Nic Roldan, Lucas Lalor and Alessandro Bazzoni. Photos: Alex Pacheco/Phelps Media Group.
Tonkawa Trumps Lucchese 10-9 in OT
January 17, 2015 – Wellington, FL – After two tightly contested games Saturday at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida, Tonkawa and Audi both stand 2-1 in the Joe Barry Tournament. Tonkawa took Lucchese 10-9 and Audi beat CT Energia 12-9.
Joao Paulo Ganon and Nic Roldan, both playing the number three position, scored 6 goals apiece for their respective teams. Four of Ganon’s goals came in the first chukker, which ended with CT Energia ahead 4-3. Roldan’s most impressive goal of the chukker came on a breakaway from inside the 60-yard line. In a display of great situational awareness and perfect reading of the play, he brought the ball from the middle toward the sideboards and charged ahead to score on a neckshot.
Later, with Kris Kampsen giving chase, Roldan took the ball on a breakaway and shot on goal. The ball hit the goalpost and bounced, only to be drilled right back in by Freddie Mannix, who scored for Audi. Ganon followed that up with a deft penalty shot (after he settled his horse, who had been jigging sideways), tying the game at 2 all. Audi didn’t let that stand for long. On a penalty conversion, Roldan scored on a 40-yard defended shot on goal, breaking the tie. Ganon then tapped in two goals on penalties, bringing CT Energia to a one-point lead (4-3) at the end of the first chukker.
Audi turned the tables during the second chukker, during which CT Energia was scoreless. Within the first two minutes of the chukker, Roldan tied the game back up at 4-all. Then Mannix grabbed the ball from a tailshot by Lucas Lalor, carried it forward and scored. Lalor made the next goal on a penalty shot, bringing Audi to a two-point lead (6-4).
Audi continued its slick teamwork as Lalor stole the ball from Ganon. With an inside backshot, Lalor set up Roldan, who passed the ball to Mannix for a goal. It was Mannix’s third goal of the day, all made from the field. (When asked about his string of goals, which were difficult to make from the back, number four Mannix shrugged and said with a laugh, “That’s what we’ve been practicing for – to put it between the posts!”)
Audi started the third chukker with a three-point lead (7-4) but didn’t score again until the second half. Still, it made CT Energia work hard to score. Early in the third chukker Kampsen fired to the left, where Ganon was waiting. Lalor cut in and flipped the ball back around, putting the pressure on Ganon. In a great play, Ganon ran back down the middle of the field, reached behind for the ball and scored. It was a running, open chukker (as the fourth was also to be), going six-and-a-half minutes without a whistle. With less than a minute left in the chukker, Kampsen scored on a penalty, tightening Audi’s lead to 7-6.
Audi owned the second half, which saw CT Energia scoreless during the fourth chukker. In a beautiful play, Mannix (with Ganon on his hip) pulled out in front and scored. Roldan grabbed the ball from the sideboards and handed it off to Ganzi, who scored, giving Audi a three-point lead. His teammates followed up with an amazing three-way play. On a nearside neckshot, Lalor delivered the ball to Mannix, who guided it down the field as far as he could. Then Lalor jumped back in and flipped the ball under Mannix’s horse to Roldan, who scored. (In the interim, Kampsen’s helmet came off. Without a break in the action, he scooped it up from the ground with his mallet and deposited it back onto his head, all in one smooth move.)
Audi was leading 10-6 at the start of the fifth chukker. CT Energia rallied, with Gannon and Alessandro Bazzoni scoring on penalties. On a breakaway with Bazzoni in hot pursuit, Roldan fired on goal and scored.
Going into the final chukker, Audi was ahead 11-8. In excellent team play by CT Energia, Ganon stole the ball from Roldan and hit two open backshots to Kampsen. Kampsen tried to work it in, but the ball hit the goalpost. Bazzoni was positioned perfectly to take it over, scoring on a nearside open backshot. A final goal by Roldan ended the game 12-9 for Audi.
Tonkawa Trumps Lucchese 10-9 in OT
In what ended up being a nail-biter, Tonkawa defeated Lucchese in overtime. Magoo LaPrida, with an assist from Nico Pieres, scored the first goal of the match and the only goal of the first chukker. Pieres had several goal attempts that went wide of the goal mouth. In the second chukker Inaki LaPrida broke out of heavy traffic to even up the score 1-1. After another wide attempt by Pieres, Tonkawa knocked in the ball. Magoo LaPrida picked up the ball in traffic about 80 yards from the goal and brought it in to 40 yards, where he slammed it between the goal posts with a neck shot. There was some play back and forth after the bowl-in, when Magoo LaPrida backed out a goal attempt by Gonzalo Deltour in a stellar defensive effort.
Following a knock-in by Lucchese, Magoo LaPrida drove the ball in to Tonkawa territory and received an assist by Andres Weisz to make the score 3-1. Inaki LaPrida responded with a nearside back shot to bring Tonkawa one goal closer. Magoo LaPrida scored to put one up on the board for Lucchese, and Deltour fired back with a goal making the score 4-3.
After a penalty three was called, Pieres, in his trademark style, walked up to the 40 yard penalty shot and slapped the ball between the posts. Inaki LaPrida hit Deltour on an open back shot following the bowl-in, and Deltour drove the ball in to end the third chukker 5-4. A wide goal attempt by Pieres was picked up by Magoo LaPrida and passed back to Pieres in traffic, resulting in a penalty that gave Tonkawa the ball from the point of the infraction. Tonkawa made a drive downfield only to have a foul called on Lucchese. Tonkawa capitalized on this and evened up the score 5-5 after Deltour made the penalty shot.
In the fifth chukker, Tonkawa came out swinging. Inaki LaPrida scored on a breakaway from a broken play by Magoo LaPrida and quickly scored again to put another one up on the board for Tonkawa. Deltour continued his hot streak by tapping the ball through the Lucchese defenders to make the score 8-5. Pieres started out the sixth chukker strongly, scoring and making up some ground on Tonkawa.
Jeff Blake made a strong play by pulling the ball from Weisz and getting it to Deltour, scoring inside a minute-and-a-half of the sixth chukker. After a penalty two was called from the point of the infraction, Lucchese, made the score 9-7. Magoo LaPrida continued to close the gap, scoring for Lucchese. Pieres scored on a breakaway to even the score up 9-9. After Pieres took an insignificant fall, the ball was thrown in and there was some play along the boards. A whistle was blown, but it was determined there was no foul.
In overtime, Lucas Arellano scored the first goal in the sudden death round. However, the goal was made after a whistle was blown. A foul was called in favor of Tonkawa, and Deltour slapped the ball in to win the match 10-9.
Arellano said that it felt “awesome” to be out on the field substituting for Jeff Hildebrand, who usually plays the number one position. It was Tonkawa’s strategy going into the game to use Arellano to shut down John Muse (Lucchese’s number one), he said.
“I’m happy,” said Inaki LaPrida. “We came with good horses and played well. We were losing (for a while), so we just needed to stay focused. I think that started happening in the fourth and fifth (chukkers). The sixth chukker wasn’t so good, but we were lucky in the overtime.”
The tournament continues Sunday with Coca-Cola vs. Enigma at 10 am and Lechuza Caracas vs. Villa del Lago at noon. The featured match at 3 pm pits Merchant Hub against FlexJet.
International Polo Club Palm Beach Fast Facts
What: Created by players for players, the International Polo Club Palm Beach was born out of the dream to build a facility to showcase the incredible skills of the ponies and players that dominate the sport.
Members and guests enjoy panoramic views of the action from field side box seats or lawn and terrace seating. Sponsors and fans convene at The Winners Circle to congratulate the players during the awards presentation following the games.
Gourmet brunches, après polo celebrations and the prerequisite charitable events will take place in The Pavilion, designed to accommodate large parties, corporate clients, as well as family and friends.
Featured Highlights:
Herbie Pennell Cup – 20 Goal
Jan. 1-4, 2015
Joe Barry Memorial Cup – 20 Goal
Jan. 4-25, 2015
Ylvisaker Cup – 20 Goal
Jan. 28 – February 22, 2015
Iglehart Cup – 20 Goal
Feb. 28 – March 8, 2015
USPA C. V. Whitney Cup – 26 Goal
Feb. 15 – March 1, 2015
Piaget USPA Gold Cup® – 26 Goal
March 4-22, 2015
111th Maserati U.S. Open Polo Championship® – 26 Goal
March 25 – April 19, 2015
Directions:
From the Turnpike:
Take the Lake Worth Exit
Head west on FL-802 W/Lake Worth Rd toward Hooks Rd
Continue to follow Lake Worth Rd (3.9 miles)
Turn right onto 120th Ave S
Destination will be ahead on the left (0.4 miles)
From I-95:
Exit Forest Hill Blvd, head West
Make Left turn onto 441/St Rd 7
Make Right turn onto Lake Worth Rd
Make Right turn onto 120th Ave S
Destination on Left
Information:
3667 120th Ave S, Wellington, FL 33414
International Polo Club Palm Beach: 561-204-5687
Mallet Grille: 561-282-5340
Spa & Fitness Center: 561-282-5288
Tennis Pro Shop: 561-795-7228
Polo Operations Office: 561-282-5283
Polo Hotline: 561-282-5290
Website:
www.internationalpoloclub.com
For Tickets:
http://internationalpoloclub.ticketleap.com/
Hotels:
Hampton Inn & Suites – (561) 472-9696 – Approximately 2 miles
Hampton Inn – (561) 472-5980 – Approximately 4 miles
Four Seasons Resort – (561) 582-2800 – Approximately 9 miles
The Breakers – (561) 655-6611 – Approximately 9 miles
Kimpton Tideline Ocean Resort & Spa – (561) 540-6440 – Approximately 9 miles
Management:
John Wash – President of Club Operations
jwash@internationalpoloclub.com
561-282-5353
MEDIA CONTACT:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com