Adolfo Cambiaso scored with less than two minutes remaining in the game to lift Lucchese to a dramatic 12-11 win over Audi, earning a spot in the final of the Piaget Silver Cup polo tournament.
Lucchese will face ERG in Sunday’s 1 p.m. championship game at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. ERG qualified with a 10-8 win over Piaget in the first semifinal game on Friday.
Miguelito Torres scored two goals and Sebastian Merlos added one to help ERG take a 5-3 halftime lead. Jason Crowder tried to rally Piaget in the second half with four goals, but Merlos made two quick runs to goal early in the final chukker to secure the win.
In the second semifinal, Lucchese bolted to a 6-1 early in the second chukker. The sixth goal was a stunning 120-yard shot by Cambiaso, one of 10-goal players in the match.
The other 10-goal player is Gonzalito Pieres, and he led an Audi comeback with his tremendous playmaking skills. He distributed the ball to teammates with pinpoint passes and made high-speed runs to goal himself, pulling the team to an 11-11 tie. A spectacular nearside goal from Sugar Erskine tied the game.
Cambiaso then took over, winning the next lineup and scoring the game-winner.
Also on Sunday, the Lucchese America Cup will begin. Mansour plays Grants Farm in the opener at 10 a.m., and Piaget takes on Audi at 3 p.m. ERG and Lucchese will begin play on Friday, Aug. 5.
The America Cup final is on Sunday, Aug. 14.
