Mar 11, 2022 4:16 AM
Story courtesy of International Polo Club Palm Beach.
In the lone matchup on Thursday, March 10, in the USPA Gold Cup® at International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) in Wellington Florida, all eyes were on SD Farms (Sayyu Dantata, sub. Geronimo Obregon*, sub. Felipe "Pipe" Vercellino, sub. Ignacio "Nacho" Novillo Astrada) and Dutta Corp/Show+ (Timmy Dutta*, Joaquin Avendano, Tomas Garcia del Rio, Ignacio "Inaki" Laprida) as they battled for the top spot in Bracket III on the Isla Carrol East field. Each entering the game with a 1-0 record, the two balanced teams required overtime and Timmy Dutta found the posts to score the golden goal for a thrilling 13-12 victory.
In a first half defined by fouls, SD Farms and Dutta Corp Show+ exchanged five early goals from the 30-yard line, with Garcia del Rio accounting for all three of Dutta Corp/Show+’s conversions, while substitutes Vercellino and Obregon made an early impact to each convert for SD Farms. With a total of 26 fouls in the match, Vercellino easily tapped his second penalty goal through the posts to tie the game 3-all.
Following a choppy start for both teams, Dutta finally struck for Dutta Corp/Show+, scoring the first field goal of the game. Following a response from SD Farms’ Dantata, the scoring returned to the penalty line where a sharp shooting Garcia del Rio converted his fourth Penalty 2 in the first half. Trailing 6-4, SD Farms broke through in the third chukker as the new line-up found their legs. Led by the efforts of Vercellino’s two penalty conversions, Obregon also completed an exceptional end to the half to put SD Farms in the lead with a narrow 8-7 at the break.
Converting a total of ten penalty goals combined between the two teams in the first half, the fourth chukker kicked-off with SD Farms and Dutta Corp/Show+ trading penalty goals once more, with Vercellino scoring his second Penalty 4, as Garcia del Rio remained a perfect six for six from the line.
Holding onto a narrow one-goal lead, Astrada and Obregon gave SD Farms some breathing room on back-to-back goals, but a determined Laprida and Dutta combined for three goals to quickly erase SD Farms’ advantage and tie the game 11-all with one chukker remaining. Exchanging goals, Astrada and Dutta left the two evenly-matched teams deadlocked 12-all as the horn sounded to end regulation.
In a riveting overtime, back-and-forth action produced clean, open play, giving each side multiple opportunities at goal. With SD Farms pinned in their own territory late in the extra chukker, Dutta finally broke away from the pack and carried the ball across the line with just six seconds remaining on the clock. Scoring the golden goal, Dutta delivered a 13-12 victory for Dutta Corp/Show+.
*Timmy Dutta is an Active Team USPA Member and Geronimo Obregon is Team USPA alumnus. Team USPA is a USPA program designed to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the United States by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and pro players and the resultant giveback to the sport of polo.
All photos courtesy of ©David Lominska.
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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