In a full-force display of organization and teamwork, Valiente snatched a 14-11 victory over Orchard Hill to ride home with the 2017 C.V. Whitney Cup. The clean, fast game unfolded on Engel & Völkers field at the International Polo Club Palm Beach last Sunday.
From the get-go, Valiente concentrated on not putting Orchard Hill’s Facundo Pieres on the penalty line. Pieres was shooting a very efficient 71 percent heading into the game. Throughout the first half, Valiente only fouled 3 times and gave Pieres just one penalty attempt.
Directly off the first throw-in, Orchard Hill drove downfield, pressuring the Valiente defense. Felipe Vercellino picked up a penalty 1 goal to give Orchard Hill an early lead and repossession of the ball. Shortly afterward, Polito Pieres finished off a run to give Orchard Hill a 2-0 advantage.
The game turned in the third chukker when Valiente controlled play, not allowing Orchard Hill to register a shot on goal from the field or penalty line. Adolfo Cambiaso and Diego Cavanagh each scored one goal from the field to give Valiente a slim 6-5 lead at halftime. From that point on, Valiente never looked back, stretching its lead with each chukker.
Throw-ins began to have a big impact on the game for both teams in the second half. Orchard Hill was winning more throw-ins, but when Valiente did win, Cambiaso capitalized on it. He would instantly appear from the back of the lineup and turn the play into a scoring opportunity. That thwarted Orchard Hill’s attempts to maintain momentum.
Valiente stretched its lead to four goals after five chukkers behind the strong play of 6-goaler Matias Torres Zavaleta. He played an outstanding game and had a particularly impressive second half, when he scored all four of his goals.
The emergence of Zavaleta, who was named the game’s MVP, created a tough challenge for Orchard Hill. Orchard Hill struggled to contain Zavaleta, a nearly impossible task considering that they also had to counter Cambiaso and Cavanagh.
Orchard Hill got back within two goals late in the game, scoring five of the team’s last six goals on penalty shots. However, Valiente was too strong in open play, scoring 12 of 14 goals from the field. Valiente shot an impressive 12 of 15 (80 percent) from the field, while Orchard Hill shot 5 of 7 (71 percent). The Pieres cousins, Facundo and Polito, made all of Orchard Hill’s 11 goals. The combined force of Cambiaso and Zavaleta led Valiente to the trophy.
The Best Playing Pony award went to Sugar — who yes, was purchased from Sugar Erskine — and is owned by J5/Valiente. Sugar was played by Cambiaso.
Up next at IPC is the 26-goal USPA Gold Cup. All games in IPC’s 26-goal series are being live streamed on the USPA Polo Network at www.uspolo.org.
The polo season runs through April 23 with a wide array of social options available each Sunday afternoon. For more info., visit www.internationalpoloclub.com.
ABOVE: Valiente’s Adolfo Cambiaso, Diego Cavanagh, Bob Jornayva and Matias Torres Zavaleta with the C.V. Whitney Cup. Photo by David Lominska
