NEWS

Story courtesy of the International Polo Club Palm Beach

Four teams remained in the 2021 C.V. Whitney Cup® Semifinals as Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Mackenzie Weisz, Nico Pieres, Julian de Lusarreta), Park Place (Andrey Borodin, Jack Whitman*, Juan Britos, Hilario Ulloa, Matt Coppola*), La Indiana (Nico Escobar*, Jeff Hall, Polito Pieres, Michael Bickford) and Scone (David Paradice, Poroto Cambiaso, Peke Gonzalez*, Adolfo Cambiaso) battled for a spot in the final and a chance to claim the $100,000 prize. In the first semifinal, Park Place dominated the middle of the game, going on an 11-1 run against Coca-Cola to cruise to a 13-9 victory. In a match-up between the two undefeated teams in the tournament, Scone handed La Indiana their first loss of the season, capturing the 13-8 victory to meet Park Place in the final.

Showcasing a well-rounded performance, Park Place controlled possession in open play, outscoring Coca-Cola 10-2 from the field over the first five chukkers. Also playing disciplined polo, Park Place kept Coca-Cola off the penalty line. The transition from defense to offense for Park Place, led by a strong passing attack from Ulloa and Coppola, continued to keep Coca-Cola pinned in their own half. Coca-Cola only managed 20% shooting on goal up until the final chukker in the 13-9 defeat.

In a competitive first few minutes, Pieres and Britos traded early field goals to leave the score tied, until Pieres struck again for Coca-Cola on a Penalty 2 conversion. Both teams had their opportunities to score in the remainder of the first chukker, but the final four shots of the chukker were missed, leaving the score at 2-1 in favor of Coca-Cola. The momentum switched to Park Place due to the play of Ulloa, who scored three consecutive goals for Park Place, while a team effort held Coca-Cola off the scoreboard and pressuring Pieres on the ball. Building a 4-2 lead, Park Place extended it further to a three-goal advantage before the end of the half. Adding a Penalty 4 conversion along with a field goal from Britos, Park Place held the 6-3 lead at halftime.

Park Place’s defense became a key factor in their dominant stretch to begin the second half, scoring the first six goals to leave Coca-Cola trailing by nine. Coppola was a standout player for Park Place, anchoring the defense while finding his opportunities to come forward, scoring all three goals in the fourth chukker. Held without a field goal for the second consecutive chukker, Coca-Cola ended the 11-1 run on back-to-back Penalty 3 conversions from Pieres, but it still left them facing a seven-goal deficit with one chukker remaining. One goal from each Coca-Cola player in the sixth chukker brought them within four, but Park Place’s impressive performance pushed them into the final, awaiting the winner of the second semifinal.

Two of the top offenses in the tournament in La Indiana and Scone met to decide the final spot in the final in a highly anticipated match that was ultimately controlled by Scone. Holding the strong La Indiana attack to 18% shooting accuracy on goal in the second half and 10-goaler Polito Pieres to just two goals, Scone used their trio of Adolfo Cambiaso, Poroto Cambiaso and Gonzalez in a persistent attack that never let up. Gonzalez finished with a game-high seven goals, on the receiving end of accurate passes from Adolfo Cambiaso, while Scone took advantage of all four opportunities from the penalty line to capture the 13-8 victory.

Breaking through on the first play of the game, Escobar gave La Indiana the 1-0 lead, but it would ultimately be their only lead of the game as Scone responded with a goal and an assist from Poroto Cambiaso as part of a three-goal first chukker to hold the 3-1 advantage. With Adolfo Cambiaso effectively directing play from the back, Poroto Cambiaso and Gonzalez continued to charge forward, adding another goal each as La Indiana was unable to pull closer, remaining down by two after goals from Escobar and Pieres. Averaging 15.5 goals through their first two games, La Indiana was limited to just four goals in the first half as Scone controlled possession in the attacking half and relied on the offense of Gonzalez, who added his fourth and fifth goals to give Scone the 7-4 lead.

In need of offense, La Indiana produced a determined effort towards Scone’s goal but struggled to shoot accurately in the opening stages of the second half, unable to convert any of their six attempts at goal. Slowly extending their lead, Adolfo Cambiaso made a significant impact for Scone by adding two goals in the fourth chukker and headlining a four-goal fifth chukker that proved to be the decisive moment of the game. Gonzalez brought his goal total to seven in one of his best performances of the season, while Scone continued their strong debut in the Gauntlet of Polo®, keeping La Indiana at a distance in the final chukker to remain undefeated with the 13-8 victory.

*Nico Escobar, Peke Gonzalez 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.