NEWS

Story courtesy of the International Polo Club Palm Beach

Three spots in the 2021 C.V. Whitney Cup® Semifinal remain after La Indiana (Nico Escobar*, Jeff Hall, Polito Pieres, Michael Bickford) claimed the first spot on Saturday, February 27, as the third round of play began. Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Mackenzie Weisz, Nico Pieres, Julian de Lusarreta) played a strong final two chukkers to capture the 13-10 victory over Santa Clara (Will Johnston, Felipe ‘Pipe’ Vercellino, Miguel Novillo Astrada, Luis Escobar) in the first game of the day. In the second game the Park Place (Andrey Borodin, Jack Whitman*, Juan Britos, Hilario Ulloa, Matt Coppola*) defense proved to make the difference in their 10-6 win over Cessna (Chip Campbell, Ezequiel “Gallego” Martinez Ferrario, Mariano “Nino” Obregon Jr., Jared Zenni*) at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida.

The first game of the day was a back-and-forth match where each team held the lead after three chukkers, but Coca-Cola finished the game on a 7-3 run to defeat Santa Clara. Shooting at goal 30 times, Coca-Cola produced consistent offense but shot just 27% with Santa Clara’s Vercellino keeping his team in the game with seven goals. Coca-Cola’s Pieres responded with eight goals of his own, while the team effectively used Johnston in the front of the game to complete the 13-10 victory.

A quick pace was set in the opening chukker with eight combined shots as Santa Clara took the early 2-1 advantage on two goals from Vercellino. Coca-Cola outshot Santa Clara 7-2 in the second chukker, yet the score remained tied as Coca-Cola converted just one of the attempts on goal. Displaying a strategy of using Johnston in the number one position, Coca-Cola produced seven shots for the second consecutive chukker, but inaccurate shooting held them from building a larger lead. Johnston converted two of her four attempts, leading to a narrow 5-4 lead at halftime.

Taking advantage of Coca-Cola’s missed opportunities, Santa Clara swung the momentum back in their favor, regaining the lead in the fourth chukker on a Penalty 4 conversion from Vercellino and one field goal from Astrada. Relying on their 9-goal player Nico Pieres, Coca-Cola continued their determined attack and increased their accuracy around goal to once again take the lead on the final play of the fifth chukker. A quick response from Vercellino to start the sixth chukker tied the game for the ninth time, leaving minutes remaining to determine the champion. Pieres and Lusarreta worked together throughout the sixth chukker which finally allowed them to hold onto the lead for good, scoring four consecutive goals and capturing the crucial 13-10 victory over Santa Clara.

The second game of the day displayed an organized Park Place defense that held Cessna to just two goals through the first four chukkers and kept them without a field goal until the sixth chukker. A combined team effort from Park Place saw all four players contribute offensively with Coppola leading the way with a game-high four goals. Shooting just 17% from the field, Cessna could not match the balanced attack of Park Place in the 10-6 defeat.

Taking control from the opening chukker, Park Place built an early 3-0 lead behind the play of 10-goaler Ulloa, who added two field goals and an assist. Kept in their own half, Cessna struggled to generate an attack of their own, unable to maintain possession and get past the back line of Coppola and Ulloa. Coming forward from the number four position, Coppola’s two goals in the second chukker extended his team’s lead to four as Cessna added two goals of their own on penalty conversions from Zenni and Obregon Jr. Ending the first half, Cessna failed to score a goal from the field and saw their deficit grow to five on Britos’ second goal of the game.

Focused on mounting a comeback, Cessna began to find their footing in the second half, producing three shots at goal in the fourth chukker but were unable to convert any of their opportunities as they were held without a goal for the third time in four chukkers. Field goals were difficult to come by for both teams in the second half with defense stifling any attacks, resulting in zero combined field goals over both the fourth and fifth chukkers. Penalty conversions for Ulloa and Coppola pushed Park Place’s lead to six, leaving little chance of a Cessna comeback. Finally breaking their drought from the field, Cessna received field goals from Campbell and Ferrario, but were unable to close the gap, Park Place winning 10-6.

*Nico Escobar and Jack Whitman are Active Team USPA Members. Matt Coppola and Jared Zenni are Graduating Team USPA Members. Team USPA is a USPA program designed to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the United States by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and pro players and the resultant giveback to the sport of polo.