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USPA Constitution Cup wins for Lockton and Evergreen

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The Lockton polo team of Tim Kelly, Bryan Middleton, Andres Gonzalez and Francisco Guinazu on the trophy stand with friends, family and supporters following Sunday’s win in the 2018 USPA Constitution Cup at the Empire Polo Club.

There was plenty of action Sunday at the Empire Polo Club with 13 teams competing in three different and distinct levels of play.

In the feature match of the day, Lockton (Tim Kelly, Bryan Middleton, Andres Gonzalez and Francisco Guinazu) bounced back from a Friday loss to edge Granite Bay (Eric Hammon, Alvaro Tadeo, Marcos Llambias and Catlin Dix), 9-8, in the 8-goal USPA Constitution Cup tournament action.

Lockton’s Bryan Middleton exploded for three first chukker goals while Granite Bay was limited to a single 40-yard penalty conversion from Marcos Llambias.  The 7-goal Granite Bay team received one goal by handicap, but After the first seven minutes of play it was Lockton with the 3-2 lead.

Middleton struck again in the second period while his teammates succeeded in shutting down the Granite Bay attack.  The Lockton lead grew to two goals, 4-2.

Middleton’s fifth goal of the afternoon was followed by a 30-yard penalty conversion from Tim Kelly that had Lockton holding on to a four-goal lead, 6-2.  Llambias scoffed the final goal of the first half as Granite Bay trailed by three goals, 6-3.

The Granite Bay defense tightened in the fourth, holding Lockton scoreless for the first time all day.  Alvaro Tadeo scored the only goal of the chukker, getting to within two goals of the lead, 6-4.

Both offenses got on track in the fifth.  Middleton scored from the field and teammate Francisco Guinazu added a 60-yard penalty goal.  Granite Bay responded with a pair of goals from Tadeo and a goal from Catlin Dix.  After five periods of play, Granite Bay had cut the Lockton lead back to a single goal, 8-7.

In a do-or-die sixth chukker Lockton drew first blood, with Guinazu stretching the Lockton lead back to two goals, 9-7.  There was no quit in the Granite Bay offense as they pressed their attack A goal from Llambias brought Granite Bay back to within a goal of the lead, once again, but time and a solid defense was on the side of Lockton as they leveled their record at 1-1 with the 9-8 victory.  Granite Bay suffered their second straight tournament loss and fell to 0-2.

Middleton led all scoring with six goals on the day.  Guinazu scored twice and Kelly added a goal for the win.  Llambias and Tadeo scored three goals apiece.  Dix added a goal and the team received one goal by handicap.

Evergreen 14, Spindrift 12

Earlier in the day Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Juan Jo Gonzalez and Shane Rice) faced Spindrift (John Bickford, Luis Saracco, Tan Khan and Iggy Deltour) in their first USPA Constitution Cup match in one of the most raucous and hard-riding game of the season.

Thirty-two fouls and five Yellow flags later, according to Empire’s polo manager, Vicky Owens, Evergreen emerged with a 14-12 victory.

Shane Rice made his presence known by scoring the first goal of the game on a 60-yard penalty shot.  Iggy Deltour countered with a pair of goals for Spindrift for a ne goal lead, 2-1.  Juan Jo Gonzalez made good on a 40-yard penalty shot with Spindrift’s John Bickford closing out the chukker with his first goal of the day for a 3-2 Spindrift lead.

Penalties began to take their toll on both teams in the second.  Four of the five goals scored came from the penalty line with Rice converting from 30, 40 and 60-yards for three goals and Deltour adding a 60-yarder and a goal from the field for Spindrift.  At the end of the second period the score was all even at 5-5.

Fouls continued to plague an aggressive Evergreen offense in third period play.  Bickford scored on a 40-yard penalty shot and Tan Khan scored from the 30-yard line.  Evergreen was kept off the scoreboard and trailed 7-5 at the end of the first half.

A very physical game continued into the second half with Evergreen getting the benefit of Spindrift fouls in the fourth.  Gonzalez scored a goal from the field and Rice added another penalty goal.  Carlitos Galindo scored once from the field and once from the penalty line.  Spindrift was held to a single goal from the field from Bickford and fell behind Evergreen, 9-8.

Deltour tied the game at 8-8 with the opening goal of the fifth, but goals from Evergreen’s Tom Sprung and Gonzalez put Evergreen in front, 11-9.  Luis Saracco scored for Spindrift with Rice converting another 40-yard penalty shot that ended the chukker with Evergreen on top, 12-10.

The two teams traded goals in the sixth with Saracco scoring first for Spindrift, 12-11 and Gonzalez countering with a goal for Evergreen, 13-11.  An Evergreen foul sent Saracco to the penalty line where he converted a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal, cutting the Evergreen lead back to a single goal, 13-12, but Galindo closed the door on them with his third goal of the game for the 14-12 victory

Constitution cup play is scheduled to resume on Friday, March 16th with Evergreen (1-0) facing Granite Bay (1-1) and REMAX (1-0) meeting Spindrift (1-1).

Tournament play slated for Friday in the USPA Constitution Cup and the USPA Congressional Cup

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US team member Shane Rice will be joining Evergreen for the Constitution Cup tournament after competing in England in international cup play last week.

Action resumes at the Empire Polo Club this weekend with a total of nine teams competing at the 4-goal and 8-goal level.

Five teams will be competing at the 8-goal USPA Constitution Cup as a strong Spindrift team (John Bickford, Luis Saracco, Tan Khan and Iggy Deltour) attempting to win back-to-back trophies, following their USPA 8-goal General Patton Cup win two weeks ago.  Spindrift will open with a Friday match against Lockton (Tim Kelly, Bryan Middleton, Andres Gonzalez and Alejandro Gonzalez).  The second match of the day will pit ReMax (Dayelle Fargey, Jared Sheldon, Gordon Ross and Matthew Fonseca) against Granite Bay (Eric Hammon, Alvaro Tadeo, Marcos Llambias and Catlin Dix).  Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Juan Jo Gonzalez and Shane Rice) received a first round bye.

Sunday will see Evergreen face Spindrift while Granite Bay and Lockton lock horns in he second round of Constitution Cup play.

Two of the four 4-goal teams will take the field on Friday in the USPA Congressional Cup with La Herradura (Caroline Anier, Gina Padilla, Meghan Gracida and Carlos Hernandez) playing the Buffalos (Ross Adam, Tim Rudy, Felipe Sordelli and Riley Jordan) to get the tournament underway.

Empire (Rob Scapa, Erik Wright, Jim Wright and Kiki Hiller) is scheduled to battle Prima Polo (Robert Payne III, Jenny Alter, Toto Socas and Todd Randall) in Saturday’s only 4-goal game.

A full compliment of four games at both the 4-goal and 8-goal level will be featured in Sunday competition.

The 2017-2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers fourteen weekends of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA.  For further information go to the club website at http://empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.

La Herradura holds on for 2018 General Patton 8-goal Cup win

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Hall of Fame polo player Memo Gracida with his victorious La Herradura polo team at the Empire Polo Club in the 8-goal General George S. Patton Cup.

Former 10-goaler and Polo Hall of Fame legend Memo Gracida took center stage on Sunday afternoon at the Empire Polo Club and led his La Herradura team (Alvaro Fernandez, Rodrigo Fernandez, Isaac Sepulveda and Memo Gracida) to an 8-7 win over Granite Bay (Eric Hammon, Alvaro Tadeo, Marcos Llambias and Rhandy Heredia) in the second round of play in the 2018 General Patton 8-goal Cup.

In a well-orchestrated opening chukker La Herradura scored three straight goals while holding Granite Bay scoreless for the early lead. Isaac Sepulveda scored the first goal of the game followed by a 40-yard penalty conversion from Gracida, 2-0. Rodrigo Fernandez scored the closing goal of the period to move in front, 3-0.

The Las Herradura defense held solid again in the second. Sepulveda scored the only goal of the chukker, however, extending the La Herradura advantage to four goals, 4-0.

Gracida’s second goal of the match came on a 30-yard penalty shot in the third chukker, when the Granite Bay attack stirred. Alvaro Tadeo scored the first goal of the day for Granite Bay, followed by a goal from teammate Eric Hammon. The first half ended with Gracida and company in control of a 5-2 game.

Both defenses stiffened as the second half got underway. Rodrigo Fernandez scored to make it 6-2, with Marco Llambias responding with a goal for Granite Bay. After four periods of play, La Herradura continued to control the game behind a 6-3 advantage.

Goals continued to elude players on both sides in the fifth. Alvaro Fernandez scored for La Herradura with Tadeo countering with a goal from Granite Bay. After five periods of play, La Herradura continued to hold a three-goal advantage over Granite Bay, 7-4.

Gracida’s third goal of the day came from the field in sixth chukker action and put La Herradura up by four goals, 8-4, when the Granite Bay offense rallied. Two goals from Llambias and a goal from Tadeo brought Granite Bay to within a goal of the lead, but that would be as close as they would get as the La Herradura defenders held on to secure the 8-7 victory.

Gracida led the La Herradura attack with three goals (two on penalty conversions). Rodrigo Fernandez and Sepulveda each scored twice, and Alvaro Fernandez added a goal for the win. Tadeo and Llambias each scored three times for Granite Bay. Hammon was credited with a goal in the loss.

The win lifted the La Herradura tournament record to 1-1 while Granite Bay remained winless in two outings (0-2).

Spindrift 9, Cotterel 8

In morning 8-goal Patton Cup action, Spindrift (John Bickford, Luis Saracco, Juan Curbelo and Leslie Tims) won their second game of the tournament with a 9-8 nail-bitter over Cotterel (Jenny Luttrell, Ruben Coscia, Francisco Benardoni and Gaby Saccullo).

The 7-goal Cotterel team received one goal by handicap from Spindrift but watched as they were out-scored from the field in the opening minutes of the match. A goal from John Bickford and a pair of goals from Juan Curbelo gave the early lead to Spindrift, 3-1.

The two teams traded goals in the second with Cotterel getting single goals from Ruben Coscia and Jenny Luttrell. Spindrift matched them goal for goal with Curbelo scoring for the third time and Luis Saracco getting on the scoreboard for the first time on the day. Spindrift continued to lead, 5-3.

Saracco added two more goals in the third while a resolute Spindrift defense held Cotterel to a single penalty goal from Coscia. At the end of the first half, Spindrift had expanded its lead to three goals, 7-4.

Coscia struck first in the fourth, cutting the Spindrift lead back to two goals, 7-5, but the Spindrift attack was pressuring the Cotterel goal. Fouls proved to be costly for the Cotterel defenders as Bickford took advantage of the opportunity to convert two 30-ayrd penalty shots for goals. After four chukkers the Spindrift lead had grown to four goals, 9-5.

A determined Coscia took the field in the fifth and quickly scored two goals for Cotterel. A solid defensive effort shut down the Spindrift attack, cutting the lead to a manageable two goals, 9-7, with one chukker of play remaining in regulation time.

Cotterel continued to press the attack in the sixth, with Coscia converting a 60-yard penalty shot for a goal, when the Spindrift defense held firm. Time expired in the 9-8 Spindrift win with Cotterel pressuring the Spindrift goal.

Bickford, Curbelo and Saracco scored three goals apiece for the win. Coscia was high-scorer of the game with six goals. Luttrell added a goal and the team received one goal by handicap.

The win inflated the Spindrift record to 2-0 while Cotterel fell to 0-2.

STG 16, Lockton 10

In a noon 8-goal Patton Cup battle of the unbeatens, STG (Max Menini, John Ziegler, Tommy Costello and Francisco Guinazu) handed Lockton (Tim Kelly, Bryan Middleton, Jessica Bailey and Alejandro Gonzalez) their first loss of the tournament (1-1) while improving to 2-0 themselves.

Lockton received one goal by handicap from STG and went up, 2-0, with a goal from the field from Alejandro Gonzalez. John Ziegler responded with a 40-yard penalty conversion for STG followed by a 30-yard penalty goal from Max Menini and a goal from the field from Francisco Guinazu for the 3-2 lead. Gonzalez leveled the score at 3-3 with the final goal of the chukker.

A stubborn STG defense shut out Lockton in second chukker play. Single goals from Guinazu, Tommy Costello and Ziegler were supported by shutout defense, sending Lockton off the field at the end of the second period behind by three goals, 6-3.

Ziegler added a 40-goal penalty goal in the third followed by goals from teammates Menini and Costello, 9-3. Gonzalez and Bryan Middleton kept Lockton from getting blanked with goals to end the chukker trailing, 9-5.

Costello and Ziegler added goals in the fourth with Lockton responding with a 30-yard penalty goal from Middleton. The STG lead had grown to five goals, 11-6.

Gonzalez scored twice in the fifth for Lockton, scoring once from the field and once on a penalty shot. STG kept pace with goals from Menini and Guinazu (40-yard penalty goal). The STG lead held at five goals, 13-8.

Two penalty goals from Tim Kelly in the sixth was the extent of Lockton’s attempt to rally with STG adding three more goals to their total. Two goals from Guinazu and a goal from Ziegler had STG galloping off with the win, 16-10.

Guinazu and Ziegler led the STG attack with five goals apiece. Costello and Menini each scored three times for the win. Gonzalez set the offensive pace for Lockton with five goals. Middleton and Kelly each scored twice, and the team received one goal by handicap.

Play continues in 8-goal General Patton Cup tournament on Friday, February 23rd with STG (2-0) facing La Herradura (1-1); Spindrift (2-0) taking on Lockton (1-1) and Granite Bay (0-2) playing Cotterel (0-2). At the end of the day, the two teams with the top records will go to Sunday’s 2pm final.

The 2017-2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers fourteen weekends of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA. For further information go to the club website at http://empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.

Evergreen goes to 2-0 in USPA Sportsmanship Cup Competition

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The Empire polo team (L to R)-Jim Wright, Erik Wright, Rob Scapa and Eileen Duffy with representatives of the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa at the Empire Polo Club Sunday afternoon. Empire edged Granite Bay, 8-7, in a United States Polo Association Sportsmanship Cup match.

Empire (Rob Scapa, Eileen Duffy, Erik Wright and Nicolas Maciel) rebounded from a humiliating 12-3 loss in USPA Sportsmanship play on Saturday to record a hard-fought 8-7 win over Granite Bay (Eric Hammon, Alvaro Tadeo, Jenny Alter and Diego Cruz) Sunday afternoon at the Empire Polo Club, bringing an end to a day loaded with polo action.

Granite Bay drew first blood, however, with Alvaro Tadeo scoring the first goal of the match for the early 1-0 lead.  Empire countered with a goal from Jim Wright to end the first chukker in a 1-1 tie.

Erik Wright’s first goal of the day gave Empire their first lead of the day, 2-1, but Granite Bay continued to press their attack.  An empire foul sent Tadeo to the penalty line where he converted from 60-yards out for the final goal of the period to make it 2-2.

Both teasms played disciplined defense with Jim Wright and Tadeo exchanging goals in the third.  At the midway point, the score remained level at 3-3.

Pressure from Empire in the fourth chukker resulted in a pair of Granite Bay fouls.  Jim Wright took advantage of the Granite Bay errors, converting from 40-yars and 60-yards respectively.  The Empire defenders held firm, shutting out the Granite Bay attack for the first time all day.  After four periods of play, Empire had taken a two-goal, 5-3 advantage.

Granite Bay erupted for three consecutive goals in the fifth with goals from Diego Cruz, Tadeo and Eric Hammon boosting them into the lead, 6-5.  Jim Wright countered with back-to-back goals for Empire, ending the period on top of Granite Bay, 7-6.

Erik Wright opened the scoring in the sixth with his second score of the day, extending the Empire lead to two goals, 8-6, but there was no quit in Granite Bay.  Tadeo scored for the fourth time, but time was on Empire’s side as they held on for the 8-7 win.

Jim Wright led all scoring with six goals (two on penalty conversions).  Erik Wright added a pair of goals for the win.  Tadeo led the Granite Bay attack with three goals from the field and a penalty goal.  Hammon and Cruz each added a goal in a losing effort.

Evergreen 8, Hanalei Bay 7

Earlier in the day, Carlitos Galindo dazzled the Sunday crowd by scoring seven times in leading Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Juan Jo Gonzales and Bayne Bossom) to their second tournament win in as many days as they outlasted Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi, Ashton Wolf, Taylor Freeman and Ian Schnoebelen) in a hotly-contested 8-7 win.

Although Hanalei Bay received one goal by handicap, an aggressive Evergreen defense held them scoreless from the field in the opening two chukkers.  Single goals from Galindo and Bayne Bossom had Evergreen in front, 2-1, after the first.  A pair of 40-yard penalty goals from Galindo in the second period extended the Evergreen led to three goals, 4-1.

A goal from Ashton Wolf in the third cut the Evergreen lead down to two goals in the third, but their defense was unable to shut down Galindo.  His fourth goal on the day ended the first half with Evergreen leading by three goals, 5-2.

A re-focused Hanalei Bay team took the field in the fourth chukker and appeared to be in sync.  Consecutive goals from Ian Schnoebelen, Wolf and Taylor Freeman went unanswered.  The fourth period ended with Evergreen and Hanalei Bay all even at five goals apiece.

Goals were hard to come by in the fifth with both defenses stepping it up a notch.  A single 40-yard penalty goal from Galindo accounted for all of the scoring as Evergreen edged out to a narrow 6-5 lead with once period remaining in regulation play.  Freeman and Galindo traded goals in the sixth, each scoring twice, as Evergreen escaped with the 8-7 win.

Galindo’s seven goals set the pace for the day.  Bossom added a goal for the Evergreen victory.  Freeman scored a team-high three goals for Hanalei Bay.  Wolf added a pair of goals, Schnoebelen scored once and the team received one goal by handicap in the loss.

All four teams will return next week for the completion of the 2018 USPA Sportsmanship Cup.

General Admission and tailgating are free with a $20 parking fee. VIP is $30 per person with a reservation. Call 760-393-7298 for VIP reservations. Entrance is on Ave. 50 between Madison St. and Monroe St. Visit http://www.EmpirePolo.com for more details

Saturday’s Sportsmanship Cup results: Evergreen 12, Empire 3; and Hanalei Bay 13, Granite Bay 6.

The 2017-2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers fourteen weekends of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA.  For further information go to the club website at http://empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.

Evergreen takes Stagecoach Challenge behind nine goals from Carlitos Galindo

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2018 Stagecoach Challenge winners-Evergreen (L to R), Juan Jo Gonzalez, Bayne Bossom, Carlitos Galindo and Tom Sprung were undefeated in two days of competition at the Empire Polo Club.

Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Juan Jo Gonzales and Bayne Bossom) and Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi, Ashton Wolf, Taylor Freeman and Ian Schnoebelen) rode into Sunday’s final of the 2018 Stagecoach Challenge at the Empire Polo Club with high-scoring offenses that had averaged about 13-goals-per game (Evergreen 13; Hanalei Bay, 12.6) after three games, setting the stage for a high-scoring championship match that would feature some of the tournament’s top scorers, and they didn’t disappoint.

Carlitos Galindo rocked the Hanalei Bay defenders in first chukker action that saw him score three consecutive goals for the early 3-1 edge (Hanalei Bay received one goal by handicap).  Taylor Freeman scored Hanalei Bay’s first goal from the field to end the first with Evergreen holding on to a 3-2 advantage.

Fouls by Hanalei Bay got them into trouble early in the second period, and Evergreen made them pay.  Galindo converted a penalty shot from 60-yards while teammate Bayne scored on a 30-yarder.  Both Galindo and Bossom added goals from the field as Evergreen rocketed out to a 7-2 lead.  Ashton Wolf scored the final goal of the period, but Hanalei Bay trailed by four goals, 7-3.

Hanalei Bay, (L to R)-Krista Bonaguidi, Ian Schnoebelen, Ashton Wolf and Taylor Freeman.

Hanalei Bay scratched their way back into the game in the third, cutting the lead back to 7-5 on goals from Wolf and Freeman (a 40-yard penalty conversion), but it wasn’t to be.  Galindo added a penalty goal and a goal from the field with Juan Jo Gonzalez scoring his first goal of the day on a penalty shot to give Evergreen a commanding 10-5 halftime lead.

The Hanalei Bay defense stepped it up in the fourth, holding Evergreen scoreless for the first time all day, but were unable to capitalize on it.  A single goal from Wolf was all they could muster, offensively, and continued to trail, 10-6.

Bossom’s single goal in the fifth for Evergreen was the only score of the period as solid defensive efforts slowed down both attacking efforts.  The Evergreen led returned to five goals, 11-6, with one period left in regulation play.

Gonzalez added a goal and Galindo scored twice (one on a penalty shot) while an impotent Hanalei Bay attack was unable to mount a successful scoring effort for the second consecutive chukker.  When the final horn sounded it was Evergreen with the convincing 14-6 victory.

Carlitos Galindo led all scoring with an impressive nine goals.  He also finished the tournament as high-scorer with a total of 26 goals in four games.  Bossom added three goals and Gonzalez scored twice for the win.  Wolf scored three times for Hanalei Bay.  Freeman added two goals and the team received one goal by handicap.

Empire 7, Granite Bay 5

In a noon Stagecoach Challenge consolation game, it was Empire (Rob Scapa, Eileen Duffy, Erik Wright and Nicolas Maciel) sneaking past Granite Bay (Eric Hammon, Julie Fernandez, Alvaro Tadeo and Goyo Mariscal), 7-5.

First chukker goals from Nicolas Maciel (substituting for Jim Wright) and Rob Scapa went unanswered as the Empire defenders turned aside one assault after another.  The first chukker ended with Empire on top, 2-0.

The Empire polo team of Erik Wright, Nicolas Maciel, Rob Scapa and Eileen Duffy downed Granite Bay in the consolation match.

Maciel’s second goal of the day extended the Empire lead to three goals, 3-0, before Granite Bay found their offense.  Countering with goals from Eric Hammon and Alvaro Tadeo, Granite Bay came within a goal of the lead, 3-2, as the period ended.

Goals were scarce in the third as both defenses held.  A single 30-yard penalty conversion by Erik Wright accounted for all of the scoring as Empire left the field at the end of the first half on top of a 4-2 score.

A fourth period goal from Maciel was supported by a defense that held Granite Bay without a goal for the second consecutive chukker.  After four periods of play, Empire remained in the lead, 5-2.

Granite Bay came alive in the fifth, with goals from Tadeo and Goyo Mariscal, 5-4, but Empire answered back.  Single goals from Maciel and Wright restored their 3-goal lead, 7-4, with one period left to play.

The defensive tone of the game carried into the final chukker, with Granite Bay’s Julie Fernandez accounting for the only goal in a 7-5 Empire victory.

Maciel led the Empire attack with four goals.  Wright scored twice and Scapa accounted for a goal in the win.  Tadeo’s two goals were a team high for Granite Bay.  Single goals were scored by Fernandez, Mariscal and Hammon.