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Wellington, FL – February 10, 2015 – Villa del Lago defeated Tonkawa 17-13 as bracket play continued in the Ylvisaker Cup at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.
Villa del Lago Tonkawa The first chukker started with a penalty shot by Polito Pieres, who easily converted for a goal. He followed up with a long pass to an in-motion Agustin Obregon, who tapped the ball in for a second Villa del Lago goal. After some back-and-forth play, Obregon took off and again drove the ball between the goalposts. |
Tag: polo
Wellington. FL – January 21, 2015 – One point made all the difference Wednesday, earning Villa del Lago a seat at the dinner table next Sunday in the Joe Barry Cup Finals at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida. Villa del Lago beat Enigma in the semifinals, maintaining a razor-thin lead in the last two chukkers to win 11-10.
( Photo below: Jerome Wirth, Polito Pieres, Matias MacDonough, Jeff Hall, Julian de Lusarreta, Carlucho Arellano and Agustin Obregon. Photo: Liz Lamont/Phelps Media Group.)
Villa Del Lago Enigma
Jim Zenni A Jerome Wirth 1
Agustin Obregon 5 Jeff Hall 7
Polito Pieres 9 Matias MacDonough 7
Julian de Lusarreta 6 Carlucho Arellano 5
Even legendary sports oddsmaker Jimmy the Greek couldn’t have predicted this one. Enigma owned the field from the get-go all the way until the fifth chukker, smacking in one goal after another and foiling its opponent at nearly every turn. Patron Jerome Wirth and his posse seemed unstoppable, charging ahead of Villa del Lago and keeping them on the run for the first two-thirds of the game – not an easy thing to do to a team powered by 9-goaler Polito Pieres.
Pieres made the first goal of the day but then seem off his stride for a while. In the first half some of his shots on goal went uncharacteristically wide, and he was repeatedly ridden off the ball by the Enigma machine. Jeff Hall, Matias MacDonough and Carlucho Arellano each scored a goal from the field in quick succession, with the first chukker ending 3-1 for Enigma.
Pieres popped in a couple of penalty shots in the second chukker, as did MacDonough and Arellano. A MacDonough-Pieres sword fight spiced things up for a while, and then
(Jerome Wirth. Photo: Liz Lamont/Phelps Media Group.)
MacDonough ran off with the ball. It ended up ping-ponging between Pieres and Hall as they thundered down the field. Pieres swiped it and headed downfield, where he made one of his trademark neckshots, but it went wide of goal. Villa del Lago’s patron, Jim Zenni, scored from the field, tightening Engima’s lead to one point.
The third chukker began 5-4 for Enigma, which promptly reasserted itself, putting two more points on the scoreboard courtesy of MacDonough and Arellano. Enigma displayed some quick and crafty moves, almost toying with Villa del Lago – which remained scoreless in the chukker – like a cat with a mouse. Villa del Lago managed to rally in the fourth chukker, with Pieres and Agustin Obregon each scoring. But Enigma puts its foot down pronto with goals from the field by Hall, MacDonough and Arellano. Going into the fifth chukker, Enigma held a commanding four-point lead (10-6).
Just when it looked like the final scene had been written, the plot changed as fast as in a Fellini movie. Inexplicably (to anyone other than himself), Pieres suddenly sprang into life and stopped Enigma in its tracks. Before the end of the chukker, Pieres and company had scored five goals – five. Enigma, no doubt as stunned as the crowd of spectators, was scoreless.
The fifth chukker ended with Villa del Lago in the driver’s seat, 11-10. And that’s how the game ended, with neither team scoring in the last chukker.
Pieres conceded that Ville del Lago’s game was sub-par for the first half. “At the beginning we played really bad. The worst three chukkers we played,” he said.
| Matias MacDonough. Photo: Liz Lamont/Phelps Media Group. |
How did they turn things around? “We kept on playing, and we said, ‘We’re going to win; we’re going to win.’ We trusted ourselves. I think we made a hell of a comeback in the fifth chukker. And we’re happy that we won playing bad.”
The Joe Barry Cup semifinals resume Thursday, with Orchard Hill playing Lucchese at IPC at 11 a.m. The Bobby Barry Semifinals take place in the afternoon, with Tonkawa playing Lechuza Caracas at 1 p.m. at Everglades Polo Club and FlexJet opposing Audi at 3 p.m. at IPC.
(photo: Julian de Lusarreta and Jeff Hall. Photo: Liz Lamont/Phelps Media Group.)
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#IPCsundaypolo #EVfield
International Polo Club Palm Beach Fast Facts:
What: Created by players for players, the International Polo Club Palm Beach was born out of the dream to build a facility to showcase the incredible skills of the ponies and players that dominate the sport.
Members and guests enjoy panoramic views of the action from field side box seats or lawn and terrace seating. Sponsors and fans convene at The Winners Circle to congratulate the players during the awards presentation following the games.
Gourmet brunches, après polo celebrations and the prerequisite charitable events will take place in The Pavilion. Designed to accommodate large parties, corporate clients, as well as family and friends.
Featured Highlights:
Herbie Pennell Cup – 20 Goal
Jan. 1 – 4, 2015
Joe Barry Memorial Cup – 20 Goal
Jan. 4 – 25, 2015
Ylvisaker Cup – 20 Goal
Jan. 28 – February 22, 2015
Iglehart Cup – 20 Goal
Feb. 28 – March 8, 2015
USPA C.V. Whitney Cup – 26 Goal
Feb. 15 – March 1, 2015
Piaget USPA Gold Cup® – 26 Goal
March 4 – March 22, 2015
111th U.S. Open Polo Championship® – 26 Goal
March 25 – April 19, 2015
Directions:
From the Turnpike:
Take the Lake Worth Exit
Head west on FL-802 W/Lake Worth Rd toward Hooks Rd
Continue to follow Lake Worth Rd (3.9 miles)
Turn right onto 120th Ave S
Destination will be ahead on the left (0.4 miles)
From I-95:
Exit Forest Hill Blvd, head West
Make Left turn onto 441/St Rd 7
Make Right turn onto Lake Worth Rd
Make Right turn onto 120th Ave S
Destination on Left
Information:
3667 120th Ave S, Wellington, FL 33414
International Polo Club Palm Beach: 561-204-5687
Mallet Grille: 561-282-5340
Spa & Fitness Center: 561-282-5288
Tennis Pro Shop: 561-795-7228
Polo Operations Office: 561-282-5283
Polo Hotline: 561-282-5290
Categories
A Day of Mallets
January 14, 2015 – Wellington, FL – The International Polo Club Palm Beach’s Joe Barry Cup continued Wednesday in Wellington, Florida, with Lucchese taking Audi 13-12 at Everglades Polo Club and Tonkawa trouncing CT Energia 10-5 at IPC.
Lucchese Audi
John Muse A Marc Ganzi 1
Magoo LaPrida 8 Lucas Lalor 5
Nico Pieres 8 Nic Roldan 8
Andres Weisz 4 Freddie Mannix 6
The Lucchese/Audi match was a “game of eights” from start to finish, as 8-goalers Nic Roldan (Audi), Nico Pieres and Magoo LaPrida (both Lucchese) dominated the action. Roldan scored seven of Audi’s 12 goals, with Freddie Mannix contributing three and Marc Ganzi two. Pieres banged in 11 of Lucchese’s 13 goals, scoring in every chukker. (Lucchese’s other two points came from Andres Weisz.) LaPrida didn’t score, but his handoffs and consistent tag-team work with Pieres enabled Lucchese to clinch a firm lead in the second chukker and ride it out to the final horn.
| Lucas Lalor and Nico Pieres. Photo: Liz Lamont Images/Phelps Media Group. |
From all appearances in the first chukker, however, the teams were evenly matched. Roldan and Pieres each scored twice on penalties. Mannix contributed a goal on a smoothly played long drive, and for a brief time Audi held a one-point lead (3-2) at the end of the first chukker.
But from that point on, it was a different game entirely. Lucchese came back with a vengeance, riding toward goal as though being chased by a swarm of bees. In a display of consummate teamwork, Pieres patiently waited for his team to align perfectly on either side of the ball before he strategically passed it to Weisz. With a slick reverse neckshot, Weisz shuttled the ball along the ground and scored, giving Lucchese a two-point lead. That defining moment set the tone for the rest of the game: Lucchese was in it to win it, just as it was in its last game, when it took CT Energia 13-11.
Nonetheless, Audi persevered, at times tightening the gap to one point. Mannix swooped in out of nowhere, snatched the ball from LaPrida (who had picked it up on a backshot from Pieres) and handed it off to Roldan, who scored. Pieres quickly countered, zigzagging the ball at warp speed all the way down the field to score, giving Lucchese a three-point lead at the top of the third chukker.
n a great effort by the entire team, Audi took out several Lucchese defenders as Roldan hit a long ground drive to score on a penalty.
Roldan promptly followed up his own act with a nearside pickup, making another goal with one minute remaining in the first half. Audi seemed to be picking up momentum as the third chukker closed with Lucchese leading 8-7.
| Nic Roldan and Magoo LaPrida. Photo: Liz Lamont Images/Phelps Media Group. |
Roldan continued his onslaught in the fourth chukker. He scored twice, briefly tying the game at 9 all. But Lucchese dug its heels in, with Pieres whacking in two goals in quick succession.
LaPrida said he felt the fourth chukker was the most crucial part of the game. “I think in the first chukker we started playing good. The third chukker was bad for us, and then the fourth (was) good again. That’s when we really started to play good again, and I think that was the key (to our win).”
Although Audi didn’t score in the fifth chukker, (which ended 12-9 for Lucchese), it had some stellar moments in the sixth. After a goal by Pieres, Audi rallied to score the last three goals of the match, two of them put in by Mannix. Ganzi – who consistently played above his 1 handicap – scored from 90 yards out on a three-quarter neck shot. The match ended 13-12 for Lucchese.
After the game, both LaPrida and Pieres complimented their opponents. “I think they’re a really good team,” said LaPrida. “We knew it was going to be really hard, so we just tried to be really on them in defense and try to play as a team. I think we did really good.”
| Freddie Mannix and Nico Pieres. Photo: Liz Lamont Images/Phelps Media Group. |
Pieres concurred. “Audi likes to run, and they are really good with the ball, so we had to mark them quite good and not give the ball away,” he said. In his estimation, it all came down to teamwork. “It was really good between the four of us – all four really good players.”
Teamwork was a big subject in the Audi tent after the game, with Ganzi and Mannix reflecting on what had just gone down. Mannix
characterized the situation this way: “It’s a team game, and I think in the end, collectively as a team we played sub-par. We can play better. Credit to the other team. I think Lucchese is a really good team. They have two strong players in Magoo and Nico. We gave a good effort, but we needed a little bit more teamwork out there.”
| Photo below: Freddie Mannix, Andres Weisz, Nic Roldan. Photo: Liz Lamont Images/Phelps Media Group. |
Mannix added that he felt both teams were relatively well-matched. “It’s not from lack of effort that we didn’t win today. It just feels like we couldn’t score when we needed to score. I don’t know what the reason was; it just wasn’t enough today.”
Ganzi was matter-of-fact in his assessment. He said he felt his team “played okay, (but) nothing particularly special. The team has to go well. It’s not about individuals. If we don’t play collectively as a unit, and if we don’t play intelligently, the result is what you see on the scoreboard.”
Tonkawa Slams CT Energia 10-5
CT Energia Tonkawa
Alessandro Bazzoni 2 Jeff Hildebrand A*
Kris Kampsen 6 Gonzalo Deltour 7
Joao Paulo Ganon 7 Inaki LaPrida 7
Nicolas Manifold 5 Jeff Blake 6
*Lucas Arellano A
Wednesday’s afternoon match of Tonkawa versus CT Energia started out closely, but Tonkawa quickly pulled out all the stops and pulled ahead, firmly maintaining its lead for the remainder of the match. The first goal of the match was scored by CT Energia’s Joao Paulo Ganon. Gonzalo Deltour rapidly scored two more goals on penalty conversions, following up with another goal scored on a breakaway, ending the first chukker 3-1.
Deltour continued his standout performance by backing out a goal attempt by CT Energia, hitting the ball in midair and following it on a breakaway. Penalty conversions were a huge factor in this game, as Deltour converted a penalty to make the score 4-1. Ganon scored on a penalty at the end of the second chukker, leaving the score at 4-2.
Inaki LaPrida came out strong in the third chukker, scoring Tonkawa’s only goal for the chukker. Ganon bulleted past all four Tonkawa defenders to put one up on the board, making the score 5-3 at the end of the third chukker. Deltour doubled up Tonkawa’s lead inside of the first minute of play in the fourth chukker, scoring another goal to make Tonkawa’s lead 6-3. After a series of wide shots by CT Energia, a hook by Jeff Hildebrand and passes by Jeff Blake and Deltour resulted in a score by LaPrida. Deltour scored on a breakaway, ending the fourth chukker 8-3.
| Jeff Blake and Kris Kampsen. Photo: Liz Lamont Images/Phelps Media Group. |
Following a series of penalties on both sides, LaPrida drove another goal in during the fifth chukker. Ganon took the bowl in as an opportunity, keeping control of the ball from center field to goal line on a breakaway and putting one up on the board for CT Energia, making the score 9-4. Ganon’s next goal came from a penalty conversion on a 60-yard defended shot and ended the chukker 9-5. Deltour scored the lone goal of the sixth chukker, making the final score 10-5 in favor of Tonkawa.
Deltour credited Tonkawa’s teamwork for its success. ” I think what happened was good teamwork. All of us played really well,” he said, noting that Blake had excellent plays in the back.
The action continues Thursday with three games: Coca-cola plays Flight Options at 10 a.m., followed by Merchant Hub and Enigma at 1 p.m. and Lechuza Caracas against Orchard Hill at 3 p.m.
Wellington, FL – January 10, 2015 – Two points made all the difference in both games Saturday as the 2015 Joe Barry Cup continued at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida. Lucchese took CT Energia 13-11, and Audi bested Tonkawa 10-8.
Wellington, FL – December 30, 2014 – On Sunday, January 4, the drama and excitement of the high-goal polo season kicks off at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. For 16 weeks, the world’s finest polo players and their ponies storm into Wellington, where 12, 20-goal teams and eight, 26-goal teams go head-to-head in the greatest athletic and equine polo matchups on Earth.
Wellington, FL – January 2, 2015 – International Polo Club Palm Beach’s signature palm trees and lush, manicured fields provided the perfect backdrop for the first high-goal games of the 2015 season. The first match between Casablanca and Coca-Cola demonstrated the strength of the young Casablanca players. In the second face-off of the day, Villa del Lago pulled out a win over the Lechuza Caracas team.
Wellington, FL – January 3, 2015 – On December 30, spectators lined both sides of the field at International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida. Four teams of young players between the ages of 16-21, battled for the coveted Tackeria Cup. Clean, classic polo charged with the energy that teenagers possess, made for an afternoon of exciting polo.
WELLINGTON, FL-Oct. 23, 2013—-Audi and Beluga will open play on Thursday in the first game of the USPA Fall Plates Tournament at 1 p.m. at Grand Champions Polo Club.
WELLINGTON, FL – January 31, 2013 – Defending champion Piaget staged a furious second half rally but fell short and lost its Ylvisaker Cup opener to Coca-Cola, 15-11, on a brisk Thursday morning at Jan Pamela South Field.After leading 2-0 early in the first chukker, Piaget was outscored 7-2 in the second and third chukkers and trailed 10-4 at halftime.