NEWS

Story courtesy of International Polo Club Palm Beach.

For the first time in its history, the U.S. Open Polo Championship fields twenty teams, with play beginning on Tuesday at International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) in Wellington, Florida. La Fe (Robi Bilbao, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Francisco Elizalde, Louis Devaleix) overcame an injury to Elizalde, with Poroto Cambiaso stepping in to help La Fe capture the 12-8 victory against Audi (Marc Ganzi, Jason Crowder, Bartolome Castagnola, Paco de Narvaez).

In the second match, Old Hickory Bourbon/Airstream (Matias Magrini, Joaquin Panelo, Stevie Orthwein Jr., sub. Hilario Figueras) produced an exceptional second half to defeat Dutta Corp/Show+ (Timmy Dutta*, Joaquin Avendaño, Tomas Garcia del Rio, Ignacio "Inaki" Laprida) 11-9.

The only team entering the tournament with a 20-goal handicap, La Fe demonstrated a proficient attack that instantly erased any doubt of competing against other 22-goal teams. Bilbao was exceptional for La Fe, finishing with four goals and three assists to step into a leading role after 9-goaler Elizalde left with an injury.

Outscoring Audi by five from the field, La Fe shot a more efficient 41% to only trail at one point in the match when it was 1-0. Highly touted 9-goaler Castagnola made his debut with Audi, scoring seven goals to try and lead his team to victory, but inaccurate shooting allowed La Fe to hold on to their lead and emerge victorious.

Conceding a Penalty 4 to Castagnola just moments into the game, La Fe stormed back in a dominant first chukker, producing four unanswered goals. Alberdi led the attack, with Bilbao and Elizalde passing to goal to collect one assist each. Shooting at goal twice as often as Audi in the opening two chukkers, La Fe extended their lead to three after Elizalde sent the ball through the posts and Bilbao calmly nailed a Penalty 2 conversion.

Audi attempted to pressure La Fe before the end of the half, forcing their opponents into five fouls, but it only resulted in one penalty conversion for Castagnola, leaving La Fe with the 7-4 lead entering the break.

Forced to exit the game in the third chukker, Elizalde was replaced by Cambiaso for the second half, and he made an immediate impact with a field goal and Penalty 2 conversion that matched the two Audi goals scored by Castagnola and Ganzi.

Running out of time to close the gap, Audi continued to shoot at goal, but were unable to find the mark on any of their final five attempts in the game. Seeing the win just one chukker away, a determined La Fe gave Audi little time and space while the duo of Alberdi and Bilbao connected on two different occasions to secure the 12-8 win.

The second match of the opening day featured Dutta Corp/Show+, looking to continue their strong play in the Gauntlet, against Old Hickory Bourbon/Airstream. A game of two halves, Dutta Corp/Show+ controlled the first half by producing consistent offense from the penalty line, but Old Hickory Bourbon/Airstream improved their discipline in the second half to mount a comeback and eventually pull ahead in the sixth chukker.

Panelo and Garcia del Rio led their respective teams with five goals each, but in a game decided by the narrowest of margins, two extra penalty conversions from Panelo in the final minutes was the difference in the 11-9 victory.

Exchanging possession and goals in the opening chukker, the two teams remained tied 2-all after Figueras, substituting for an injured Santino Magrini*, scored from the field. Early foul trouble caught up with Old Hickory Bourbon/Airstream as they conceded their second penalty goal of the game, while giving Dutta Corp/Show+ enough additional possessions to build a two-goal lead.

Laprida and Garcia del Rio combined for a goal and an assist each during the run and despite going scoreless from the field in the third chukker, Dutta Corp/Show+ remained ahead by two at halftime after their third penalty conversion.

Determined to close the gap, Old Hickory Bourbon/Airstream exited halftime with renewed energy and pressured the Dutta Corp/Show+ defense throughout the fourth chukker. Figueras converted a Penalty 2 and a safety attempt to cut the lead in half and trail by just one. Slowly but surely, Old Hickory Bourbon/Airstream pulled even, finally bringing the game into a tie during the fifth chukker after using a two-man game between Matias Magrini and Panelo to generate two field goals.

All square at 8-all with one chukker remaining, Old Hickory Bourbon/Airstream completed their comeback after two crucial penalty conversions from Panelo and a timely field goal from Orthwein as part of a four-goal run that sealed the 11-9 win.

*Timmy Dutta is an Active Team USPA Member and Santino Magrini is a Graduating Team USPA Member. 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.

All photos courtesy of ©David Lominska.