WELLINGTON, FL – Pony Express’s Nicolas Roldan scored his fourth goal of the game in the final chukker during Piaget Gold Cup play, opening the lead to three and helping his team keep its hopes alive in the USPA tournament as they defeated Audi 11-9 today at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.
Audi’s Paco de Narvaez tried to chip away at the lead as he scored the last goal of the game, closing the gap in the team’s opening round. Narvaez scored the team’s only goal from the field, which capitalized on its seven penalty shots, including two consecutive by Gonzalito Pieres in the fifth. But the team’s strength on penalties was not enough to fight off Roldan and Pony Express’s David Stirling, who scored three from the field and was named the game’s most valuable player.
“I think we did our job today. We lost the first one and we had to win today,†said Stirling, who reflected on Wednesday’s opening round when his team was defeated 11-8 by Crab Orchard. “It’s been a difficult season because we haven’t played many games because it’s been raining.â€
“The Crab Orchard game was difficult … but we need to be in the quarterfinals,†said Pony Express’s team captain Bob Daniels who scored two from the field today. “I think we had a good strategy today. We had great communication.â€
Piaget Gold Cup action will continue tomorrow, as Isla Carroll will take on White Birch at 10 a.m. and Skeeterville will face Orchard Hill at 1 p.m. at International Polo Club Palm Beach. The Las Monjitas vs. Lechuza Caracas game originally set for tomorrow has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 11 a.m.
This is the second year the Piaget Gold Cup has been played at International Polo Club. The USPA Gold Cup has been played since 1974 and is one of only three polo tournaments rated at 26 goals in the United States. The other two are the C.V. Whitney and the Stanford U.S. Open Polo Championship.
International Polo Club Palm Beach is located at 3667 120th Avenue South in Wellington and hosts professional polo tournaments until April 20. The premier game of the week is played at 3 PM every Sunday on the Stanford Field and Stadium. Information can be obtained by calling 561-204-5687 or the Polo Hotline for game updates at 561-282-5290. Web address,
www.internationalpoloclub.com or www.northamericanpololeague.com
PONY EXPRESS 2-1-3-2-1-2 = 11 (0 penalty shot) Nicolas Roldan 4
AUDI 1 hdcp-1-0-2-3-2 = 9 (7 penalty shot) Gonzalito Pieres 5
Best Playing Pony – Belevedere, owned by Paco de Narvaez
-30-