Iconica Claims Second Win of Captive One U.S. Open Polo Championship®
The sixth day of the 2019 CaptiveOne U.S. Open Polo Championship® featured the beginning of the second round with Iconica capturing their second victory in the 12-8 win over Coca-Cola at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.
A back and forth affair saw Coca-Cola maintain a slim lead throughout most of the game, only to falter in the final chukka due to foul trouble. Iconica’s Peke Gonzalez was a standout player in the game, finishing with nine goals on perfect 5 for 5 shooting from the field and 4 for 6 from the penalty line in the victory. Coca-Cola grabbed an early lead behind the play of Ignacio Novillo Astrada, who effectively directed his team’s passing attack with three assists on Coca-Cola’s first four field goals. Taking advantage of Iconica foul trouble, Astrada added two goals from the penalty line to extend Coca-Cola’s lead to two by halftime. A late collision between Peke Gonzalez and Matias Magrini ended the half, resulting in an extended injury time-out, but both players continued into the second half.
Iconica cut the deficit in half after goals from Magrini and Sebastian Merlos in the fourth chukka, with two missed Penalty 4’s preventing Coca-Cola from extending their lead. The pace continued to slow with limited chances for both teams as the ball primarily stayed in the middle of the field allowing Coca-Cola to maintain their one-goal edge. Holding the lead after each of the first five chukkas, late foul trouble in the sixth chukka for Coca-Cola saw them commit seven fouls leading to four penalty attempts for Iconica. Shooting a perfect 4 for 4 from the penalty line and adding a field goal, Peke Gonzalez completed a perfect final chukka to finish with nine goals and lead Iconica to the 12-8 victory, remaining undefeated in the CaptiveOne U.S. Open Polo Championship.
