The USPA Gold Cup, the second leg of The Gauntlet of Polo, is approaching to the semifinals. The penultimate league stage saw Aspen-Dutta Corp and Tonkawa emerging victorious by the same score (11-10), following the games held at International Polo Club Palm Beach, on Saturday March 20.
Aspen-Dutta Corp and Cessna opened fire, in a very balanced match, that had Gringo Colombres as the day’s top scorer – he scored a high eight goals. Despite Aspen-Dutta Corp remained in the lead thoroghout the match, the gap was very tight, with the exception of the first, fourth and fifth chukka, when Timmy Dutta’s foursome managed to take a largest advantage over the Campbell’s squad. Cessna managed to produce three goals in the last chukka, but the efforts didn’t pay off. Lucas Diaz Alberdi scored just one goal that earned Aspen-Dutta Corp the victory.
The follow-up was one of the most expected games of the season so far – Tonkawa vs. Park Place. With Andrey Borodin back in the saddle, Park Place had a stronger start, that took them to a 6-3 lead by half time. But Tonkawa bounced back from the fourth chukka onwards, when the closed the gap to just one goal, courtesy of Fran Elizalde (2) and Hilario Ulloa (1). Ulloa scored three more goals in the fifth chukka, but still Park Place was leading by one. Things would change in the last chukka – three consecutive goals by Lucas Escobar (2) and Sapo Caset (1) tied at 10-all and sent the match into OT. That’s when young gun Lucas Escobar produced his third goal into the match and secured a win for Tonkawa, that seemed almost impossible to achieve.
The USPA Gold Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, March 28.
The Gauntlet of Polo is streamed live on GLOBAL POLO.
ASPEN-DUTTA CORP 11-10 CESSNA
Aspen-Dutta Corp: Timmy Dutta 4 (1 goal), Lucas Díaz Alberdi 6 (1), Gringo Colombres 8 (8), Stewart Armstrong 3. Total: 22.
Cessna: Camp Campbell 2, Ezequiel Martínez Ferrario 7 (3 goals), Nino Obregón 7 (4), Jared Zenni 6 (3). Total: 22.
Score Aspen-Dutta Corp: 3-1, 4-3, 6-5, 8-6, 10-8, 11-10.
TONKAWA 11-10 PARK PLACE (OT)
Tonkawa: Jeff Hildebrand 0, Lucas Escobar 3 (3 goals), Sapo Caset 10 (2), Fran Elizalde 9 (6). Total: 22.
Park Place: Andrey Borodin 0, Juan Britos 8 (3 goals), Hilario Ulloa 10 (6 goles), Matt Coppola 4 (1). Total: 22.
Score Tonkawa: 1-2, 4-1, 3-6, 7-6, 7-10, 10-10, 11-10.
The qualifying stage of the USPA Gold Cup will come to an end on Sunday March 21, and this is the order of play:
11am: Pilot vs. Scone
3pm: La Indiana vs. Coca Cola
USPA Gold Cup: Fixture & Equipos
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