Audi/Millarville and Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym Knock Valiente and Coca-Cola Out of Joe Barry Cup |
Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym
Rousts Coca-Cola, 15-10
The youngest team in the tournament defeated an established powerhouse squad in the first of four games Sunday in the 20-goal Joe Barry Cup. Two games were held at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC); the others took place at Valiente and Tonkawa. Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym, with a roster ranging in age from 20 to 26, turned Coca-Cola’s early lead into a resounding 15-10 victory. Coca-Cola came out of the gate with three consecutive goals, one each by Gillian Johnston, Julio Arellano and Steve Kreuger. Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym immediately answered with four in rapid-fire succession. Going into the second half trailing 7-5, Coca-Cola got a second wind and repeatedly tied the game. After Arellano brought the score to 9-9 in the fourth chukker, Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym decided to Super Glue their feet to the accelerator and start mixing things up a bit. On a free hit, Facundo Obregon passed the ball to Jesse Bray (who usually takes the free hits), with Bray then scoring on an 80-yard cut shot. Obregon’s next shot on goal was headed wide until Nacho Badiola scooped it up and escorted it across the goal line, giving Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym a 13-10 lead. Obregon’s two goals in the final chukker ended the conversation 15-10, leaving Coca-Cola out of contention for the trophy. Despite contributing three goals and making several assists, patron Jared Zenni gave the credit to his teammates. When asked his thoughts about the game, he pointed to the others and said, “Ask them-they did all the work.” Badiola obliged, saying, “Today is the first day we played really well together. We needed to have more control of the ball. When we have the ball, we’re always in a rush. This time we started a little slow, but we got back in the game in the second chukker, and after that we played well as a team. We’re getting better every time we play.”
Palm Beach Illustrated/Technogym (2-1) Coca-Cola (1-2)
Nacho Badiola 6 Gillian Johnston 2
Jared Zenni 3 Sugar Erskine 7
Facundo Obregon 6 Julio Arellano 8
Jesse Bray 5 Steve Krueger 3
Audi/Millarville Edges Out Valiente 11-10
In an afternoon game at Valiente, Nic Roldan led Audi/Millarville to victory over the home team, knocking Valiente out of the running in the Joe Barry Cup. Roldan consistently slammed in goals in every chukker except the third, in which his team was scoreless. He more than made up for that hiccup in the second half, scoring twice from the field and twice on penalties. Going hell-bent-for-leather for 42 minutes straight, Roldan ripped past his opponents, shooting with the accuracy of a marksman from every angle imaginable to make eight of his team’s 11 goals. Yet this wasn’t a one-man show. Audi/Millarville clinched it on tight teamwork, including three goals by the Mannix machine (Freddie and Julian). Valiente made them work for it, with Santi Chavanne tying the score at the top of both the fourth and fifth chukkers. Roberto Zedda, a tour de force for Valiente, also sewed it up repeatedly, tying the game at 8-all in the sixth. A versatile player, Zedda was extremely effective both offensively (as his team’s high-scorer with five goals) and defensively with repeat saves. The last few minutes of the game played out at warp speed, with a revved-up Santi Torres making the final goal to bring Valiente within a single point (11-10). “We were up in the beginning but then couldn’t convert more goals, and we let them back in the game,” said Roldan. “But we just kept pushing, and Grant kept putting pressure on them, and in the end we were the lucky team. There was a lot to learn from this game.” (Grant Ganzi, at 17 the youngest patron in the 20-goal season, agreed with Roldan, noting that Audi/Millarville won the game against its strong, skillful opponent by “holding it together and showing poise when it mattered.”)
Audi/Millarville (2-1) Valiente (0-3)
Grant Ganzi 1 Bob Jornayvaz 2
Julian Mannix 4 Santi Torres 7
Nic Roldan 8 Santi Chavanne 7
Fred Mannix 7 Roberto Zedda 4
Undefeated Enigma Bests Villa del Lago 11-7
In the featured match Sunday at IPC on Engel & Völkers field, Enigma kept its winning streak alive in the Joe Barry Cup, defeating Villa del Lago 11-7. Spectators in the packed stands witnessed classic polo, with both teams vying to try to keep their undefeated status intact. It was anybody’s game in the first half, with the score tied or separated by one goal. That all changed in the second half, when Enigma notched the only two goals in the fourth, increasing the spread to three, and then to four points in the last chukker. Even though they had a bit of a cushion, Enigma captain Jerome Wirth did not feel confident about a victory until the final few minutes. “I didn’t think we had it won until the last chukker,” he said. “When you play against such a good team and someone like Hilario, it’s always a problem. He is such a good player; he could come back in three minutes. We had to keep him under control.”
Carlucho Arellano was named Most Valuable Player and his mount, Morisette, was Best Playing Pony.
Enigma (3-0) Villa del Lago (2-1)
Jerome Wirth 1 James Zenni 0
Jeff Hall 7 Agustin Obregon 5
Matias MacDonough 7 Hilario Ulloa 9
Carlucho Arellano 5 Guille Aguero 6
Tonkawa Keeps La Indiana Winless, 11-9
Sunday’s game at Tonkawa between Tonkawa and La Indiana in the Joe Barry Cup was essentially a battle between two players. Tonkawa bested La Indiana 11-9, with Gonzalo Deltour scoring nine of Tonkawa’s 11 goals and La Indiana’s Joao Paulo Ganon notching eight of his team’s nine. Both teams are out of contention in the tournament.
Tonkawa (1-2) La Indiana (0-3)
Jeff Hildebrand A Michael Bickford 1
Gonzalo Deltour 7 Joao Paulo Ganon 7
Sebastian Merlos 9 Ruki Baillieu 7T
Mason Wroe 4 Tommy Collingwood 5
The Joe Barry Cup continues Monday, Jan. 25, when Orchard Hill faces off against Dubai at 3 p.m. at Valiente.
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