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Northern Trust Captures USPA Rob Sieber Memorial Trophy, Remains Undefeated; Peke Gonzalez Named MVP
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| Northern Trust broke open a close game in the sixth chukker to capture the USPA Rob Sieber Memorial 12-Goal Trophy Tournament on Tuesday at windswept Grand Champions Polo Club
Northern Trust (Maureen Brennan, 1, Peke Gonzalez, 1, Mariano Gonzalez, 7, Steve Krueger, 3) outscored Catamount (Rodolfo Ramos, 1, Scott Devon, 2, Patrick Uretz, 3, Memo Gracida, 6) 5-0 in the final chukker to win 12-7 in front of a packed house and worldwide Chukker TV audience. Northern Trust remains undefeated after the first two months of the Grand Champions Polo Club winter season.
“It’s always a goal of mine to be undefeated,” Brennan said. “Whether it’s 4, 12, 20 or 26 goal you try to be organized and prepared with the horses. We have great friendships and we have fun. We have respect for each other. “For me that’s everything, that’s the value. At the end of the day if you don’t win, you at least feel like you have good camaraderie amongst the team and like each other. It’s everything I hoped for. “We kept to our plan which has been our thing all along, being organized and prepared,” Brennan said. “I have so much faith in these guys. No matter what was going through the whole game we were going to be fine.”
Peke Gonzalez, at 15 the youngest player in the tournament final, was named Most Valuable Player. Gonzalez finished with four goals. His father Mariano and Krueger also had four goals apiece. It was the second consecutive tournament final Northern Trust defeated Catamount. “It was very different from the last time,” Gonzalez said. “They changed something definitely and made it a very tough game. After you win it is more satisfying to win this kind of game. But when you are playing and trying to get a goal against a tough team it is difficult.” It was Gonzalez’ second MVP honor.
“The four of us had very good horses in the sixth chukker,” Gonzalez said. “We knew we had to score and keep it up. I am happy to win and play with my father, that is always amazing. Playing against Memo was very tough to mark and there was a lot of pressure. He is amazing.” Uretz, a member of Team USPA, led Catamount with four goals. Ramos, Devon and Gracida each had one goal.
“We had a couple chances early in the sixth, we didn’t make the play, they scored and it kind of snowballed at the end,” said longtime Catamount player and patron Scott Devon, who was presented the Sportsmanship Award. “We gave them a good fight today,” Devon said. “Northern Trust is undefeated all year, we made two finals. To make the finals of two tournaments, I couldn’t be happier. They deserve to win.” Rosebud, a chestnut mare owned by Julio Gracida and ridden by his father Memo in the second and sixth chukkers, was named Best Playing Pony.
For the first five chukkers the game was close. Unlike the teams’ first meeting, the lead changed hands four times and was tied three times. “We knew they were going to come back a little different from the first time we played them,” Brennan said. “Patrick seemed to get free a lot and he did damage and the same with Rodolfo. They had more offense and were constantly going forward. We felt like we were chasing them in the beginning.”
Defending champion Catamount jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind Gracida and Uretz working well together. Northern Trust reeled Catamount in with a 3-0 chukker behind two Gonzalez goals to lead 5-3 at the end of the second chukker. After a physical and defensive third chukker, Northern Trust held on to its three-goal advantage to lead 6-3 at the half. Catamount bounced back in the fourth chukker shutting Northern Trust out, 2-0. Devon scored off a nice back shot from Gracida with 2:42 left and Uretz outraced Gonzalez for another goal to trail by only one, 6-5.
Uretz of Team USPA, playing his first of two games of the day, was dominating in the fifth chukker playing well on both ends on a lightning-quick horse. Uretz first defended a Northern Trust scoring attempt. He then scored on a breakaway to tie the game at 6-6 and a minute later took a pass from Gracida and beat his defender to score again to give Catamount the lead again, 7-6. “We put Memo on Mariano and that gave them less time,” Devon said. “We had a couple of good runs. The fourth and fifth were good chukkers for us and a good comeback. We just kind of ran out of gas.”
The momentum swayed to Northern Trust at the end of the fifth chukker. Mariano Gonzalez scored through a crowd to tie the game at 7-7. After Devon turned back Peke Gonzalez’ goal attempt to end the chukker, Northern Trust roared back in the final chukker for a 5-0 advantage behind Krueger’s three-goal attack. “By the end of the game we just got basic and played simple polo,” said Brennan, whose team will also play the 16-goal tournament at Grand Champions.
The tournament is named in honor of polo player Rob Sieber, who died in a polo-related accident 30 years ago at Oak Brook, Ill. “I knew him and I played against Rob years ago at Oak Brook,” Devon said. “This tournament does mean something to me. He was a Midwest player and the Siebers are a great polo family. It’s nice his legacy continues with this tournament.”
A moment of silence was held for his mother, Marge, who died recently. Tournament officials announced next year a subsidiary tournament will be added and named the Marge Sieber Memorial. John Sieber, who played with his brothers Rob and Jake, represented the family on Tuesday and presented the awards. Throughout the 16-team tournament, instant replay and team challenges were used.
ChukkerTV.com, leaders in polo broadcasting, introduced the state-of-the-art technology in January, 2014 at Grand Champions where it got rave reviews from patrons and players about the cutting-edge technology to help improve the sport and officiating. Grand Champions was the first polo club in the world to offer the technology where teams are allowed to challenge an umpire’s call during a game.
It is the first time in the sport’s history, instant replay and team challenges are being used. No club in the world has used the technology. Only replays are used in Argentina and other tournaments around the world. Chukker TV.com also is live streaming IPC high polo games through April 19th and features re-broadcasts, Video On Demand and player interviews.
2015 POLO ON DEMAND Grand Champions Polo Club, featuring five world-class fields, 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 March 6-9: $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: MARCH: The Limited Edition 8-Goal Series and USPA Regional President’s Cup; APRIL: USPA Association Cup. 6-GOAL TOURNAMENTS MARCH: Madelon Bourdieu Memorial; APRIL: Las Acacias. 16-GOAL TOURNAMENTS: MARCH: Santa Rita Abierto; APRIL: John T. Oxley Memorial Trophy.
GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB WHERE: 13444 Southfields Road, on the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, Wellington, 33414. INFORMATION: There are great field side views for tournament action at the home base of pro teams Audi, FlexJet and Casablanca. Everyone is welcome to watch high, medium and low goal polo in a relaxed atmosphere that includes a free Argentine asado during the winter, spring and fall tournament season and other special events including the March 15th Great Futures Boys & Girls Club Polo Day and March 16th Buzz Welker Memorial Junior Tournament, April 1-4 Women’s Championship Tournament (WCT) and International Cup in November. Admission is free except for special events. |
