The USPA sponsored Intercollegiate team (Patrick Uretz, Tony Uretz, Wiley Uretz and Nick Feldman) showed up at Country Farms Polo Club in Medford, New York with their A-game as they rolled to a 16-12 win over The Tackeria (Ruben Fernandez, Horton Schwartz and Mauricio Devrient) in the finals of the US National Arena Handicap finals Thursday night.
The Intercollegiates came to the arena with a four man roster. Nick Feldon was scheduled to play the first two chukkers and Tony Uretz would play the final two chukkers. Patrick Uretz and Wiley Uretz would play the entire game.
Nick Feldman opened the scoring followed by a goal from Wiley Uretz, 2-0. The Tackeria responded in force. Mauricio Devrient scored their first goal followed by a pair of goals from Horton Schwartz. Ruben Fernandez added a goal that put The Tackeria in the lead, 4-2. Foul trouble by The Tackeria sent Patrick Uretz to the line where he converted three shots for goals, adding a goal from the field for a 6-4 Intercollegiate advantage.
Devrient scored the opening goal of the second chukker, 6-5. Patrick Uretz responded with two goals from the field, 8-5. Ruben Fernandez scored the final two goals of the period, but The Tackeria continued to trail, 8-7 at the end of the first half.
In a see-saw chukker, Patrick Uretz scored his seventh goal of the game to open the fourth, 9-7. Schwartz answered with a goal for The Tackeria, making it a one goal game again, 9-8. Patrick Uretz converted a penalty shot, 10-8 followed by single goals from Devrient and Fernandez to tie it up at 10-10. Patrick Uretz closed out the chukker with the go-ahead goal, 11-10, but The Tackeria continued to press.
Patrick Uretz had been on fire throughout the first three chukkers, and there was no letup in him in the fourth. He scored the first two goals of the final chukker to move his team in front, 13-10. Schwartz responded with a goal from the field, 13-11,but the Utetz brothers weren’t to be stopped. Tony Uretz scored from the field and Patrick Uretz converted a penalty shot from midfield that registered two points and a 16-11 cushion. Fernandex scored the final gol of the game for The Tackeria but the win went to the Intercollegiates, 16-12.
Patrick Uretz led all scoring with an impressive 13 goals. Tony Uretz, Wiley Uretz and Feldman each scored once for the victory. Fernandez set the pace for The Tackeria with five goals. Schwartz scored four times and Devrient was credited with three goals in the loss.
Wiley Uretz was named MVP with Ricky Bostwick’s Gorda (ridden by Tony Uretz) honored as Best Playing Pony.
The finals of the 2013 USPA Arena Open is scheduled to be played on Friday night, July 19th at 7PM at Country Farms Polo Club between Aliano Realty (Nick Aliano, Brandon Phillips and Tommy Biddle) and Cedar Creek Farm (Robert Ceparano, Felipe Viana and Kris Kampsen).