HorseBuff Magazine – Polo, International Polo Club Palm Beach, IPC, Gauntlet of Polo
Semi-final I: Las Monjitas vs. Patagones
The first leg in the 2020 Gauntlet of Polo™ was down to four teams in the C.V. Whitney Cup in two thrilling semi-finals at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. In the first semi-final, Las Monjitas survived a late push from Patagones to capture the 10-9 victory, while La Indiana ended Pilot’s 18-game win streak dating back to 2019, defeating the reigning champion 12-10 and advancing to the C.V. Whitney Cup final to face Las Monjitas.
Leading the first semi-final from start to finish, Las Monjitas produced a strong performance against Patagones behind the duo of David Stirling and Francisco Elizalde, who combined for 7 of Las Monjitas’ 8 field goals. A dominant first half from Las Monjitas saw them jump on each loose ball, outshooting Patagones 12-4 and providing enough of a lead to stave off a late run from Patagones, who fell just short in the final minute in the narrow one-goal defeat.
A step behind in the early stages of the game, Patagones committed two fouls that resulted in two penalty conversions for Mackenzie Weisz, with the 16-year old producing in the high-pressure setting of the semi-final. Tomas Garcia del Rio scored a goal from the field and the penalty line in the second chukker, looking to pull Patagones even with Las Monjitas, but Elizalde and Stirling executed a perfect two-man game, adding a goal and an assist each to maintain their two-goal lead. A quick pace to finish the first half, Las Monjitas continued to pressure Patagones, outshooting them 5-1 in the third chukker, with their elite duo weaving through the defense to hold a 7-4 lead at halftime.
An organized Las Monjitas team carried their performance into the beginning of the second half, keeping Patagones pinned in their own half, preventing any shot attempts against them. Elizalde’s third goal of the game pushed Las Monjitas’ lead to four, leaving Patagones short on time to complete a comeback. Unwilling to concede defeat, Patagones fought their way back beginning with a run from Geronimo Obregon as part of a two-goal chukker to cut the deficit to three. With time running out, Patagones dominated the throw-in line to keep possession and pressure Las Monjitas. Scoring with a minute left, Santiago Toccalino brought Patagones within one, trailing 10-9 as the excitement rose around the field, but time ran out on the comeback as Las Monjitas captured the first spot in the final to await the winner of La Indiana and Pilot.
Semi-final II: Pilot vs. La Indiana
A thrilling second semi-final featured three Pieres’, with Pilot’s Facundo and Gonzalito taking on La Indiana’s Polito Pieres for the last spot in the finals. A dramatic game featured runs by both teams, but the dynamic changed in the fifth chukker after Facundo Obregon replaced an injured Jeff Hall, scoring three goals and winning multiple throw-ins to push La Indiana to the exciting victory in front of a packed Field 5, with cars lining both sides of the field.
Winning the opening throw-in and taking it straight to goal, Facundo Pieres gave Pilot a quick lead just 15 seconds into the game. Overcoming three fouls, La Indiana kept pace with Pilot for the remainder of the chukker, trading goals, including a nice finish from Michael Bickford to trail by one goal. Consecutive penalty conversions from the 60-yard line for Polito Pieres pulled La Indiana even, but once again a patron finished the scoring in the chukker, this time Curtis Pilot, to restore Pilot’s one-goal advantage. Inaccurate shooting from Pilot to end the half kept them off the scoreboard, as La Indiana generated attacks from their knock-ins, scoring two goals, one each from Polito Pieres and Santiago Gomez Romero to hold a slim 6-5 lead at halftime.
With the outcome destined to come down to the final minutes between the two evenly matched teams, La Indiana looked to create some breathing room, receiving a goal from Jeff Hall to begin the second half. Facundo Pieres quickly erased that lead, converting a penalty 4 and following it with his fifth goal of the game, leaving the score tied at 7-7. In a decisive moment in the game, Hall was forced off the field due to injury, replaced by Facundo Obregon, who made an immediate impact. Scoring a goal from the field, along with a penalty 3 conversion, Obregon worked effectively alongside Polito Pieres to produce a run of four unanswered goals, giving La Indiana a commanding four-goal lead. Receiving a penalty 1 and also scoring from the field, Facundo Pieres left Pilot within reach, but Pilot was unable to generate enough scoring chances in the final chukker. With time running out, Obregon broke away to run out the clock, ending Pilot’s 18-game win streak with the 12-10 victory and ensuring a new C.V. Whitney Cup champion will be crowned.
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.
