Wellington, FL – April 4, 2021 – Two games in the 2021 CaptiveOne U.S. Open Polo Championship® highlighted Easter Sunday at the International Polo Club Palm Beach, beginning with Pilot producing a sixth chukker comeback to defeat Santa Clara 13-12. In the feature game of the week on the Home of the U.S. Polo Assn – Field 1, Tonkawa faced a difficult challenge from Cessna but scored five of the final six goals in the game to secure the 14-12 victory and join Pilot with a 2-0 record.
An exciting opening game at Valiente came down to the final seconds between Pilot and Santa Clara, with Facundo Pieres completing one of his best performances of the season, scoring 10 goals including the game-winning penalty conversion, while also adding three assists to contribute on all 13 Pilot goals. Santa Clara produced one of their strongest showings of the season, converting 67% of their shots from the field and all four penalties attempts in an efficient performance, but sixth chukker foul trouble ultimately allowed Pilot to grab the lead inside the final minute to remain undefeated with the 13-12 victory.
Winning the open throw-in, Miguel Novillo Astrada found Felipe Vercellino to score on the first play of the game, giving Santa Clara the quick 1-0 lead. Pilot reorganized and controlled the remainder of the first chukker, led by Facundo Pieres’ field goal, assist and penalty conversion from over 80 yards away to give his team the 3-2 lead. Despite being heavily outshot 13-3 in the first half, Santa Clara was able to keep pace with Pilot due to the accurate penalty shooting of Vercellino, who finished a perfect 4 for 4 from the penalty line. Converting just two of their final eight shot attempts in the half, Pilot continued to work their two-man game with Facundo and Gonzalito Pieres but were unable to pull away by halftime, tied at 7-7.
Pilot’s shooting struggles carried into the second half as they were held without a field goal in the fourth and fifth chukker, including some crucial blocks in front of goal by the Santa Clara defense as they stood tall against the pressure of Pilot’s attack. One goal each from Vercellino and Johnston, along with assists from Astrada and Escobar in the fourth chukker highlighted the complete Santa Clara team performance that pushed them into the narrow one-goal lead. Transitioning from passing to scoring, Astrada and Escobar each took advantage of their one opportunity at goal to extend their lead to two and leave Pilot in danger of their first loss of the tournament. Trading goals in the opening moments of the sixth chukker, time was running out for Pilot but Facundo Pieres scored back-to-back goals, leaving the score tied at 12-12. With one minute left, Vercellino got caught on an uneven ride-off, sending Pieres to the penalty line for a chance to win the game, and he sent the ball through the posts to complete the hard-fought 13-12 victory.
Curtis Pilot and Facundo Pieres celebrate the team‘s win. ©Alex Pacheco
A second comeback was seen in the feature game of the week as Tonkawa fought back from two goals down in the fifth chukker to remain undefeated. An efficient game on both sides of the ball resulted in 56% and 63% shooting from the field respectively for Tonkawa and Cessna, with the difference ultimately coming down to the penalty line, where Tonkawa’s Sapo Caset converted four of his five penalty attempts. In a game that was tied on five different occasions, Caset proved why he was the scoring leader in the Gauntlet of Polo®, scoring 10 goals in the narrow victory as the teams turn their attention to the quarterfinals of the CaptiveOne U.S. Open Polo Championship®.
Early pressure from Tonkawa forced Cessna into two early fouls and a Penalty 3 conversion for Caset that was quickly followed by a goal from the field on the following play. Withstanding the initial surge from Tonkawa, Cessna responded with Jared Zenni effectively manning the back of the game and assisting on two goals as part of a three-goal run for Cessna that gave them the 3-2 lead. Carrying that strategy into the second chukker, Zenni’s third assist of the game resulted in a goal for Mariano Obregon Jr. and a two-goal advantage for Cessna. Ferrario’s second goal ended a three-goal run for Cessna, but wanting to avoid a deficit at halftime, Caset took over, scoring four goals on two penalty conversions and perfect shooting from the field to turn a three-goal deficit into a two-goal lead in a matter of minutes.
The game was close with five instances of a tie score, but Tonkawa prevailed over Cessna. ©Alex Pacheco
Cessna exited the tent refocusing on a four-man attack that led to instant success to begin the second half. Camp Campbell led the way with two goals at the front of the game as Cessna shot at goal eight times in the fourth chukker alone to retake the lead at 11-9. The back-and-forth game saw its fifth tie as Tonkawa worked its way back even at 11-11, receiving one goal each from Lucas Escobar and Jeff Hildebrand in a crucial chukker that left the two teams deadlocked entering the final seven minutes. Tonkawa struck first with Elizalde setting up Caset and then following up with a goal of his own to build a two-goal lead. Obregon Jr.’s fifth goal of the game cut the lead in half, but it was as close as Cessna could come as Caset’s tenth goal sealed the 14-12 victory for Tonkawa.
Cessna’s Camp Campbell was awarded Most Valuable Player, finishing with three goals, while Sapo Caset’s Machitos Francisca captured Best Playing Pony honors. The final game of round two in the CaptiveOne U.S. Open Polo Championship® is Monday at 4 pm ET as Coca-Cola takes on Scone.
Pictured with Olga Hartsock of CaptiveOne Advisors, Tonkawa is undefeated in the CaptiveOne U.S. Open Polo Championship®. ©Alex Pacheco
Polo matches at IPC are not open to the general public except for ticketed Sunday brunch. Sunday brunch will now be available through May 9, Mother‘s Day, thanks to the addition of three new Sunday game dates. Online viewing is available with a subscription at globalpolo.com.
Click here to view the full 2021 High Goal Polo Schedule.
Click here to learn more about the International Polo Club Palm Beach.
Click here to learn more about the GAUNTLET OF POLO®.
