Beverly Polo Advances to Final with Win Over Tamera at IPC
Wellington, FL – February 4, 2021 – With a spot in the 2021 Ylvisaker Cup final on the line, Beverly Polo pulled off an emphatic victory Thursday at the International Polo Club Palm Beach, defeating Tamera 11-5. The efficient attacking skills of Hilario Figueras, who led the way with six goals, helped secure the convincing victory and compete in their third consecutive final, facing Palm Beach Equine on the Home of the U.S. Polo Assn – Field 1.
Beverly Polo and Tamera met earlier in the Ylvisaker Cup with Tamera capturing the 14-10 victory, but Wednesday’s semifinal provided a different story as Beverly Polo came out strong and never trailed at any point in the game. Figueras provided a dynamic effort for Beverly Polo, matching his entire number of field goals in the season in one game, coming forward from the #4 position to add five goals in open play. Tamera had difficulties matching Beverly Polo, converting just two of their 11 shot attempts, affecting their chances to mount a comeback. Controlling possession, Beverly Polo’s defense was a significant factor in the game, holding Tamera to just one goal throughout the second half. Joining Figueras on the attack, Tolito Ocampo contributed with four assists to provide a strong duo for Beverly Polo to capture the impressive six-goal victory.
Hilario Figueras led the way for Beverly Polo with six goals. ©Alex Pacheco
A strong start from Beverly Polo allowed them to build on their two-goal advantage on handicap, increasing the lead to three after goals from Figueras and Ocampo. Diego Cavanagh converted a Penalty 4 to get Tamera on the scoreboard as the remainder of the first half saw the teams locked in a defensive battle. Beverly Polo went scoreless in the second chukker allowing Tamera to pull closer, but inaccurate shooting from the field and penalty line resulted in Tamera only scoring one goal off the mallet of Cavanagh to trail 4-2. Despite conceding the first goal in the third chukker, Tamera fought to close the gap, receiving one goal each from Lucas Escobar and Cavanagh, pulling within one goal, and trail Beverly Polo 5-4 at half time.
Unwilling to concede their lead, Beverly Polo raced out of the gate in the second half, shooting at goal five times in the fourth chukker, but it led to just one field goal from Figueras. With the possession advantage, Beverly Polo kept Tamera pinned in their own half and prevented them from scoring to extend the lead back to two. In the most decisive chukker of the game, Beverly Polo’s defense kept Tamera off the scoreboard once again while producing three goals from Figueras, Ocampo and Peke Gonzalez to turn a two-goal lead into a five-goal advantage. Finishing their strong performance, Beverly Polo managed their lead, adding two more goals from Figueras to book their spot in the final with the dominant 11-5 victory.