NEWS

Story courtesy of the International Polo Club Palm Beach

After almost a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 USPA Gold Cup® Semifinals were played on Wednesday, February 10, at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) in Wellington, Florida, with both games coming down to the final minute. In the first semifinal of the day Daily Racing Form (Agustin Obregon, Constancio ‘Costi’ Caset*, Jared Zenni*, Tommy Collingwood) earned a place in the finals on a shot from Zenni at distance to narrowly defeat Las Monjitas (Melissa Ganzi, Marc Ganzi, Pablo Mac Donough, Juan Martin Nero) 12-11. In one of the highest-scoring games at IPC, La Indiana (Juan Cruz Marcos, Nico Escobar*, Jeff Hall, Polito Pieres) captured the 16-15 victory over Pilot (Curtis Pilot, Kristos ‘Keko’ Magrini*, Gonzalito Pieres, Facundo Pieres) on a last-minute goal from Escobar.

An intense match between Daily Racing Form and Las Monjitas left little separating the two teams as the outcome came down to the last play. Decided by the smallest of margins, Daily Racing Form and Las Monjitas each produced 11 shots from the field, but Daily Racing Form’s extra conversion from the field proved to make the difference. Within one goal after every chukker, Las Monjitas had their chances to capture the victory, utilizing the chemistry from 10-goalers Mac Donough and Nero who accounted for all of the team’s goals between them. Five penalty conversions from Zenni along with the last-minute goal from distance led Daily Racing Form to claim the narrow 12-11 victory.

Behind a goal from Caset in the first few minutes, Daily Racing Form held the lead until they conceded a goal to Mac Donough to end the first chukker with one goal apiece. Las Monjitas took the lead in the second chukker behind three goals from Nero, coming forward from the number four position. Las Monjitas’ Mac Donough gave his team the slim advantage but a determined Daily Racing Form utilized their efficient shooting from the field to restore the tie 5-all after goals from Zenni and Caset ended the first half.

Las Monjitas edged back into the lead in the third, producing a three-goal chukker to begin the second half. Daily Racing Form, with their balanced lineup responded by scoring three consecutive goals of their own, in what became a back-and-forth game. Nero’s fifth and sixth goals brought the game into a tie once again, with one chukker remaining to determine the first finalist. After trading goals, time was expiring when Obregon found Zenni on the receiving end of a pass. Despite a few players between him and the goal, Zenni found the way through, converting a shot from nearly 70 yards out to end the game and send his team into the final.

The second semifinal produced a high-powered offensive game between Pilot and La Indiana in a game to remember. Featuring a new roster that saw Escobar enter the lineup and Marcos substituting for Michael Bickford, La Indiana matched Pilot stride for stride, surviving a second-half charge. Despite Pilot producing a more accurate performance from the field and penalty line, it was the additional attempts by La Indiana along with a determined attack that received three Penalty 1 goals, that led them to victory. Polito Pieres picked up where he left off last year, scoring six goals, while newcomer Marcos had a strong showing. A last-minute goal from Escobar completed a strong performance, as La Indiana defeated Pilot for the second time since the inception of the GAUNTLET OF POLO®.

A quick start from La Indiana prevented Pilot from scoring a field goal while receiving two goals from Polito Pieres and one goal from Escobar to take the 3-1 lead. The hard-fought game carried into the remainder of the first half with Pilot pressuring La Indiana to try and level the scoreboard, but La Indiana maintained their lead. Outshot 6-0 in the third chukker, La Indiana emerged from the first half holding the 8-6 advantage, conceding just one goal each to Gonzalito Pieres and Magrini.

The high-scoring game immediately continued in the opening stages of the second half with La Indiana producing an astounding nine shots at goal in just seven minutes of play. Hall led the way with two goals in the chukker, while Polito Pieres added one goal and an assist to quickly double La Indiana’s lead to four. Making a significant impact at the front of the game, Marcos added two goals in the fifth chukker to keep La Indiana ahead. Never out of the game, Facundo Pieres led the way back for Pilot, scoring two goals while adding two assists in the four-goal chukker, leaving them trailing by two. In an impressive comeback, Pilot fought all the way back to tie the score 15-all, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats with time ticking down. Inside 60 yards, Escobar cut the ball into goal to give La Indiana the one-goal advantage inside the final minute. A foul resulted in one final possession for Pilot, but they could not get past the La Indiana defense as the horn sounded and La Indiana captured the 16-15 victory.

Daily Racing Form and La Indiana will meet on Sunday, February 14, at 3:00pm ET on the U.S. Polo Assn - Field 1 to determine the 2020 USPA Gold Cup® champion. The final will be livestreamed exclusively on Global Polo TV.

*Keko Magrini and Nico Escobar are Active Team USPA Members. Constancio ‘Costi’ Caset 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.