U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship® Semifinals
San Saba vs. BTA
In the first match-up of the day, BTA took on Thursday’s round-robin wildcard winners San Saba. After a start and go first couple minutes of play, San Saba’s Sunny Hale made the first and only goal of the chukker, leaving BTA scoreless. Solid defense from both teams kept the score low with a goal for each team to end the half 2-1, San Saba with the narrow lead.
BTA came alive in the third chukker with three unanswered goals beginning with a penalty 2 conversion from Lia Salvo to tie up the game 2-all. Salvo kept up BTA’s momentum with back-to-back goals including an 80-yard drive down field followed by a skillful cut shot goal to take a two-goal lead. San Saba retaliated in the fourth, with Hale capitalizing on a penalty 2 and 3, to tie the game 4-4. With a little less than three minutes left in the game, Clarissa Echezzarretta scored for San Saba to take back the lead. BTA battled as the clock wound down, but was unable to score. As the thirty second horn blew, a final run to goal by Hale went wide to end the game. San Saba took the win 5-4 over BTA, and advances to Sunday’s final.
Rocking P Lockton vs. Land Rover
The second U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship® semifinal pitted Land Rover against Rocking P Lockton. Despite Rocking P Lockton’s offensive onslaught in the first chukker, including a breakaway out of the first throw in by Sarah Wiseman, the team could not hit the mark, nearly scoring three goals within the first five minutes of play. A penalty 3 conversion by Kristy Outhier in the final moments of the first chukker finally put Rocking P Lockton on the board. Land Rover, caught flat-footed in the first, struggled to contain their opponents in the second. Rocking P Lockton’s Hazel Jackson dominated before the half, scoring three unanswered goals, bringing the score 4-0.
Rocking P Lockton continued to rack up goals in the third. Splitting a position, Courtney Price traded places with Athena Malin for the second half of the semifinal. Price contributed a goal following two from powerhouse Wiseman. In an attempt to overcome the seven goal deficit, Land Rover resurfaced in the fourth with two goals from Erica Gandomcar-Sachs. However, it was too little too late; Rocking P Lockton secured their spot in the Sunday final against San Saba with a decisive 7-2 victory.
Rocking P Lockton will meet San Saba in the finals of the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship® Sunday, November 13 at 3:00pm ET at the Houston Polo Club in Houston, Texas.