Houston, Texas – The United States Polo Association U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship culminated on Sunday, November 9 with Northern Trust defeating BTA 5-4 in sudden death overtime. The championship tournament, which took place at the Houston Polo Club, is polo’s most prestigious women’s tournament. To reach the finals, BTA defeated Land Rover 7-6 in overtime, while Northern Trust defeated San Saba/Shanghai by the same score in their semi-final match.
Competing in the finals were Northern Trust’s winning side consisted of Maureen Brennan, Julia Smith, Sarah Wiseman, and Claire Brougham, and runner-up BTA’s Brianna Galindo, KC Krueger, Sheila Lequerica, and Lia Salvo. BTA led the entire first half, with Northern Trust staying within striking distance, ending the first half down one goal, 3-2.
Northern Trust scored first in the second half, to tie the game 3-3 with a score from Sarah Wiseman. Wiseman would score again to have Northern Trust take the lead 4-3 going into the 4th and final chukker. BTA would answer back to tie the game 4-4 forcing the game to go into sudden death overtime. Julia Smith, Team USPA member and captain of the University of Virginia Intercollegiate team, scored the game-winning goal on a penalty shot for Northern Trust. Sarah Wiseman scored three of Northern Trust’s five goals and was named the most valuable player, and Zumi, owned and played by BTA’s KC Kruegar, was named Best Playing Pony.
Northern Trust’s Maureen Brennan and Julia Smith played together on last year’s U.S. Women’s Open championship team, Goose Creek. Smith, was introduced to polo through the Work to Ride program and advanced to the Intercollegiate level at the University of Virginia. She is currently the captain of the University of Virginia Women’s Polo Team and has led her team to numerous victories including the 2013 Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship title.
“The U.S. Open Women’s Championship provides a tournament for our sport’s fiercest females to showcase their competitive spirit and authentic passion,” said Peter Rizzo, CEO of the United States Polo Association. “Polo’s fastest growing demographic is women, and the United States Polo Association is extremely proud to be represented on and off the field by these outstanding ladies.”
The tournament’s host club, the Houston Polo Club (HPC), was founded in 1928 and has become the largest USPA member club in the nation. The club hosts 2 through 12 goal polo tournaments during the fall and spring seasons. HPC is also a recognized USPA Regional Polo Center (RPC) and provides a full-service polo school, junior polo eventsLive, and year-round boarding and riding lessons. The USPA established the RPC program as a network of the most prominent polo centers around the country that train polo players, umpires, managers and others. They also support other clubs nearby and provide resources in an effort to enhance USPA membership.
