In a formidable debut of skill and teamwork, the Georgetown Men’s Polo team defeated Harvard in their first match of the season, winning 12-1. Team captain Ford Middendorf together with Benedikt Jaenecke were unremitting in their offensive and passing strategy against the Crimson, with major assists and goals from Alfonso Pla Zobel de Ayala and Muhammad Bin Talal.
In spite of the adverse weather conditions that persisted throughout the match on Saturday, October 21, the Hoyas had the Crimson trailing from the start. Jaenecke led the team with eight goals, Middendorf contributed two, and Pla Zobel de Ayala and Bin Talal each scored one.
The Hoya women achieved their breakout goal of competing together for the first time after significant roster turnover, but were unfortunately not able to secure the win against the more seasoned Harvard team, with a final score of 15-4. Returning member and captain Ashley Parekh guided new members Camila Navarro-Delavega, Lucienne Bacon, and Marley Simpson through their first match on Sunday, October 22. Despite heavy losses in the first chukker, Georgetown was able to tie and win the second and third chukkers, respectively, though unfortunately not by enough to recover the overall score.
The Georgetown men will look to build on their strong start to the season at the University of Virginia Fall Tournament. They take on UVA at 6:00 PM on Thursday, October 26, with the winner advancing to the final match on Sunday, October 29, against either Cornell University or the University of Kentucky. Meanwhile, the women’s team will return to Georgetown with their sights set on preparing for upcoming non-conference matches.
The club thanks Harvard University for inviting them, Anja Eckbo for housing accommodations, as well as Hoya coach Gus Fraga-Errecart.
Text by Lucie Bacon
Photos by Gus
