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Team USA Wins Double Overtime Thriller In Inaugural PTF Junior International Cup At Grand Champions Polo Club |
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In front of a good crowd and ChukkerTV.com worldwide audience, Kristos Magrini, 9, son of 8-goaler Matias Magrini, scored the winning shot with 4:19 left using the rainbow rule. “The ball was there and I took the shot,” Magrini said. “I am very happy to win. It was fun and nice to win for the U.S. “We thought we were going to win. We didn’t want the girls to beat us.”
Mia Novillo Astrada, 14, daughter of Argentine 10-goaler Miguel Novillo Astrada, was named Most Valuable Player. Magrini was given the Sportsmanship Award. In the consolation game, Argentina shut out the England Colts, 4-0. Santos Bollini, son of former 8-goaler Juan Bollini, was named Most Valuable Player. Jasmine Stanhope-White earned the Sportsmanship Award. The first-ever PTF Junior International Cup featured four teams including an all-girls team.
In nearly three hours of high-level, action-packed junior polo, England Colts (Luke Wiles, Zac Beim, Christian Oberschneider, Jasmine Stanhope-White), USA (Landen Daniels, Kristos Magrini, Mackenzie Weisz, Benji Daniels), Argentina (Juanse Olivera, Poroto Cambiaso, Santos Merlos, Santos Bollini) and Girls International (Mia Novillo Astrada, Riley Ganzi, Hope Arellano, Mia Cambiaso) battled through four qualifying chukkers to determine the consolation and final. In the opening two chukkers, Girls International defeated the England Colts, 4-2, to advance into the final. Mia Cambiaso led scoring with two. Astrada and Ganzi each had one goal. Wiles and Beim each had one goal.
Benji Daniels scored the winning goal in overtime to lead Team USA to a 2-1 victory over Argentina to advance. Daniels and Magrini each finished with one goal. Cambiaso scored Argentina’s goal. After a scoreless opening chukker, Argentina jumped on the England Colts for four goals in the second chukker. Cambiaso led scoring with two. Merlos and Bollini each had one goal.
In an exciting finish, Team USA and Girls International battled nearly into the night. Girls International took the lead with Ganzi and Astrada working well together downfield and Astrada scoring the opening goal at the 5:05 mark. Four minutes later, Magrini took a pass from Benji Daniels to tie the game with 1:09 left in the first chukker. Both teams had scoring opportunities in the second chukker but were unable to score sending it into overtime. The teams battled to another 0-0 tie forcing a second overtime where the rainbow rule was invoked setting up Magrini’s big lofted shot past the backline.
Magrini finished with two goals. Astrada scored her team’s goal. “I saw the play open up for Kristos,” said 11-year-old Landen Daniels. “We worked together to take the girls out and he got a clear shot to hit it over the line. When he hit it I knew we won. It was fun representing the U.S., this was my first time. I was very happy our team won.” Mia Novillo Astrada said it was fun to be part of a historical all-girls team playing against boys.
“I was pretty tired and my horses were more tired,” Astrada said. “The team was excellent. Everyone was really good. They are all good teammates. I was really happy to be MVP. I didn’t know I won it until they told me.” Her father, one of the world’s best now preparing for the upcoming 26-goal season with FlexJet, was proud watching his daughter. “It’s a lot of fun watching her,” Miguel Novillo Astrada said. “I get a little bit nervous. I am very proud. She loves to play. I see she is having fun and that’s amazing to me that she is always having fun.
“She started riding like a hobby with me and she said she wanted to try polo. I didn’t push her and I still don’t push her. She loves it. “Today the four girls played really well and tried really hard,” Astrada said. “They could have won. They had their chances so they should be happy.” Astrada’s teammate Riley Ganzi said the game could have gone either way.
It was just as exciting for the adults including Nick Wiles, team chaperone of the England Colts, coached by British great Mark Tomlinson. “This is terrific, said Wiles, whose son Luke competed. “What’s so exciting is you have a mixture of American kids, Argentine kids and kids from all over the world. What a great environment to play polo in.
“More than anything else it creates friendships and you see them all mingling together and talking different languages but the key language is polo. “It was a fantastic final,” Wiles said. “Our hearts all wanted the girls to win because they played so well and were a super team. It was terrific. Hopefully, this tournament has legs and will go through other generations and give kids the opportunity.”
The England contingent planned to watch the Ylvisaker Cup semifinals on Wednesday and visit the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame before returning home on Friday. The historical winning Cup, made by Cartier, was provided by the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame. It was from the 1927 Westchester Cup held at the Meadowbrook (Ill.) Polo Club where the U.S. won. The Polo Training Foundation is attracting record number of juniors and events through the tireless efforts of Executive Director Danny Scheraga and Assistant Executive Director Jennifer McLeavy along with Chairman Richard Riemenschneider, President Tony Coppola, Vice President Gillian Johnston and Secretary-Treasurer Melissa Ganzi, President of host venue Grand Champions Polo Club. “I just can’t believe the level of polo these kids play,” Scheraga said. “It was Jennifer’s idea to do an International Girls Team and it was just wonderful the way they worked, got in the final and darn near won the thing.
“This is what the PTF is all about, to promote sportsmanship and events like this,” Scheraga said. “We really want to see more amateurs come into the game. Some of these kids are destined to be professionals and should be. But there are lots of kids around the country that need to go to school, get degrees and come out and maybe not be patrons but at least be able to own their own horses and support themselves in the game. The sport to survive needs that to happen.” Marc and Melissa, owners of Grand Champions Polo Club, provided most of the horses. The Ganzi family also hosted three of the England Colts players. Heather and Andres Weisz hosted the fourth player. Cilantro’s, provided by Grand Champions, hosted an asado for event participants and fans.
The Polo Training Foundation has been instrumental in the growth of junior and youth polo players by encouraging the sport’s development with training programs, lessons and tournaments for boys and girls. It was created in 1967. Honorary PTF Directors are George Alexander, Jr., Daniel W. Calhoun, Jr., Karlene Beal Garber, Orrin H, Ingram, Jesse L. Upchurch and Eugene Burk, Lyn Jason Cobb, Bob Daniels, Glen Holden Sr., Jesse Pruitt, Thomas A. Sikes, Lynn Thompson, John Walsh, Ian W. Angus, Joseoh W. Kozlik, Stephen Orthwein, Russell Sheldon, Jim Zenni, Jr., Robert Donahey, Duncan Huyler, Joseph Meyer and Clifford Sifton. The game was live-streamed throughout the world by ChukkerTV.com that features re-broadcasts, video on demand and player interviews.
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 FEBRUARY: USPA Sieber Memorial Trophy; FEBRUARY 24-March 7: $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: FEBRUARY: USPA Cyril R. Harrison Trophy; MARCH: The Limited Edition 8-Goal Series and USPA Regional President’s Cup; APRIL: USPA Association Cup 6-GOAL TOURNAMENTS FEBRUARY: Halo Polo Trophy; 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. POLO MANAGER: Juan Olivera, 561-644-5050, gcpoloclub@gmail.com 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 |
