HPC Newsletter: 10.6.24

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

INTERNATIONAL CUP

It was a great double header Sunday hosted by U.S. Polo Assn. as Houstonians enjoyed a beautiful Fall afternoon at the Houston Polo Club.

Eureka’s Rene Campos drives the ball down field on Billetera

To kick off the day, the team in black, Eureka, was challenged by the Brown Bears/Island Time Polo crew. Eureka wasted no time to get their lead on the board as teammates Jorge Cerndas and Joao Aranha scored back to back goals in the first chukker. After being held scoreless in the first chukker, the Brown Bears/Island Time Polo team captain, Tommy Alberdi, converted a penalty 2 for his team’s first goal of the day. Eureka’s Aranha snuck the last goal in before the chukker ended, ending the second period with Eureka holding onto their lead of 3.5 to 1. The third chukker was all about defense, as neither team allowed the other to score! To start the fourth chukker, Brown Bears/Island Time Polo’s Michelle Agrons traded goals with Eureka’s Rene Campos. Agron’s teammate Valentino Echezarreta scored his first goal of the day, but it was too late for a comeback, as Eureka held onto the win with the score of 4.5 to 3.

Roxstars/Sullivan Group’s Nick Cifuni (black jersey) on Chingaling, keeps his eye on the ball during Sunday’s match

As the players shook hands on a match well played, HPC’s announcer, Marty Salinas, opened up the field to spectators for the halftime divot stomp. Not only was there complimentary champagne being served center field thanks to American National, but there were also U.S. Polo Assn hats up for grabs! After the crowd did a successful job stomping divots, it was time for everyone to return to their seats and enjoy the second game of the day!

Propagandas/W-S’s Rikus Cilliers (white jersey) on Flo, goes for the hook on Roxstars/Sullivan Group’s Shane Rice on Hippo

In their first matchup of the season, Propaganda/W-S took on Roxstars/Sullivan Group and Propaganda/W-S caught on fire in the first chukker, as teammates Harrison Azzaro and Rikus Cilliers scored three unanswered goals to start the game. In the beginning of the second chukker, Azzaro scored his second goal of the day, but Roxstars/Sullivan Group’s Shane Rice persevered, putting his team on the board to trail 1.5 to 4 at the end of the period. As the third chukker played out, Roxstars/Sullivan Group remained scoreless as they missed a few penalty shot opportunities, and Cillier’s kept the offensive pressure on, scoring his third goal of the day. Roxstars/Sullivan Group regrouped during the chukker break, and surged back into the game in the fourth chukker. Rice converted an open goal penalty through the Douglas Elliman goal on the north end of field, and teammate Nick Cifuni completed the two goal swing, as he ran the ball through the Mossy Ineos goal on the south end. With the crowd on the edge of their seats to see if Roxstars/Sullivan Group could pull off the comeback, the chukker horn sounded and Propanganda/W-S earned the Sunday win with the score of 5 to 3.5.