The USPA Gold Cup, second leg of The Gauntlet of Polo, resumed on Sunday, March 14, with La Indiana and Pilot claiming respective wins over Scone and Coca Cola. The tournament, hosted by International Polo Club Palm Beach, sees nine teams, up to 22 goals, compete. Teams are broken down into two leagues.
La Indiana remained undefeated in the USPA Gold Cup following their 13-11 win over Scone. David Paradice’s team took an early 1-0 lead by the end of the first chukka, La Indiana made an impressive comeback in the second, outscoring their opponents 6-1. This meant that Bickford’s boys had a commanding 6-2 advantage by the end of the second. Such a significant goal difference made things difficult for Scone. La Indiana remained in the lead over the next few chukkas, even though Scone scored four goals in the penultimate chukka. La Indiana held on to their lead, scoring three more goals in the sixth to claim their second victory in the tournament.
Later in the afternoon, Pilot, winners of the first ever Gauntlet of Polo, back in 2019, recovered from their debut loss against La Indiana to claim a win against Coca Cola. Curtis Pilot and his boys dominated the match from the very beginning, and by half time, they had secured a 7-3 advantage. Led by top scorers Gonzalito Pieres and Lucas James, who scored five goals apiece, La Indiana dominated the play. While Coca Cola managed to close the gap down to one in the fifth chukka, courtesy of Mackenzie Weisz (2) and Julián de Lusarreta, it was too late: Pilot took the 12-10 victory.
The USPA Gold Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, March 28.
The Gauntlet of Polo is streamed live on GLOBAL POLO.
LA INDIANA 13-11 SCONE
LA INDIANA: Michael Bickford 2 (2 goals), Nico Escobar 4 (1), Polito Pieres 10 (6), Jeff Hall 6 (1) Total: 22.
SCONE: David Paradice 0, Poroto Cambiaso 6 (4 goals), Peke Gonzalez 6 (2), Adolfo Cambiaso 10 (1). Total: 22.
Score La Indiana: 0-1, 6-2, 7-5, 8-6, 11-10, 13-11.
PILOT 12-10 COCA COLA
PILOT: Curtis Pilot 0, Matias Gonzalez 4 (2 goals), Gonzalo Pieres Jr. 10 (10), Lucas James 8 (5) . Total: 22.
COCA COLA: Gillian Johnston 1 (3 goals), Mackenzie Weisz 3 (4), Diego Cavanagh 9 (2), Julián de Lusarreta 8 (2). Total: 22
Score Pilot: 3-0, 5-1, 7-3, 8-6, 10-7, 12-10.
The USPA Gold Cup continues on Tuesday, March 16:
10am: Tonkawa vs. Cessna
3pm: Aspen-Dutta Corp vs. Park Place
USPA Gold Cup: Fixture & Teams
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PHOTO CREDITS: AGUSTINA FONDA