Nov 07, 2017 11:02 PM
In the thrilling final of the USPA Regional President’s Cup 8-goal on Saturday, November 4, Woodlawn/Virginia Beach narrowly outscored Crestview Genetics in overtime 10-9. Played at New Bridge Polo Club in Aiken, South Carolina, Hope Arellano and Maria Fenoglio were substituted by young up-and-comers Josh Daniels and Malia Bryan.
“Phillip [Staples] has been great about giving the young kids a chance, I'm just glad he's still giving us old guys a chance too.” – Ruben Coscia
Daniels struck early for Woodlawn/Virginia Beach in the first chukker, eliminating the one-goal advantage of their opponents due to handicap. Hugo Lloret answered back for Crestview Genetics with a goal of his own, scoring the team’s lone goal of the first half. Picking up two additional goals in the first from Ruben Coscia, Woodlawn/Virginia Beach moved into the lead 3-2, where they would remain until the final chukker. With either team unable to score in the second, Coscia delivered in the third with two consecutive goals and a Penalty 4 conversion. Closing out the third at halftime, Woodlawn/Virginia Beach successfully tripled their lead, but Crestview Genetics was not out of the running just yet.
Both sides added one additional goal to their tallies in the fourth, Crestview Genetics strategizing to pull off an upset in the final two chukkers. Three consecutive goals later, scored by Lloret and Alan Meeker, Crestview Genetics had gained some significant ground by the end of the fifth, but the scoreboard still reflected the early dominance of Woodlawn/Virginia Beach 8-6. Coscia, continuing with his onslaught of goals, put another on the board to start the sixth. Lloret, determined to push for the win, quickly made up the three-goal difference to force the game into overtime. Now anybody’s game, both teams battled to score the coveted golden goal that would decide the fate of the tournament. Coscia found his mark with 5:54 on the clock, slamming the ball through the goal posts and ending the heated final 10-9 in favor of Woodlawn/Virginia Beach.
“We played together and won for a long time but it's been about five years since the last time. I am so happy to be playing with this team again and that we still have it! We are good friends on and off the field and we have always played like a team. There is no pressure, even when we are down we stay positive. I always say, 'we have them right where we want them.'” – Ruben Coscia
Scoring nine out of Woodlawn/Virginia Beach’s 10 total goals, Ruben Coscia was named Most Valuable Player. Crestview Genetics’ top scorer Hugo Lloret’s Tramposa was awarded the title of Best Playing Pony.
“Tramposa ( Ellerstina Barullo - Trampa ) is an embryo out of one of my home-bred horses. I trained her myself, she came from Argentina when she was five and she is nine years old today. Trampa, her mom, was one of the best mares that I ever played, she is still playing with me in Argentina at 18-years-old, and still in production—a lot more fillies coming from her!”” – Hugo Lloret
All photos courtesy of ©Katie Roth.
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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