Nico Pieres shot for his Lucchese team. Photo: Allannah Castro/Phelps Media Group.
Wellington, FL – January 19, 2015 – Tension was a living thing at the Monday morning penalty shootout tiebreaker to determine which teams would advance to the semifinals of the hotly-contested Joe Barry Cup at International Polo Club Palm Beach. It crept around between the ponies’ hooves, eased up the arms of the players shooting the penalties and unsettled the nerves jangling of even the most ice-cold collected player. Hitting the polo ball 60 yards between the undefended goal posts seems easy on a practice field without anyone watching. But with the ultra-competitiveness of the players and the outcome of the tournament on the line, it seemed more daunting, as if the ball had to travel a mile.
In the penalty shootout tiebreaker, one player from each team hits the ball at the 40-yard line and then at the 60-yard line. At that point, if there is a difference between the shots converted then the shootout is over. If they are even at that point, then players continue taking shots from the 60-yard line until there is a difference.
The shootout started with the Bracket I tiebreaker between the 2-1 teams (Audi, Lucchese, and Tonkawa) to determine 1st, 2nd and 3rd in that bracket. The winner would advance to the coveted automatic berth in the semifinals, the 2nd place would get another chance via yet another shootout against Enigma, the 3rd place team in the Bracket II/III cross section, and the 3rd place Bracket I team would be looking at a spot in the subsidiary semifinal. Nic Roldan (8) for Audi, Nico Pieres (8) for Lucchese, and Gonzalo del Tour (7) for Tonkawa were under the gun. All three were even after the mandatory 40 yard and 60 yard shots. As the players continued from the 60 yard line, Pieres converted his shot, catapulting Lucchese into 1st place in Bracket I. While Pieres breathed a sigh of relief on qualifying, the other two continued to shoot from the 60. In the next round, Tonkawa got a reprieve from elimination when del Tour converted his shot, which sent him to the bonus round against Enigma for a chance at the last semifinal position.
In Bracket II, Orchard Hill and Villa del Lago had qualified directly for the semifinals by virtue of their 3-0 records, the best in the league, so those two teams were spared the pressure cooker of the penalty shootout and elected to have a simple coin flip to determine who would place first and second in their league. Villa del Lago won the toss, placing them first in the Bracket II/III cross-section and Orchard Hill second.
This led to the second penalty shootout tiebreaker between third place Bracket II/III team Enigma and second place Bracket I team Tonkawa. The two teams had arrived at this point with an equal 2-1 record, but since they were in separate brackets and had not played each other, the tiebreaker was needed to determine which team had the right to advance. It was crunch time, as this was the last chance for either team to advance to the semifinals of the main Joe Barry Cup draw. Gonzalo del Tour returned to the line for Tonkawa, and Carlucho Arellano (5) stepped up for Enigma. A cool Arellano sank both shots but the 60-yard attempt by del Tour stumbled to a halt just before the goal line. Del Tour cantered up to the line to double check the ball placement. The ball was four inches shy of the line.
Arellano was the only player out of the five to be 100 percent accurate on his shots. When asked the secret to success, he replied, “I have a team that I know supports me and has faith in me, and my mom does too!”
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