White Birch Clinches Playoff Spot with 14-6 Victory over Bendabout Wednesday
In 2007 Stanford U.S. Open Action at International Polo Club

WELLINGTON, FL (April 4, 2007) – Nine-goaler Lucas Monteverde scored eight goals to lead White Birch over Bendabout 14-6 Wednesday and virtually clinched the first playoff berth in the 2007 Stanford U.S. Open at International Polo Club Palm Beach.

In an earlier match, patron Elizabeth Iorio converted a 1-yard penalty shot 2:38 into overtime to lift Laurence-Wallace/Paladin Rally over Millarville 13-12, keeping them in contention for a spot in the quarterfinals.

White Birch scored six consecutive goals in the second half, three each by Monteverde and Chris Nevins, to break open a close match. By the time Bendabout scored again, with 3:05 left in the sixth chukker, it was too late and too little.

“It was half-empty and half-full for us,” said White Birch 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre. “We were either going to be the first team out or the first team to qualify for the playoffs.”

A loss would have eliminated White Birch, which won the 2005 Stanford U.S. Open and is a perennial powerhouse.

“Our plan was to win and if possible, to win by more than one goal,” said Aguerre.
Nevins, substituting for patron Peter Brant, finished with three goals while Aguerre scored two goals and Ulysses Escapite had one goal.

Ten-goaler Miguel Novillo Astrada led Bendabout (0-1) with three goals while Ignacio Toccalino added two goals and Alejandro Novillo Astrada scored one goal. Wil Johnston, substituting for his cousin, Gillian Johnston, did not score.

Laurence-Wallace/Paladin Rally led by two goals four times in the second half, including 12-10 on Agustin Merlos’ goal with 2:30 remaining.

Millarville battled back to tie the game as Fred Mannix Jr. converted a 30-yard penalty shot with 1:49 remaining and Sugar Erskine picked up a loose ball in the goal mouth and scored with 23 seconds left.

“It was a lack of focus,” said 9-goaler Mike Azzaro of Laurence-Wallace/Paladin Rally. “We lose focus and they catch up. We showed a lot of heart. That’s a tough team with four pros.”

Laurence-Wallace/Paladin Rally (1-1) must wait for the outcome of the Sunday’s game between Millarville (0-1) and San Saba (1-0) to see if they qualify for the quarterfinals. A San Saba victory clinches the divisional title and also puts Laurence-Wallace into the playoffs while eliminating Millarville. A Millarville victory by five goals or less also eliminates Laurence-Wallace/Paladin Rally.

“We tried to score again in the last couple of minutes when we were leading by two goals,” said 10-goaler Agustin Merlos of Laurence-Wallace/Paladin Rally, who knew they needed more goals to help in the goal differential, if it came to that. “We missed and they scored. But I’m happy because we played much better.”

Millarville missed a couple of chances to win the game early in overtime. Erskine lost control of the ball en route to goal and then Daniel Roenisch’s back shot went wide to the left. Luis Escobar missed an opportunity to win the game for Laurence-Wallace in overtime. On the ensuing series, Azzaro and Merlos kept the ball alive and were dribbling toward goal when the foul occurred, giving Iorio her game-winning shot.
Azzaro led the winners with seven goals and Merlos added five goals to go with Iorio’s game-winner. Luis Escobar did not score.

Erskine led Millarville (0-1) with five goals while patron Fred Mannix Jr. added three goals and Silvestre Donovan and Daniel Roenisch had two goals apiece.

Divisional action continues Thursday in the Stanford U.S. Open presented by Bombardier with a doubleheader beginning at noon when Black Watch (0-1) plays Pony Express (0-1), with the loser eliminated. The tourney continues when pre-tournament favorite Crab Orchard (1-0), led by 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso and 9-goaler Matias Magrini, takes on Jedi (1-0) at 3 p.m.

The Stanford U.S. Open presented by Bombardier quarterfinals are scheduled for Sunday, April 15 with the semifinals set for Wednesday, April 18. The Stanford U.S. Open is the culmination of the ultra-competitive winter polo season and covers the first four Sundays in April. The final, on Sunday, April 22 at 3 p.m. on Stanford Field at International Polo Club, expects to draw more than 7,000 spectators.

Historically, the U.S. Open has always been the grand prize of polo in North America. It is one of only three tournaments played at the 26-goal echelon, the highest-rated tournament in the United States. The others are the C.V. Whitney Cup and USPA Piaget Gold Cup, both also played at International Polo Club.

The first U.S. Open title game was played in 1904 at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City where the Wanderers defeated the Freebooters 4 ½-3, the lowest scoring final in the history of the tournament.

The polo matches at International Polo Club are open to the public. General admission for the Sunday games at International Polo Club Palm Beach is $15 for adults and reserved lawn tickets are $40. Children under 3 enter for free. Tickets may be purchased at the gate on the day of the game.

International Polo Club Palm Beach is located at 3667 120th Avenue South, between Pierson Road and Lake Worth Road in Wellington. For information, directions or ticket purchases, please call the club at (561) 204-5687 or visit the website at www.internationalpoloclub.com.

Standings

Division I
Team W-L GF GA
San Saba 1-0 12 9
Laurence-Wallace 1-1 22 24
Millarville 0-1 12 13

Division II
Team W-L GF GA
Orchard Hill 1-0 10 9
White Birch 1-1 23 16
Bendabout 0-1 6 14

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