In the opening game of the 2020 Joe Barry Memorial, Palm Beach Equine used an exciting three-goal final chukker to defeat Patagones 8-7 on the Isla Carroll East field at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.
A game between two evenly matched teams, both Palm Beach Equine and Patagones fought for every inch on the field in a high-foul affair that saw a combined 26 fouls between the two teams. A balanced Patagones attack saw all four players find the scoresheet in the opening half, but the game turned into a back and forth defensive style that favored Palm Beach Equine. Led by five goals from Gonzalo Ferrari, Palm Beach Equine took advantage of four penalty goals to capture the thrilling 8-7 victory.
The majority of the first chukker was played in the middle of the field, with limited scoring chances on both sides as a penalty 4 conversion from Gringo Colombres accounted for the only goal in the chukker. The game opened up in the second chukker behind three goals from Patagones, in large part due to the pressure applied on their offensive attack that led to two Penalty 3 conversions, one each from Santi Wulff and Tomas Garcia del Rio. Building on their 3-2 lead, Patagones began the third chukker on a field goal from Mateo Vallejos, playing in place of Joaquin Avendano, pushing Patagones’ lead to two. Four missed shot opportunities from the field prevented Patagones from extending their lead further, with Ferrari’s second goal of the game keeping Palm Beach Equine within two heading into the second half.
Behind the duo of Colombres and Ferrari, Palm Beach Equine erased the deficit after consecutive goals to start the second half, leaving the teams tied at 5-5. Unwilling to lose their advantage on the game, Patagones regained control using their defense, holding Palm Beach Equine to zero goals for the remainder of the fourth chukker and the entire fifth chukker. Both teams protected their goal vigorously as the only offense came on a penalty 2 conversion from Garcia del Rio, leaving Palm Beach Equine facing another two-goal deficit with just one chukker remaining. Ferrari proved to be a decisive player in the final minutes, scoring his fourth goal to inch his team closer. A dangerous slash hook from Patagones resulted in a yellow card on Ferrari’s third penalty conversion of the game, restoring the tie and leaving little time left to decide the winner. Despite being the only player on the field yet to find the scoresheet, Lucas Diaz Alberdi found a crucial moment to make his impact, scoring the game winning goal and sending Palm Beach Equine into the final to meet the Iglehart Cup champions Stable Door Polo on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. on the U.S. Polo Assn. Field 1. The subsidiary Bobby Barry Cup is set to take place on Sunday as well at 10:00 a.m. between Patagones and Santa Clara. Alejandro Poma (1), Nico Escobar (4), Toro Ruiz (7), Luis Escobar (4).
Major reporting contributions for this article were received from the International Polo Club in Wellington FL. Please visit www.internationalpoloclub.com or call (561) 204-5687 for more information on the International Polo Club.
