NEWS

After nearly two weeks of hard-fought competition, the culmination of the Association Cup took place on Sunday, October 2, at New Bridge Polo & Country Club in Aiken, South Carolina. Out of a field of five talented teams, including LBL Polo who reigned undefeated last year in the New Bridge 8-goal season, Skaneateles (Marty Cregg, Vaugh Miller Jr., Igancio “Nachi” Viana, Cesar Jimenez) and Hardscrabble (Mason Lampton, Charlie Caldwell, Del Walton, Wesley “Wes” Bryan) rose to the top of the ranks, both ending bracket play with 2-1 records to earn finalist positions. Skaneateles’ Viana and Hardscrabble’s Bryan highlighted the offensive efforts for their respective teams in the final, but ultimately a heroic drive from Viana in the final 30 seconds of regulation play sealed the narrow victory for Skaneateles 7-6.

Sunday’s final served as a rematch after Skaneateles delivered a decisive 11-6 win over Hardscrabble earlier in bracket play. “We had a great game against them before the final, but finals are finals,” Viana shared. “They came out super strong and played very well. Wesley had a tremendous game. He was solid to score and tough to go by. But overall, we kept on going with our same strategy that had worked before.” Recognizing their opponent’s ability to adapt to make the game closer this time, Cregg added, “Good players find a way to adjust. Del, Wes and Charlie came to the field prepared to attack our team and did a great job. It made for an adrenaline filled game that either team could win. A huge credit to Mason and his team, we both upped the speed and aggressive play.”

The first chukker underway, and everyone slightly overzealous, both teams endured fouling troubles that would lead to scoring opportunities for their opponents. Viana’s Penalty 3 conversion served as the first strike of the day, but two successful Penalty 2’s from Bryan placed Hardscrabble ahead 2-1 moving into the second chukker.

A staple team in South Carolina, boasting a new configuration this year, Miller Jr. described how the Skaneateles players joined forces. “Nachi put the team together in June when he was playing at my home club [Prestonwood in Oak Point, Texas]. He invited me to play and win with him in Aiken even though I already had other plans for the fall. It’s safe to say I’m glad to be in Aiken and building a great relationship with Nachi.” Miller Jr. and Viana have history as teammates, playing together this past winter at Sarasota Polo Club (Sarasota, Florida) for Hillcroft. Their 12-goal team found success in the National Outdoor Commander-in-Chief Cup and the National Inter-Circuit Championship, helping Viana and Miller Jr. gain rapport and learn how to effectively work together.

In the second and third chukkers, the teams swapped shutouts. First, Skaneateles’ Viana scored once from the penalty line and once from the field while his team held Hardscrabble scoreless. Then, Hardscrabble rallied in the third chukker to elevate their defensive efforts, keeping Skaneateles off the board while Bryan ran his way to goal twice to end the half in favor of Hardscrabble 4-3. Miller Jr. noted his appreciation for New Bridge’s fields in elevating the level of the game. “The fields made 8-goal polo feel like 12-goal polo. Every man on the field [was] going to make a great play because the ball [was] rolling on a pool table,” Miller Jr. shared.

As the break came to a close and the fourth chukker began, both teams battled fiercely to create scoring opportunities, but the ball did not find its way to the goal on either end, resulting in a scoreless fourth chukker. A successful Penalty 2 from Bryan (his third of the game) reignited the scoring front in the fifth chukker, to which Viana responded with two field goals of his own, equalizing the score 5-all headed into the final chukker.

A tied game with just seven-and-a-half minutes on the clock, Miller Jr. shared how his team prevailed, even when facing adversity and exhaustion. “Never giving up led us to victory. [There were] many missed shots on goal, but we kept shooting.”

Refusing to relinquish his team’s chance for victory, Bryan opened up the scoring in the sixth chukker with a goal from the field. A foul from Hardscrabble, however, gave Skaneateles the opportunity to even the score again with a Penalty 2, which Viana would successfully converted. As the timer ticked down, a final offensive effort from Viana resulted in a buzzer-beater goal in the last 30 seconds of play, securing the 7-6 win for Skaneateles, and their first Association Cup title.

Describing the key to his team’s success, Cregg noted, “We concentrated on marking up and being quick to take advantage of broken plays. Hardscrabble played very aggressively and neither team could get a comfortable lead, so being disciplined and finding a lane to goal were our most important objectives. And even though we missed many open goal shots, we just kept shooting.” Viana added, “The competition was great. It was a very tough tournament with competitive teams. We hadn't started well, but we were able to work things out with our team to end up winning.” Offering an explanation for why their team got a slower start, Miller Jr. shared, “As a newly-formed team in Aiken, we needed time to get [in] a rhythm, but it only took one game. Now our plan is to just leave it all on the field.”

For an impressive 6-goal performance, Hardscrabble’s Wesley Bryan was named Most Valuable Player. “It’s always nice to win MVP in a final,” he shared of his appreciation for the recognition. “I feel like it means more when you're on the losing team because it shows that your effort didn’t go unnoticed.”

Nachi Viana’s fourth chukker horse, Oriental Cosita, was awarded Best Playing Pony honors. Viana shared a bit about her history and personality, explaining, “I bought Oriental Cosita after this past Wellington season from Pelon Stirling’s string. She played in the fourth chukker [for] almost [the] full chukker. She was insane. She is from Pelon’s breed, (Classify/Cozy). Her best qualities are how quick and handy she is. [She is] super correct at everything.”

Cregg, Skaneateles’ team owner, reflected on his newly formed team’s success and their plans to improve even further moving forward. “Always with a new team you hope to click as soon as possible. I’ve played on many successful teams and sometimes it takes a whole season to come together. We’ve been improving with each game, but so has the competition. This team is still working to find our sweet spot. Today, we learned we’ve come a long way in 10 days. We played well as a team. Cesar, Nachi and Vaughn are tough competitors and good teammates. Plus, the quality of teams here in Aiken demands your team has to play well or [you’ll] watch the final from the sidelines. It’s a credit to my teammates that they fight for each other and trust each other to do their best. We are playing the next 8-goal and we know we have to improve, but today is to celebrate the hard work by the team… We’ll be having a proper asado tomorrow, and then back to the practice field to prepare for the next tournament.” Also pleased with his team’s and his horses’ performance, Miller Jr. added, “We will celebrate by giving the horses a day off Monday, and gearing up for the next two tournaments.”

All photos courtesy of ©Katie Roth.