King Power Dominates Schockemohle Polo To Advance to Quarterfinals
In their final game of league play, King Power produced a dominant 12-3 victory over Schockemohle Polo at Noel Farm to improve to 3-1 and secure their place in the Cartier Queen’s Cup quarterfinals.
Conceding the fewest goals in a game thus far, King Power’s defense stood tall against Schockemohle Polo, limiting them to just 16% shooting from the field. Making each opportunity difficult around goal, King Power also avoided fouling, preventing a single penalty attempt, and allowing their proficiency from open play to drive them to victory. Hilario Ulloa finished with nine goals on 70% shooting, while Francisco Elizalde accounted for the rest as King Power produced one of their best showings of the tournament in a crucial fourth league game.
The elite duo for King Power made their mark in the opening chukka, scoring one goal each to take an early 2-0 lead, but Schockemohle Polo responded before the first horn sounded. Santiago Tanoira recorded his team’s first goal, while Clement Delfosse brought the game even at 2-2 on the opening throw-in of the second chukka. That proved to be the only offense Schockemohle Polo could produce in the first half, resulting in King Power charging into the lead. Ulloa proved to be an unstoppable force, scoring the final four goals of the half to give King Power the 6-2 advantage.
Attempting to close the gap, Schockemohle Polo pressured King Power in the early moments of the second half but were unable to find the mark on four shot attempts, leaving King Power to extend their lead further. Ulloa continued to score at a rapid pace, adding one goal from the penalty line and one from the field to continue his run of six consecutive goals. Inaccurate shooting continued to plague a Schockemohle Polo team that had gone scoreless since the second chukka and watched the deficit grow to eight by the end of the fifth chukka. Ulloa completed an impressive performance with his eighth and ninth goals to secure the dominant 12-3 victory and ensure King Power’s place in the knockout stage.
UAE Polo Team II Improves to 2-2 in Cartier Queen’s Cup
A game closely watched, with quarterfinal implications for multiple teams, UAE Polo Team II captured the narrow 8-7 victory over Vikings for their second win in the Cartier Queen’s Cup.
Coming down to the final seconds, the match was decided on the penalty line as a result of inaccurate shooting for both teams from the field. Converting three field goals each, goals were difficult to come by for UAE Polo Team II and Vikings, shooting 20% and 30% respectively. Despite failing to record a field goal in the second half, UAE Polo Team II’s Alfredo Cappella converted all four penalty attempts to lead his team to victory, while Vikings will lament their 4 for 9 penalty shooting, which was ultimately the difference in the narrow defeat.
A foul-ridden opening chukka produced seven fouls but zero penalty goals as the teams exchanged possession in the middle of the field. On the receiving end of a pass from Sebastian Merlos, Juan Martin Zubia opened the scoring and was the lone goal in a 1-0 first chukka in favour of Vikings. Increasing their pressure, UAE Polo Team II kept Vikings in their defensive half, receiving a Penalty 1 and field goal from Lucas Monteverde Jr. to take their first lead. It was short-lived after two penalty conversions for Vikings restored their one-goal advantage. The two-man game between Merlos and Zubia continued to produce towards the end of the half as Vikings completed a run of four unanswered goals to extend the lead to three. However, in the final moments of the half, Monteverde Jr. scored on consecutive plays, resulting in a 5-4 lead for Vikings at the break.
The pace slowed at the beginning of the second half as the game turned to the penalty line. Trading one penalty goal each, Vikings remained one goal ahead but had the opportunity to increase their lead further if not for two missed penalties. In the most decisive chukka of the match, UAE Polo Team II surged ahead due to the penalty shooting of Cappella. Converting all three opportunities, UAE Polo Team II generated all of their offense from the penalty line while holding Vikings scoreless. Inaccuracy from both the field and the penalty line for Vikings proved to be a significant factor in the outcome as they attempted to tie the score in the final minutes. Zubia’s fifth goal brought Vikings within one, but two missed penalties left them one goal short as time expired in the 8-7 defeat.