$25,000 US Trust Challenge Cup Kicks Off Under Clear Skies
By Alex Webbe
It Was an Escobar day at Grand Champions Polo Club as tournament action got started with three matches opening competition for the $25,000 US Trust Challenge Cup.
In opening round play Black Watch’s 8-goaler Jeff Hall set the pace by leading all players with five goals on the day, but it would be two goals from Francisco Escobar in the final chukker that would secure the 10-9 win over a stubborn Palm Beach Polo foursome.
Opening goals from Vale Aguilar and Mauricio Devrient got Palm Beach Polo out to an early 2-0 start, but a Black Watch goal from the field from Martin Pepa was followed by a penalty conversion from Hall to knot it at 2-2 after the first chukker of play.
Devrient converted a penalty shot to give Palm Beach Polo a 3-1 advantage before two converted penalty goals from Hall gave Black Watch a 4-3 lead after two periods of play.
“It was a scrappy game,” said Hall, “as much as we continued to push them, they kept bouncing back.”
Third chukker goals from Pepa and Hall were countered by scores from Palm Beach Polo’s Devrient, Aguilar and Harm Shutt, and the teams left the field in a 6-6 tie.
Escobar converted a penalty shot for a goal in the fourth followed by a goal from the field from Hall, while shutting down the Palm Beach Polo offense, and Black Watch built up an 8-6 lead.
Devrient led the Palm Beach polo charge in the fifth chukker, converting another penalty shot while teammate Vale Aguilar tied it with a goal from the field, 8-8.
Another Aguilar goal made it 9-8 in the sixth chukker before Escobar converted a penalty shot to make it 9-9 and added another goal from the field for the 10-9 win.
For Black Watch, Hall led all scorers with five goals. Escobar added three goals and Martin Pepa added two scores.
Palm Beach Polo’s Devrient and Aguilar scored four goals apiece while Shutt added a single goal in the loss.
The second match of the day had Luis Escobar scoring the winning goal in overtime as Tamera took an 8-7 game from a resilient Palm Beach Equine side.
A dreary offensive start saw Tamera stumble into a lackluster 3-1 halftime lead against a Palm Beach Equine team that played without team captain Scott Swerdlin (sidelined with back spasms).
With an offense that started to heat up, Tamera increased its lead as J. J. Celis added his third and fourth goals of the game and El Salvador’s Alejandro Polo scored his first goal of the game.
Tamera’s defense was able to shut out Palm Beach Equine, and the left the field after four chukkers with a comfortable 6-1 lead.
“We were getting all bunched up,” said 4-goaler Cali Garcia of the Palm Beach Equine attack. “We needed to mark our men and stretch out the play.”
Whatever the pep talk was after the fourth period, it seemed to work as Palm Beach Equine worked its was back into the game.
Tommy Biddle scored three consecutive goals in the fifth frame followed by a single goal from Cachi Garcia cutting the Tamera lead so a single goal, 6-5.
Biddle’s fifth goal of the game tied the score at 6-6 and Cachi Garcia notched his second goal of the game to give Palm Beach Equine its first lead of the game, 7-6, but the advantage was short-lived. Luis Escobar scored at the end of regulation play to make it 7-7 and force sudden death play.
Less than two minutes into the overtime Palm Beach Equine was whistled for a foul and Luis Escobar converted the penalty shot for the 8-7 Tamera victory.
J. J. Celis led the Tamera attack with four goals. Escobar scored three times and Pomo added a single goal for the win.
Palm Beach Equine’s Biddle led all scorers with five goals and Cachi Garcia added two goals.
The third match of the day featured Scott Devon’s Catamount team against Michael Liss’s Heronwood Farms.
Catamount received one goal by handicap, and Brandon Phillips opened with the first goal of the day from the field for an early 2-0 lead. Julio Ezcurra followed with a penalty conversion, but Heronwood trailed 2-1 after the first seven minutes of play.
For the next two chukkers the Catamount offense scored five unanswered goals and took a commanding 7-1 lead as Heronwood every effort fell short in the first three chukkers.
“It’s always tough to lose,” said team captain Michael Liss, “but I’m really proud of the way we fought our way back into the game.”
Heronwood’s defense stiffened in the fourth chukker, blanking Catamount as John Gobin scored twice and Ezcurra added his second goal of the game to cut the deficit to three goals.
Liss scored in the fifth making it a 7-5 game, but Catamounts Kris Kampsen’s third goal of the game made it 8-5.
Heronwood’s Joe Muldoon and Gobin scored single goals to make it an 8-7 game, but that would be as close as they would come.
Phillips added his fifth and sixth goals to give Catamount a 10-7 lead. Kampsen scored his fourth goal of the game for the final 11-7 score.
Catamount’s Phillips led the field with six goals. Kampsen added four goals and it was awarded one goal by handicap.
Gobin led Heronwood with three goals while Ezcurra scored twice. Liss and Muldoon added single goals in the loss.
Tuesday will find an earlier Black Watch team regrouping to meet Audi in Tuesday’s finals of the Palm Restaurant Invitational (previously delayed by rain).
On Wednesday, action will continue in the $25,000 US Trust Challenge Cup with Palm Beach Polo meeting Catamount; Tamera will face Black Watch; and Heronwood will take on Palm Beach Equine.