Goose Creek golden once again in 2008 USPA Silver Cup repeat victory!
Aiken, SC –Goose Creek came to Aiken with the goal of taking home the USPA Silver Cup trophy and succeeded in doing so with style in a highly competitive game with a nail-biter of an ending! Five teams competed for the coveted prize, but Maureen Brennan and her Goose Creek team came seeking silver and laid claim to it at 302 Polo presented by Mercedes-Benz of Augusta in Aiken, South Carolina. Goose Creek was a formidable team to contend with as they were defeated only once in the preliminary round and defeated 2008 USPA Monty Waterbury champions Brigadoon in semi-final round to reach the finals. The team had a little Southern accent sporting players from Charlottesville, VA and Aiken, SC along with a heavy dose of Santiago, Chile: Maureen Brennan (A), Martin Zegers (6), Adam Snow (8), and Jose “Cote” Zegers (5) once again comprised this nineteen goal team.
Goose Creek Maureen Brennan, Adam Snow, Martin Zegers, Cote Zegers. Photo by David Lominska.
On the other side of the ball was Pony Express who defeated a strong Bendabout team, runners up in the 2008 USPA Monty Waterbury, in the semi-finals to gallop to the finals: Bob Daniels (A), Tomas Goti (7), Nick Roldan (8) and Brandon Phillips (5) comprised the line-up of this impressive squad.
The finals of the USPA Silver Cup took place under Carolina blue skies at Loughrea Plantation on October 19th with Goose Creek emerging victorious over Pony Express by a score of 11-10 in overtime. For the first two chukkers of the game Pony Express and Goose Creek see-sawed back and forth with Goti opening the scoring in the first to immediately even the score to one apiece as Goose Creek had received one goal on the handicap differential. In the second, Goose Creek’s Martin Zegers converted a penalty two for Goose Creek to slip ahead 2-1, this score was answered by Pony Express’ Brandon Phillips to close the second at two all. In the third it was all Pony Express with Goti finding the uprights from the field and Phillips successfully converting a penalty four unanswered by Goose Creek to pull Pony Express ahead 4-2 at the half.
In the fourth Goose Creek’s Martin Zegers showed his prowess with the mallet by finding the mark twice on penalty conversions and once from the field. Along with another goal from the field from Snow Goose Creek tallied a total of four answered only twice by Pony Express with Goti and Roldan each scoring once from the field to end the fourth even at 6 all. Maureen Brennan and Martin Zegers each found the center of the posts in the fifth for Goose Creek while Roldan and Phillips answered back with one each to end the fifth still tied at 8-8. Once again in the sixth Brennan and Zegers scored one apiece while Roldan and Phillips each added one to the tally to end the regulation game at a 10 all stalemate. In the overtime frame Maureen Brennan showed her strength by grabbing a loose ball and sending it to Martin Zegers who then found an open Adam Snow ready to gallop for goal and seal the repeat for Goose Creek.
Goose Creek not only took home the 100 year old Silver Cup, team captain Maureen Brennan walked off with an armload of honors as she claimed the MVP amateur and her mount “Papita” garnered Amateur Best Playing Pony. Martin Zegers took home the MVP professional award for the second year in a row. Adam Snow once again claimed Best Playing Pony professional this time with his lovely mare “Amy.”
Polo fans were treated not only to an incredible game but a terrific celebration in the Linehan Builders Pavilion area. Attendees dined a variety of sumptuous international delicacies prepared by executive chef Elaine Marks. Long after the awards were presented and the horses put to bed the party continued on to celebrate Goose Creek’s victory in the second annual contest to award of the oldest and one of the most prestigious events of the USPA, the Silver Cup in Aiken.
302 Polo (www.302polo.com), Mercedes-Benz of Augusta, Linehan Builders, Melinda Brewer Equestrian Art, Tandem by the makers of Polyglycan and all of the participating corporate sponsors were delighted to host this prestigious tournament in Aiken. The third edition of USPA Silver Cup takes place in Aiken in 2009.