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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 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.

Evergreen and Hanalei Bay in Stagecoach Challenge final

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Krista Bonagudi scored twice in Hanalei Bay’s win over Empire Saturday afternoon, earning them a berth in Sunday’s 2018 Stagecoach Challenge final.

Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Juan Jo Gonzales and Bayne Bossom) captured the first final berth in the 2018 Stagecoach Challenge with a healthy 12-7 win over Granite Bay (Eric Hammon, Julie Fernandez, Alvaro Tadeo and Goyo Mariscal) in a 10AM Saturday morning game at the Empire Polo Club.

Alvaro Tadeo got Granite Bay on the scoreboard first with a 60-yard penalty conversion, but Evergreen battled back.  Consecutive goals from the field from Juan Jo Gonzalez closed out the first chukker with evergreen on top, 2-1.

Evergreen controlled the second period as they put up four unanswered goals.  Gonzalez opened with a goal followed by a pair of goals from teammate Bayne Bossom to make it 5-1.  Gonzalez scored the final goal of the period to put Evergreen into a comfortable 6-1 lead.

Gonzalez stretched the Evergreen lead to seven goals, 8-1, scoring back to back goals in the third.  Goyo Mariscal scored Granite Bay’s first goal in over a chukker cutting the lead back to six goals, 8-2.  Gonzalez scored his third goal of the chukker and his fifth of the game to give Evergreen a commanding 9-2 halftime advantage.

Gonzalez opened the second half with a goal from the field, 10-2, before a stifling Granite Bay defensive effort shut the door on him.  A pair of goals from “Eric Hammon and a goal from Tadeo gave Granite Bay some hop as they left the field at the end of the fourth chukker trailing by five goals, 10-5.

Carlitos Galindo lashed out with two goals in the fifth, 12-5, as Evergreen pressured the Granite Bay defenders.  A 30-yard penalty goal from Hammon closed out the period with Evergreen in control, 12-6.

Tadeo scored the first goal of the sixth chukker, but that would be the end of any Granite Bay offense.  Single goals from Bossom and Galindo ended the game with Evergreen earning a spot in Sunday’s 2PM finals on the strength of the 14-7 victory.

Gonzalez led the field with six goals.  Galindo scored five times and Bossom added three goals for the win.  Tadeo and Hammon provided most of the offense for Granite Bay, scoring three goals apiece.  Mariscal added a goal in the loss.

Hanalei Bay 14, Empire 5

Ashton Wolf scored first for Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi, Ashton Wolf, Taylor Freeman and Ian Schnoebelen) in the 2PM Stagecoach Challenge game with a goal from Ian Schnoebelen making it 3-0 (Hanalei Bay received one goal by handicap) in the early minutes of the match.  Rob Scapa got Empire (Rob Scapa, Eileen Duffy, Erik Wright and Jim Wright) on the scoreboard with the final goal of the chukker to trail, 3-1.

Scapa tried to rally the Empire offense as he scored consecutives goals from the field for a 3-3 tie.  A goal from Krista Bonaguidi and two more from Wolf put Hanalei Bay in front by three goals at the end of the chukker, 6-3.

Wolf added two more goals in the third while a solid defensive effort by every member of the Hanalei Bay defense held Empire scoreless for a five-goal, 8-3 halftime lead.

Hanalei Bay continued to have their way with Empire in the fourth and fifth chukkers with single goals from Wolf and Schnoebelen and shutout defense expanding the lead to seven goals after the fourth, 10-3, and nine goals, 12-3 after scores from Taylor Freeman and Wolf in the fifth.

The two teams traded goals in the final chukker of the game with Bonaguidi and Wolf adding goals for Hanalei Bay and Empire responding with goals from Erik Wright and Jim Wright in the 14-5 beatdown.

Wolf scored a game-high eight goals for Hanalei Bay.  Bonaguidi and Schnoebelen added two goals each.  Freeman was credited with a goal and the team received one goal by handicap for the win.  Scapa’s three goals were a team-high for Empire.  Erik Wright and Jim Wright each added a goal in the losing effort.

The win sends Hanalei Bay to Sunday’s 2PM finals against Evergreen with Empire facing Granite Bay in a noon consolation match.  Both games will be played on Empire Polo Club Field 1.

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.

Stagecoach Challenge finalists to be decided in Saturday action

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Evergreen’s Carlitos Galindo is currently the top scorer in Stagecoach Challenge competition with 12 goals. He will attempt to carry his team to victory in Saturday’s action and earn a berth in Sunday’s tournament final.

With two games already under their belts, three of the four teams competing in the in the 2018 Stagecoach Challenge will have an opportunity to earn a berth in Sunday’s final at the Empire Polo Club when they play their last preliminary games on Saturday, January 6th.

Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Juan Jo Gonzalez and Bayne Bossom) remains the favorite going into Saturday’s game with Granite Bay (Eric Hammon, Julie Fernandez, Alvaro Tadeo and Goyo Mariscal).  Boasting a 2-0 record and wins over both Empire (Rob Scapa, Eileen Duffy, Erik Wright and Jim Wright) and Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi, Ashton Wolf, Taylor Freeman and Ian Schnoebelen), Evergreen is the only undefeated team in competition.

Granite Bay’s Alvaro Tadeo will lead the Granite Bay charge in Saturday’s game against Evergreen.

Boasting two of the tournament’s top scorers in Carlitos Galindo (12 goals in two games) and Juan Jo Gonzalez (eight goals in two games), the team has been averaging 12.5 goals per game and yielding a paltry average of just eight goals per game on defense.

Granite Bay, 1-1, isn’t far off the mark behind high-scoring Alvaro Tadeo who trails scoring leader Galindo with 11 goals.  Eric Hammon is tied for fifth place in scoring with 8 goals in the last two games.  Granite Bay has averaged a respectable 12 goals per game on offense while giving up 9.5 goals per game on defense.

A win by Evergreen will put them into the finals with a perfect 3-0 record while a win by Granite Bay will give both of them 2-1 records and will keep all teams waiting for the outcome of the Empire vs. Hanalei Bay battle.  Evergreen and Granite Bay will meet on Field 7 at 10AM.

The second match of the afternoon will take place at 2PM also on Field 7 features Hanalei Bay with a 1-1 record against winless Empire at 0-2.

After losing their opening game of the tournament to Evergreen, 12-7, Hanalei Bay bounced back to hammer Granite Bay, 17-7.  With Taylor Freeman averaging 4.5 goals per game and teammate Ashton Wolf averaging 4 goals per game. Hanalei Bay has averaged 10 goals per game on offense while surrendering 14 goals per outing on defense.  Empire has the tournament’s number two high scorer with Jim Wright (with 11 goals over two games), but has been unable to mount a successful team effort in the early competition.   Ashton Wolf leads the Hanalei Bay attack with 8 goals over the last two games.

Empire’s Jim Wright is hoping to bring home a victory for Empire in Saturday’s 2PM game.

The two teams with the best records at the end of the day will meet one another in a 2PM championship game on Empire Polo Club’s Field 1.

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 remains unbeaten with 13-9 win; Hanalei Bay trashes Granite Bay, 17-7

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Evergreen scored their second win of the Stagecoach Challenge Sunday afternoon at the Empire Polo Club by defeating Empire 13-9.

In the feature match of the day, a powerful Evergreen polo team (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Juan Jo Gonzalez and Bayne Bossom) broke open a 5-5 halftime tie to gallop off with a 13-9 win over Empire (Eileen Duffy, Rob Scapa, Jim Wright and Erik Wright) in the second round of play in the 2018 Stagecoach Challenge.

Empire received one goal by handicap from the 4-goal Evergreen lineup but it was Juan Jo Gonzalez with the first goal from the field to level the score at 1-1.  Jim Wright gave the lead back to Empire with his first goal of the day, 2-1, with Bayne Bossom leveling the score with the final goal of the chukker, 2-2.

Carlitos Galindo scored back-to-back goals for Evergreen as they moved in front, 4-2, in second period action.  Erik Wright converted a 40-yard penalty shot to keep Empire close, 4-3.

Jim Wright scored the tying goal for Empire, 4-4, on a 60-yard penalty shot as the two teams battled on.  Single goals from Galindo and Rob Scapa ended the first half in a 5-5 deadlock.

Three fourth period goals from Jim Wright (one on a 40-yard penalty conversion) were answered by a pair of goals from Scapa as Empire inched into the lead, 8-7 as the chukker ended.

The pivotal fifth chukker belonged to Evergreen with Gonzalez scoring twice and Galindo adding a goal.  The empire offense was held scoreless and found themselves trailing by two goals, 10-8, with once period left in regulation play.

Erik Wright scored on a 40-yard penalty shot in the sixth chukker, but the balance of the period belonged to Evergreen’s Galindo.  A penalty conversion and two more goals from the field carried Evergreen to a 13-9 victory.

Galindo led all scoring with seven goals.  Teammates Gonzalez and Bossom each scored three times for the win.  Jim Wright led the Empire attack with five goals.  Erik Wright scored twice and Scapa added a goal in a losing effort.

The win was the second of the tournament for Evergreen (2-0) while Empire remained winless (0-2).

Hanalei Bay 17, Granite Bay 7

In a 10AM Stagecoach Challenge game, every member of the Hanalei Bay polo team (Krista Bonaguidi, Ian Schnoebelen and Taylor Freeman) got on the scoreboard as they rolled over previously unbeaten Granite Bay (Julie Fernandez, Goyo Mariscal, Alvaro Tadeo and Eric Hammon), 17-7.

Opening goals from Ian Schnoebelen and Krista Bonaguidi had Hanalei Bay with the early lead, 2-0.  Alvaro Tadeo and Eric Hammon countered with single goals that tied the game at 2-2 at the end of the first chukker.

Tadeo gave the lead to Granite Bay, 3-2, with a 30-yard penalty goal in the second period, but Hanalei Bay battled back.  Goals from Schnoebelen and Ashton Wolf ended the chukker with Hanalei Bay guarding a narrow 4-3 advantage.

Hammon scored the tying goal for Granite Bay as the third chukker got underway, but that was where their offense stalled.  A goal from Wolf was complimented by two goals from Taylor Freeman (one on a penalty conversion).  The first half ended with Hanalei Bay leading by three goals, 7-4.

Hanalei continued to gain momentum into the second half.  Three more goals from Taylor and a goal from Wolf went unanswered, and Hanalei Bay stretched their lead to seven goals, 11-4.

The Hanalei Bay offense continued to pick up steam in the fifth.  Wolf and Freeman added two goals each while the Hanalei Bai defense shutout Granite Bay for the second straight chukker.  With one period left to play, the Hanalei Bay lead had ballooned to eleven goals, 15-4.

With Hanalei Bay coasting through the final seven minutes of the game, Granite Bay got singe goals from Hammon, Tadeo and Goyo Mariscal.  Schnoebelen scored his third and fourth goal of the match as Hanalei Bay evened their Stagecoach Challenge record at 1-1 with a 17-7 win.  The loss was the first for Granite Bay, 1-1.

Hanalei Bay’s Freeman led all scoring with seven goals.  Wolf scored five times; Schnoebelen added four and Bonaguidi scored once for the win.  Hammon and Tadeo each scored three ties for Granite Bay, with Mariscal contributing a goal in the loss.

Competition continues in the 2018 Stagecoach Challenge on Saturday, January 6th with Evergreen (2-0) facing Granite Bay (1-1) and Hanalei Bay (1-1) meeting Empire (0-2).  The two teams with the best records will meet one another in the final on Sunday, January 7th.

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.