penalty 2. The final chukker began with Seminole Casino Coconut Creek still nipping at Sorrento Polo Team‘s heels. Bollini scored the equalizer and at 11-11, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek had victory within their grasp. An unlucky foul gave Marc Ganzi the chance to convert a Penalty 2, which won the game for Sorrento Polo Team 12-11.

MVP Nic Roldan with Arvo Katajisto.

Nic Roldan was named MVP, while Cortina, played by Tito Gaudenzi and owned by Santa Rita Polo Farm took the Best Playing Pony award.

In the second match of the day, Sebucan (Gene Goldstein, Pablo Pulido, Tomacho Pieres, and Sugar Erskine) took the field against Barbaroso Leather (Leo Mandelbaum, Justin Daniels, Pablo Spinacci, and Juan Bollini).

Cortina, played by Tito Gaudenzi and owned by Santa Rita Polo Farm, was awarded Best Playing Pony.

While Barbaroso Leather started with one goal on the board, they were unable to get past Sebucan’s defense to score from the field in the first chukker. Goals from Sugar Erskine and Gene Goldstein ended the period 2-1 for Sebucan. Play was back and forth during the second chukker and Barbaroso had no better luck getting on goal, with another great shot from Erskine put Sebucan in the lead by 3-1. Pablo Pulido put a goal through the posts, and it was finally Leo Mandelbaum who was able to get a goal from the field on the board for Barbaroso. A goal from Goldstein ended the half with Sebucan in the lead by 5-2.

Newport‘s Sugar Erskine hits a nearside buckshot while Leo Mandelbaum defends.

Both teams turned the power up a notch when they returned after the half. Leo Mandelbaum put the first ball through the posts, but Sebucan found themselves on an offensive streak, scoring four goals in a row. Goldstein led the charge, followed by Tomacho Pieres and Pablo Pulido. Pieres scored again, putting Sebucan in the lead by 9-3 before Justin Daniels was able to score and end the period with Barbaroso down by 9-4. Barbaroso started to gain momentum in the fifth chukker, outscoring Sebucan for the first time. Spinacci and Mandelbaum both scored for Barbaroso, while Pulido was responsible for Sebucan’s only goal in the chukker. Barbaroso played a spectacular final chukker, keeping Sebucan off the board while Daniels, Mandelbaum and Spinacci were all able to put the ball through. Unfortunately for Barbaroso, they found their rhythm too late and went down to Sebucan by 10-9.

By: Rebecca Baldridge
Photos by: ChukkerTV 

WELLINGTON, FL, May 22, 2021— Seminole Casino defeated Barbarosa Leather by 11-8 in the first match of the Pedro Morrison Memorial, while Sorrento Polo Team took down Sebucan in the second match of the day by a score of 8-7.

Seminole Casino Coconut Creek (Fran Spinacci, Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, and Alejandro Novillo Astrada) met Barbarosa Leather (Leo Mandelbaum, Justin Daniels, Pablo Spinacci, and Juan Bollini) in the first match of the Pedro Morrison Memorial on Friday morning. Seminole Casino ceded one goal to Barbarosa Leather on handicap.

Justin Daniels knocked in the first goal of the day, but the combination of Alejandro Novillo Astrada and Juancito Bollini looked unstoppable in the second half of the period. Novillo Astrada took control of the ball and passed it to Juancito, who put it through the posts with a near side shot. Sixty seconds later he passed the ball to Juancito again, and Bollini fils took the ball through the posts in two shots. Seconds later Juancito gained control of the ball once more and left it behind for Novillo Astrada, who passed it back for Juancito to complete the hat trick for the chukker with 1:10 left on the clock. The period ended with Seminole Casino Coconut Creek leading 3-2. Barbarosa Leather struck back in the second chukker, working hard to keep Seminole Casino Coconut Creek off the goal. Leo Mandelbaum converted a Penalty 2, while Pablo Spinacci scored a pair of goals that had Bábaroso in the lead 5-3 at the end of the period. The tables turned in the third chukker, with Seminole Casino keeping Barbarosa Leather away from the posts while Novillo Astrada put the ball through. The half ended with Barbarosa Leather leading 5-4.

All eyes on the ball! Leo Mandelbaum is laser focused.

The fourth chukker demonstrated how evenly matched the teams were, with Seminole Casino Coconut Creek scoring first and Barbarosa Leather responding with an answer to maintain their one goal lead each time. Grant Ganzi scored the first equalizer early in the chukker, but Juan Bollini came back with a goal of his own less than a minute later. With 2:10 left on the clock, Juancito Bollini scored with a strong assist from young Fran Spinacci. Leo Mandelbaum found the posts with a spectacular angled shot, but with seven seconds left to play, Alejandro Novillo Astrada tapped the ball in to end the period with a 7-7 tie. Seminole Casino gained the upper hand in the fifth chukker, drawing ahead on a Penalty 3 conversion from Grant Ganzi and Novillo Astrada scoring to solidify the lead. Despite a well-placed shot on goal from Pablo Spinacci, Seminole Casino led 9-8 at the beginning of the final chukker. Barbarosa Leather lost the momentum they had enjoyed earlier, failing to get on the board, and goals from Fran Spinacci and Alejandro Novillo Astrada won the game for Seminole Casino Coconut Creek with a final score of 11-8.

Sugar Erskine getting a pep talk from wife Brigitte before the game.

In the second match of the day, Sebucan (Gene Goldstein, Pablo Pulido, Tomacho Pieres, and Sugar Erskine) took the field against Sorrento Polo Team (Federico Parker, Tito Gaudenzi, Marc Ganzi, and Nic Roldan). Secbucan ceded three goals to Sorrento on handicap.

Sebucan seized control of the field early in the first chukker and Gene Goldstein drew first blood with 5:43 on the clock. Nic Roldan fired a powerful shot downfield that was snatched off the doorstep by Sugar Erskine, but he blasted the ball through the posts in a similar shot on the next play at just under four minutes. Neither team was able to find the posts again and the period ended with Sorrento Polo Team leading by 4-1. Pablo Pulido and Marc Ganzi each put the ball through in the second chukker, which ended 5-2 in favor of Sorrento Polo Team. Goldstein put another goal on the board in the third chukker while a strong defense from Sebucan kept Sorrento from scoring. The half ended with Sorrento Polo Team in the lead by 5-3.

Sebucan‘s Tomacho Pieres ready to defend Sorrento Polo Team opponent Nic Roldan.

The fourth chukker played out much like the third, with Sorrento Polo Team still unable to make it past Sebucan to score. Tomacho Pieres put a goal on the board to narrow Sorrento Polo Team‘s lead to one goal at 5-4. The pentultimate chukker was Sorrento Polo Team‘s finest six-and-a-half minutes, as it was the only chukker in which they outscored Sebucan. It was Marc Ganzi they had to thank, as he converted a Penalty 2 and put the ball through from the field. Sugar Erskine held up the side for Sebucan, and the period ended with Sorrento Polo Team leading by 7-5.

Tito Gaudenzi rides off Sebucan‘s Pablo Pulido.

Erskine scored again in the sixth chukker and with two minutes on the clock Sebucan could see the win within their grasp. However, they failed to capitalize on the opportunity. With just five seconds remaining on the clock, a Penalty 6 safety saw Tomacho Pieres tie the score at the buzzer and send the game into overtime. In a sudden death seventh chukker, with 3:05 left on the clock, Nic Roldan capitalized on a broken play and took the ball to goal to win the day for Sorrento with a final score of 8-7.

The Final of the Pedro Morrison Memorial will take place on Sunday May 23 at 11:30 am. The subsidiary game, Just For The Fun Of It Cup will be at 10:00 am, where Sebucan will meet Barbarosa Leather. Both games will be streamed live on ChukkerTV.