Park Place First to Capture Two Wins in Cartier Queen’s Cup
The fifth day in the 2020 Cartier Queen’s Cup saw Park Place be the first team to two wins, capturing the 11-9 victory over Monterosso, while Scone held on for the thrilling 11-10 victory over Park Place Vaara to begin the day at Guards Polo Club.
Overcoming a slow start to the game, Scone excelled in a defensive second half, limiting Park Place Vaara to just two goals. An organized team effort for Scone saw Nico Pieres lead the way with six goals, thanks to 5 for 6 shooting from the penalty line, while Oliver Cudmore and James Harper were active in open play to combine for five goals. Foul trouble throughout the second half of the match prevented Park Place Vaara from separating themselves, resulting in Scone capturing the thrilling 11-10 victory.
Setting a quick pace in the first two chukkas, Park Place Vaara provided a potent attack that stunned Scone in the early stages of the game. Hilario Ulloa and Juan Britos combined for three goals on four shots in the first chukka and quickly followed it up with a four-goal chukka to build a large lead. Ulloa’s third and fourth goals gave Park Place Vaara, along with one goal from newcomer Tommy Moreno pushed Park Place Vaara’s advantage to four. The pace of the game immediately changed in the third chukka as Park Place Vaara committed four fouls resulting in three penalty goals for Nico Pieres. Adding a field goal and an assist to Harper, Pieres was crucial in the five-goal chukka to tie the game at 8-8.
After sixteen combined goals in the first half, just five goals were scored throughout the entire second half in the hard-fought conclusion to the match. Cudmore and Ulloa traded goals for their respective teams in the fourth chukka, with neither team able to hold onto the lead. Scoring their sixth goal each, Ulloa and Pieres traded goals leaving the score tied at 10-10 until Harper broke the tie to give Scone their first lead at the end of a chukka in the game. A scoreless final chukka provided drama with Pieres forced out of the game after being hit by a horseshoe, with Bartolome Castagnola filling in for the final five minutes. Keeping Park Place Vaara off the scoreboard, Scone captured the exciting 11-10 win.
The second match saw Park Place lead throughout most of the game thanks to the nine-goal performance from Facundo Pieres. Outshooting Monterosso 24-14, the extra scoring opportunities ultimately proved to be the difference, despite the inaccurate 29% shooting from the field. After missing just one shot in the first half, Monterosso could not keep pace with Park Place, outscored by two over the final two chukkas in the two-goal defeat.
Holding a large advantage in possession, Park Place took the lead in the first chukka behind two goals from Facundo Pieres, but Monterosso stayed within reach despite the large difference in shot attempts to goal. Joining Park Place for the first time this season, Will Harper scored his first goal of the game to maintain their one-goal lead while Monterosso’s Ignacio Toccalino converted his only shot from the field. The conclusion of the first half saw an exciting third chukka as the two teams scored three goals each, utilizing a different offensive strategy. Monterosso received one goal each from Guillermo Terrera, Toccalino and Jeronimo del Carril, while Park Place relied on the prowess of Facundo Pieres, who scored all three goals for Park Place to finish the half.
Inaccurate shooting caught up to Park Place as Monterosso finally fought to tie the score at 6-6 in the fourth chukka on a goal from Terrera. Missing all five shots from the field, Park Place was unable to pull away from Monterosso, leaving two chukkas to decide the outcome. The two-man game of Facundo and Gonzalito Pieres excelled to push Park Place into the two-goal lead, combining for three goals while the lack of scoring attempts for Monterosso prevented them from keeping pace. Goals from Toccalino and del Carril in the final chukka were not enough to complete the comeback as Facundo Pieres cemented the 11-9 victory with his eighth and ninth goals.
All matches remain behind closed doors but every game is being filmed and can be viewed LIVE via a pay per view service at guardspoloclub.com/guards-tv.
Photo credit – Images of Polo