Quarter-finalists Determined in Cartier Queen’s Cup
The final three quarter-finalists were determined in the 2019 Cartier Queen’s Cup in must-win games for the six teams, with Scone defeating Monterosso 10-9 in a thrilling game to begin the day on the Castle Ground at Flemish Farm. Park Place overwhelmed Emlor to claim the 13-11 victory, while Dubai captured the final spot with a convincing 13-7 victory over Casa La Vista on the Queen’s Ground at Guards Polo Club.
The opening game of the day featured a tense match that came down to the final chukka, with Scone holding the edge due to their large advantage from the penalty line. Receiving seven penalty attempts compared to zero for Monterosso, Scone was able to narrowly claim victory behind 4 of 6 penalty shooting from Nico Pieres, while also receiving two penalty 1’s. Monterosso played at a faster pace throughout the opening two chukkas, outshooting Scone 5-2, yet found themselves trailing by one due to conceding three penalty attempts. With Joaquin Pittaluga forced to leave the game and replaced by Santiago Toccalino, it was Ignacio Toccalino who stepped up with two goals to end the half, as Scone maintained their one goal advantage to lead 5-4.
Monterosso continued to pressure Scone with a relentless attack that produced five shots in the fourth chukka, but their inaccuracy led to just one conversion, while Nico Pieres responded with his third penalty conversion of the game to keep Scone ahead by one. Unfazed by their missed opportunities, Monterosso continued to push ahead, finding success in the fifth chukka as they received one field goal each from Juan Gris Zavaleta, Ignacio Toccalino and Santiago Toccalino to tie the score. After James Beim and Ignacio Toccalino traded goals to make the score 9-9, the game came down to the final minutes with Scone finding their stride from the field to capture victory on a game-winning goal from James Harper; sending Scone into the Cartier Queen’s Cup quarter-finals.
The second game featured a strong start from Park Place that gave them a lead which they managed effectively throughout the game. Foul trouble from both teams resulted in four penalty goals for each team, but the difference proved to be Park Place’s efficient offense, while Emlor struggled to convert their opportunities from the field late in the game. Park Place raced out to a 3-0 lead after the first chukka, led by Juan Britos who was a force throughout the game alongside Hilario Ulloa. After four fouls in the opening chukka, Emlor improved their discipline, committing zero fouls for the rest of the half, which benefited their attack, allowing Alfredo Bigatti and Agustin Merlos to combine for five first half field goals. Park Place held on to a two-goal lead at halftime, with both teams combining to miss just two shots in the opening first half.
With a spot in the quarter-finals on the line, the game tightened with Park Place and Emlor unable to find the goal on three missed shot attempts each, as Britos extended his team’s lead back to three on his fourth penalty conversion. The decisive chukka of the game was the fifth chukka, where Park Place separated themselves with a balanced attack that saw goal contributions from Andrey Borodin, Benjamin Urquize and Ulloa to take a commanding six-goal lead into the final chukka. Uncharacteristic foul trouble for Park Place resulted in three penalty goals for Merlos but it wasn’t enough as Park Place claimed the 13-11 victory to advance.
The final match of the day saw Dubai display their potent offense, scoring at least 12 goals for the fourth consecutive game by overwhelming Casa La Vista Ibiza to begin the game and dominating the throw-in line, winning 14 of 20 throw-ins. Receiving two goals on handicap, Dubai quickly extended their lead to five after a dominant second chukka, outscoring Casa La Vista Ibiza 4-1 behind three goals from Camilo Castagnola. The perfect 3 for 3 shooting from the second chukka for Dubai did not carry over to the third chukka, with four missed shot attempts allowing Casa La Vista Ibiza to reduce the deficit to four after field goals from Isidro Strada and Pablo MacDonough.
Dubai quickly responded with a strong start to the second half, led by the efforts of Camilo Castagnola, who added two goals and an assist during the fourth and fifth chukkas to extend Dubai’s lead to a commanding seven goals. Unable to slow the Dubai offense, Casa La Vista Ibiza was kept pinned in their own half, recording just two shots of their own during the span. With the large lead, Dubai cruised to the six-goal victory to claim the last quarter-final spot.