Valiente 14 – Pony Express 7: US Open Polo Championship Player Ratings
Another crucial game of the United States Open Polo Championship took place at the International Polo Club between Valiente and Pony Express. It brought back the memories of the last edition of the championship, where Valiente won the opening two games with
heavy margin.
Astrada brothers, Nacho and Miguel, displayed awesome performances on the field and made the victory possible for Valiente.
Valiente after facing a loss in the hands of Las Monjitas in the opening game of the tournament revved it up and outclassed Pony Express in the second by seven impressive goals, 14-7.
On the other side, it was a big blow for the Pony Express which fell in the second consecutive game. The match was not highly pleasurable for spectators, as only one team remained in action throughout the period.
Here are the player ratings for the two teams.
Valiente
Nacho Astrada: 8.0/10
He was the star for Valiente and played vital role in the victory. By far the best striking performer, he hardly put a foot wrong throughout the game and marked six goals in the six-chukka of play. Impressive performance and lengthy rides were best part
of his game that enchanted the watchers a lot. He never missed a penalty-shot in the game and through took his players into the game.
Polito Pieres: 7.5/10
Pieres was the man who brought Valiente into the score-net and overall lit the lamp five times in the game. It was his attacks that set the game up really nicely and boosted the spirit of his team-mates. Pieres played impressive role and created goal scoring
chances for Nacho Astrada. He was a constant threat either on the offence or defence. His pace, ball chasing techniques and stick movements were no doubt outstanding.
Miguel Astrada: 6.5/10
Defensively he was all over on the field throughout the game, as he denied many attacks from the either side and kept them far away from the score-board. He got better at ratings, thanks to his three goals in the game. He passed some wonderful crosses towards
the front-runners, but also missed a few shots in the second half.
Robert Jornayvaz: 5.5/10
Robert Jornayvaz, the son of legendary Bob Jornayvaz, tried to inspire his team-mates, but failed to do so. Many of his fancy passes went wide in the game, while he also could not be impressive on defence. He missed some shots in the first set of play.
Pony Express
Bautista Heguy: 7.5/10
Heguy put on another terrific performance as he scored six out of total seven goals to keep his team into the game. He was unlucky that his team-mates could not deliver impressive performance and lost the game with a huge margin.
Santiago Chavanne: 6.0/10
After Heguy, he was an impressive performer on the field and added a solitary goal in the score of Pony Express. He was sloppy in ball possession and could not deliver brilliant performance that his team required at that time.
Juan Garcia Grossi: 4.0/10
It was a disappointing day for Grossi who failed to provide the width on the defence. He could not deny the Valiente attackers from firing goals.
Maureen Brennan: 4.5/10
He failed to hold the defensive line and conceded numerous goals in the six chukka action. He seemed careless with his passing and ball possession.
Tags: