|
Northern Trust Captures The Limited Edition 12-Goal Series Cup; Peke Gonzalez Named MVP |
|
On a brisk Saturday afternoon, Northern Trust (Maureen Brennan, 1, Peke Gonzalez, 1, Mariano Gonzalez, 7, Steve Krueger, 3) defeated Catamount (Rodolfo Ramos, 1, Scott Devon/Angel Torres, 2, Patrick Uretz, 3, Memo Gracida, 6), 14-6, to finish the season-opening tournament undefeated with a 5-0 record.
“In our meeting I had said we needed to come out aggressive right away and we did,” Brennan said. “We kept that tempo. We wanted to win every play and every chukker. “I thought we had a great shot of winning because each game coming in we were getting a little better,” Brennan said. “We were all focused on doing our jobs. That’s a team.”
“Peke is like the old soul,” Brennan said. “He is way above his years mentally. He is very focused and dedicated, very much a student of the sport and the horses.” It was the teenager’s first pro game playing alongside his father Mariano and his second game of the day after filling in for an injured 1-goaler Rob Jornayvaz of Valiente in its’ Ylvisaker Cup opener against FlexJet. “I wanted to play well and win because this is my first professional tournament I played with my father,” Gonzalez said. “I didn’t expect this kind of game. They are very good players. I thought it was going to be hard. “We struggled a little bit in the first half. It was tough to get organized but when we got organized things were good. This is my first time winning a tournament so I am very excited.” Gonzalez enjoyed playing with his father who has mentored him ever since he got on a horse.
Mariano Gonzalez, a 7-goaler, scored a game-high seven goals. He still remembers how it felt playing with his father for the first time. “It’s great to play with my son,” said Mariano Gonzalez. “This is every father’s dream. I got to play with my father in a very important tournament in Argentina when I was 15. It’s amazing. It’s what I have been doing all my life, playing polo, bringing up horses, breeding and teaching my son how to ride and how to play and finally it comes together.”
Northern Trust pounded away early for a 3-0 lead behind two penalty goals by Mariano Gonzalez and the first of two Krueger goals. Northern Trust continued to frustrate Catamount with its tight defense and physical play to extend its lead to 8-1 after the second chukker. “I never expected this type of game especially with Memo,” Mariano Gonzalez said. “He always keeps the teams really well-organized and really strong. We might have gotten a really good day and they might have had a bad day.” Catamount could manage only two goals in the third chukker and trailed 10-3 at the half.
“We built a lead and played more our game and made the other team play catch-up,” Krueger said. “I didn’t anticipate this kind of win. I thought it would be one goal all the way to the sixth. It was a good win.” Playing against Gracida for the first time was an opportunity of a lifetime for Krueger. “It was unbelievable, to play against somebody like that, a living legend that I read about since I was a little kid was a thrill,” Krueger said. Northern Trust shut out Catamount for a second time in the fourth chukker, pulling away 12-3. The fifth chukker was highlighted by an incredible 60-yard neck shot at full speed by Peke Gonzalez with 52 seconds left to give Northern Trust a 14-4 lead. Catamount missed several scoring opportunities in the sixth chukker and could manage to score only two more goals. Uretz, a member of Team USPA, led Catamount scoring with two goals. The chemistry among the Northern Trust players was evident from the opening chukker. Brennan had been working on her new lineup since last summer.
“As a team we are getting more comfortable together,” Brennan said. “The combination of all the styles are just jelling. They’re just nice people I admire, appreciate and respect.” Brennan first played with Mariano Gonzalez in 2006 in the Gold Cup. Brennan’s 11-year-old horse Cachorra, was named Best Playing Pony ridden by an amateur and Mariano Gonzalez’ horse Veronica was named Best Playing Pony ridden by a pro. Both were draped in beautifully-designed Horseware Ireland pony blankets.
Catamount, led by legendary Hall of Famer and former 10-goaler Memo Gracida, wearing his trademark gold helmet, was forced to play without its player-patron Scott Devon the last 47 seconds of the first half and all of the second half. Devon was hit above the eye with a mallet late in the third chukker and was taken to Wellington Regional Hospital to get stitches. Earlier in the chukker, Devon was knocked off his horse but escaped serious injury. Angel Torres replaced Devon in the lineup. Chukker TV.com live streams the weekly Saturday Feature Game held at Grand Champions. It also offers past broadcasts, Video On Demand and player interviews.
2015 POLO ON DEMAND Grand Champions Polo Club has a full schedule of tournaments from January to May. Let our polo experts create a turn-key experience including top pros to bring out the best in you and your team. Lessons are available. 12-GOAL TOURNAMENTS FEBRUARY: USPA Sieber Memorial Trophy; FEBRUARY 24-March 7: $50,000 National 12-Goal Tournament; MARCH: The Top Pony 12-Goal Series; APRIL: Museum of Polo & Hall of Fame Challenge Cup 8-GOAL TOURNAMENTS: FEBRUARY: USPA Cyril R. Harrison Trophy; MARCH: The Limited Edition 8-Goal Series and USPA Regional President’s Cup; APRIL: USPA Association Cup 6-GOAL TOURNAMENTS FEBRUARY: Halo Polo Trophy; MARCH: Madelon Bourdieu Memorial; APRIL: Las Acacias 16-GOAL TOURNAMENTS: MARCH: Santa Rita Abierto; APRIL: John T. Oxley Memorial Trophy
|
