Emlor and Talandracas Advance to The Cartier Trophy Final
The subsidiary semi-finals of the 2018 Cartier Queen’s Cup saw Talandracas defeat RH Polo 12-11 on the Caste Ground at Flemish Farm, while Emlor defeated Les Lions 12-6 at the Les Lions Polo Ground.
In the first game, Talandracas took control early on with a clinical attacking display, converting seven of the nine attempts in the first half. Utilizing a balanced offense, each player on Talandracas scored a goal, including Juan Gris Zavaleta, playing in place of the injured Julian de Lusarreta. RH Polo struggled to find the goal, converting just two of their seven attempts to fall behind 7-5 at halftime. Despite the inaccurate shooting from the field, RH Polo stayed within reach behind the perfect 3 for 3 penalty shooting in the opening half.
Talandracas extended their lead further after a strong fourth chukka that saw Francisco Elizalde score three goals to give his team a four-goal advantage. Continuing to miss their opportunities from the field, Sapo Caset kept RH Polo in the game with his pinpoint accuracy from the penalty line, where he finished 6 for 6 in the game. Fighting back within one goal in the sixth chukka, Talandracas held on for the narrow one-goal victory thanks to their efficient attack that finished 10 for 14 from the field.
In the second subsidiary semi-final, Emlor displayed accurate shooting while preventing the Les Lions team from finding their stride in a game that saw runs from both teams. After a close first chukka, the Les Lions offense was unable to find the scoresheet for the remainder of the first half, while Agustin Merlos scored four consecutive goals to give his team the commanding 7-2 lead at halftime.
The second half saw Les Lions quickly reduce the deficit from five to one with perfect 3 for 3 shooting from the field and a penalty conversion, while keeping Emlor off the scoresheet for the first time in the game. Emlor quickly responded by dominating the fifth chukka 5-0, due to four Les Lions fouls and two yellow cards in the chukka. Holding a six-goal lead, Les Lions shot at goal six times in the final chukka but were unable to close the deficit as Emlor finished with 12-6 victory.