Pony Express-Santa Clara defeat Tres Vinos, 9-6, to ride into the USPA Eastern Challenge Cup
Tomas Goti and Hector Galindo scored four and three times, respectively, and each had an assist, as Pony Express-Santa Clara defeated Tres Vinos by 9-6 in the semi-finals of the United States Polo Association (USPA) Eastern Challenge Cup. The single-handed
game was held at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Florida.
The Pony Express had some significant punches in the opening period, wrapped up goals in the first and second chukkas, and held back the advantage in the last set of play to get a spot into the finals of the tournament. Goti and Galindo were the real heroes
of the victory those led the team into the title-claiming fight.
The Tres Vinos outfit obtained a goal in the head of less number of handicaps and it was the only score from them in the opening seven and half minutes of play. Goti and Galindo scored one goal each to put Pony Express ahead onto the scoreboard at the end
of first round, 2-1.
The second chukka was also belonged to Pony Express which obtained two goals while holding opponents only for a single goal. Francisco Escobar and his team-mate, Goti, marked a couple of goals to expand the lead up to three points, 4-1. However, Franco Veronesi
scored first goal from the field and brought his team into the score net. The second round concluded with Tres Vinos trailing by two goals, 4-2.
In the third set of play, the two sides exchanged one goal with Pony Express retaining their two-goal lead. Goti chipped in the score from Pony Express which was countered from Brandon Phillips. At the halftime, Pony Express was hanging on to a two-goal
edge, 5-2.
In the second half of play, the two teams started more offensive game. However, the Pony Express team dominated the field with the ball possession. Goti converted a penalty shot and stretched the lead up to three points. Veronesi executed a well-coordinated
shot through the goal and closed the score at 6-4.
In the fifth chukka, Hector Galindo scored a couple of goals from the field and enthralled the spectators with his brilliant stick-work. On the other hand, the defensemen from the Pony Express kept the Tres Vinos’ strikers off the scoreboard. With one chukka
left to play, Pony Express was holding a four-goal, 8-4 lead.
In the final set of play, the Tres Vinos’ attack came alive and scored two goals while limiting Pony Express only for a single goal, but to no avail. Escobar scored another goal for Pony Express while Phillips managed two goals for Tres Vinos. As the final
whistle sounded, Pony Express won the game by three goals, 9-6 and moved into the Sunday’s finals.
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