Park Place Improves to 2-0 in Cartier Queen’s Cup
The fourth day of the 2019 Cartier Queen’s Cup produced the first two-win team of the tournament as Park Place defeated Casa La Vista Ibiza 9-6 at Coworth Park, while Monterosso narrowly defeated La Bamba de Areco 11-10 in an exciting overtime match on the Duke’s Ground at Guards Polo Club.
The opening game of the day began as a back and forth affair, with few fouls, but strong defence from both sides, resulting in a low scoring first half. The game changed in the second half with the offensive pressure of Park Place wearing down the Casa La Vista Ibiza defence, leading to foul trouble and the extra possessions Park Place needed to separate themselves in the game. The performance of Hilario Ulloa gave Park Place an edge, with the 10-goaler scoring four goals and adding three assists to lead his team to the three-goal victory.
Evenly matched in the opening two chukkers, Park Place and Casa La Vista Ibiza remained deadlocked, scoring two field goals each with Juan Britos scoring both goals for the Park Place side. A defensive focus for prevented breakaway runs, but the possession favoured Park Place, who were unable to take the lead after a missed Penalty 4 opportunity. Before the end of the half, Park Place edged into the 3-2 lead, holding Casa La Vista Ibiza off the scoreboard in the third chukka, while Benjamin Urquiza scored his first goal of the game to complete a clean, flowing first half.
The game changed to begin the second half behind a quick pace set by Park Place attack, who was led by the increased presence of Ulloa. Outscoring Casa La Vista Ibiza 3-1 in the fourth chukka, Park Place dominated the throw-in line to control possession and extend their lead to three after consecutive field goals from Ulloa. Striving to increase their advantage, Park Place shot at goal three more times, but managed just one goal, while also missing their second Penalty 4 opportunity of the game to leave Casa La Vista Ibiza within reach heading into the final chukka. Urquiza’s second goal of the game to begin the sixth chukka deflated the hopes of Casa La Vista Ibiza, leaving them trailing by four with time expiring. Goals from Pablo MacDonough and Martin Podesta were not enough to fight their way back into the game, falling 9-6 to Park Place.
The second game of the day produced one of the most exciting games of the tournament thus far, with Monterosso producing a late comeback to stun La Bamba de Areco. Despite trailing through most of the game, Monterosso fought their way back into the game behind the efforts of Ignacio Toccalino, who finished with a game-high six goals and an efficient attack that produced goals equally from the field and the penalty line over the final two chukkas. Winning the throw-in battle 16-9 gave Monterosso the small advantage they needed to claim the overtime 11-10 victory.
Monterosso looked to race into the early lead, winning the four first chukka throw-ins, but were unable to convert the extra possessions into goals, scoring on just one of their four shot attempts. A penalty 2 conversion and field goal for David Stirling gave La Bamba de Areco the slim lead, while Monterosso’s shooting accuracy troubles carried over into the second chukka. Despite making just one of their first seven shots, Monterosso found themselves trailing by just one goal, with La Bamba de Areco also having difficulty scoring from the field. That changed in a dominant third chukka for La Bamba de Areco, outscoring Monterosso 3-0 behind two goals from Juan Martin Nero to build a commanding four-goal lead.
Needing a strong second half, Monterosso increased their pace while also improving their discipline, keeping La Bamba de Areco off the penalty line. Field goals from Nero and Kian Hall, kept La Bamba de Areco’s lead at three, with time running out for Monterosso’s comeback. Two fouls committed by La Bamba de Areco gave Monterosso the opening they needed as Toccalino added two Penalty 2 conversions. Scoring the final three goals of regulation time, Monterosso completed the impressive comeback on Juan Gris Zavaleta’s first goal of the game. He wasn’t finished there as Joaquin Pittaluga found Zavaleta on a pass in overtime to score the game winning goal and capture the 11-10 victory.