HorseBuff Magazine – Polo, International Polo Club Palm Beach, IPC, Ylvisaker Cup
The 2021 Ylvisaker Cup concluded at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) on Sunday with the fourth meeting of the season between Beverly Polo and Palm Beach Equine. Under some rainy conditions on the Home of the U.S. Polo Assn – Field 1, Hilario Figueras and Tolito Ocampo scored five goals each to lead Beverly Polo to the 15-11 victory and capture the Ylvisaker Cup title.
acing their third consecutive final, 16-goal Beverly Polo’s system finally paid off to capture their first title of the year. Maintaining their momentum from the semifinal victory against Tamera, Beverly Polo displayed a strong offense and defense, leaving Palm Beach Equine trailing throughout the entire game. Joaquin Panelo, who filled in for Peke Gonzalez, showcased an outstanding performance, displaying hit and run plays while adding two goals. Despite shooting 64% from the field, Palm Beach Equine committed 13 fouls that resulted in six penalty conversions for Beverly Polo. Along with the additional opportunities from the field, Beverly Polo overwhelmed Palm Beach Equine in one of their strongest games of the year to complete the four-goal victory.
With a two-goal advantage, Beverly Polo was able to maintain that lead, withstanding an early push from Palm Beach Equine. Costi Caset opened the scoring, but two missed penalty attempts allowed Beverly Polo to stay ahead by two after Ocampo’s first goal. Reorganizing, Palm Beach Equine began to take advantage of their opportunities, converting three of their four attempts from the field, while also adding a Penalty 3 conversion. The fast-paced second chukker saw a response from Beverly Polo with two goals from Ocampo and one from newcomer Panelo. The duo of Ocampo and Figueras took over in the final stages of the first half, scoring two goals each in the third chukker, while actively defending against the Palm Beach Equine attack. Conceding zero shot attempts, Beverly Polo allowed two penalty goals, but remained in the lead, holding the 10-7 advantage at halftime.
Beverly Polo began the second half using their defense to push further ahead. Holding Palm Beach Equine to zero shot attempts for the second consecutive chukker, Beverly Polo extended their lead to five thanks to the strong attack of Panelo, who worked seamlessly with his teammates in his first game of the season. Needing a quick response, Palm Beach Equine regained some momentum on two goals from Caset, cutting the deficit to three. More importantly, Beverly Polo was kept off the scoreboard, leaving one chukker for Palm Beach Equine to continue their comeback attempt. Foul trouble was a consistent factor for Palm Beach Equine and in the final chukker it ultimately sealed their fate as Figueras converted both penalty attempts. Bill Ballhaus scored an impressive flip tail finish to complete the 15-11 victory and secure the Ylvisaker Cup title for Beverly Polo.
Figueras was awarded Most Valuable Player, while Best Playing Pony was given to “One Juliana,” played by Tolito Ocampo throughout the game, and Ballhaus received the 18 Goal Sportsmanship Award.
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.
