Pilot won against Tamera by a score of 11-9 in the U.S. Open Polo Championship at National Polo Center on Sunday 14th April in a tight and intense match to take the third Semi-final spot, joining Valiente and La Dolfina.
With so much on the line for both teams, it was all to play for. A win for Pilot meant a guaranteed spot in the semis and a win for Tamera would give them a second chance to compete to stay in the tournament.
A well matched game, it started goal for goal. Pilot replying each time Tamera managed to score but soon Pilot started to press home their advantage. Despite even scoring average of 50% going into halftime, Pilot were making more opportunities and went into the fourth chukka with a 3 goal advantage. More accurate from the penalty line, they remained ahead throughout the game and despite tenacious plays from Mackenzie Weisz, which saw him taking on 10 goaler Facundo Pieres and still managing to score 5 goals, Tamera were unable to catch up.
With just minutes to go it looked like Tamera could equalise but a pinpoint accurate safety 60 from Facundo Pieres sealed Pilot’s place in the semis. Pilot will play Valiente on the 17th in the second Semi-final of the day.
The Teams:
Chukka Breakdown:
Score Progression:
Game Statistics:
