Chicago Beach Polo

Big Turnout Greeted Grey Goose

 

Chicago Beach Polo World Cup

By Alex Webbe

Gray skies, gusty winds and temperatures that peaked in the mid 50’s did little to
dampen the excitement and enthusiasm that accompanied nearly 2,000 spectators to
the shores of Lake Michigan as nine teams of some of polo’s most talented players took
part in the 2011 Grey Goose Chicago Beach Polo World Cup and the Grey Goose North
Beach Women’s Polo Cup.

Following Friday night’s festive opening party at the Crimson Room of the Hotel Sax,
the Lufthansa team took to the beach to face a Trump Residence trio. Nigerian Neku
Atawodi scored the first goal of the game for Trump Residence as they rode a narrow 1-
0 lead into the second chukker of play.

Second period action saw Lufthansa garner goals from Megan West and Whitney Vogt
while shutting down the Trump offense for a 2-1 halftime lead.

Defenses tightened on both sides of the ball in the third, with no goals being scored and
Lufthansa taking a narrow 2-1, one goal lead into the final chukker.

Vogt stepped up the pace in the final minutes of the match adding her second and third
goals of the match while Trump had to settle for a single penalty goal from Emily Guiza.
Lufthansa won the game, 4-2, and earned itself a trip to Sunday’s finals.

Vogt led all scoring with three goals. Teammate West added a goal in the win.

Atawodi and Guiza scored single goals for Trump in the loss.

GASCON 3, GREY GOOSE 1

Defense was the byword of the second match of the day as the women’s play continued
with a Gascon team (Melissa Hornung, Tara Lordi, Angela York) that was comprised
of the same lineup that captured the South Beach Women’s Polo Cup earlier in the
year meeting the upstart Grey Goose line-up of Aimee Waters, Paula Chermont and
Samantha Falbe.

The teams battled to a scoreless first two chukkers before Gascon finally got on the
scoreboard. Angela York scored the first goal of the match on a penalty shot followed
by a goal from the field from Tara Lordi. Grey goose was still unable to break through
the Gascon defense and the third chukker ended with Gascon holding a 2-0 advantage.

Aimee Waters converted a penalty goal for Grey Goose in the fourth, cutting the lead to
a single goal, 2-1, but Melissa Hornung’s goal sealed the deal for Gascon, giving them
the final 3-1 lead for the win.

York, Lordi and Hornung each scored single goals in the victory while Waters accounted
for the only Grey Goose goal of the game. Gascon would move on to meet Lufthansa in
Sunday’s finals.

TITAN COMMERCIAL CRUISES THROUGH ROUND-ROBIN

Argentine brothers Tavi and Guillermo Usandizaga led the Titan Commercial team
through the round-robin in the 2011 Grey Goose Chicago Beach Polo World Cup with
consecutive wins over Amstel Light/Comcast and Gascon to secure a spot in Sunday’s
finals.

Titan made short work of Amstel Light/Comcast in the opening two chukkers, taking an
early 4-1 lead before outscoring them 6-1. Tavi Usandizaga scored four times in the
contest while brother Guille added two goals in the win.

Titan’s second opponent wouldn’t prove to be as easy as the local contingent
assembled on the Gascon team (Bob McMurtry, Tod Rackley and Chad Kraml)
held them scoreless for the first period of play. Three consecutive goals from Guille
Usandizaga proved the difference as Gascon was unable to put any points on the
scoreboard in the 3-0 loss. The victory boosted Titan commercial into the finals with
Amstel Light/Comcast and Gascon facing one another in the final two chukkers.

This time the Gascon offense showed up, accounting for five goals while limiting the
Amstel Light/Comcast team to three goals from Claudio Gauna.

McMurtry and Rackley led the Gascon team with two goals apiece. Kraml added a
single goal in the win.

LUFTHANSA 6, GREY GOOSE 1

Scott Devon’s Lufthansa team exploded in the first chukker of play in the day’s final
match, outscoring a dazed Grey Goose team 4-0 in the opening chukker of the head-
on-head competition for the remaining finals berth.

Former Canadian polo team captain Brandon Phillips accounted for three of the opening
period’s goals scoring the opening goal of the game and adding a rare two-pointer
for an early 3-0 advantage. Devon closed out the scoring in the opening chukker as
Lufthansa left the field with a comfortable 4-0 advantage.

Ruben Coscia got settled into his game in the second chukker, missing a number of

long shots at goal and managing to convert a penalty shot for a goal for Grey Goose.
Lufthansa responded with a goal from Sarah Knapp, and the first half ended with
Lufthansa sitting on top of a 5-1 lead.

Scoring was hard to come by in the second half of the game, with a penalty goal from
Phillips accounting for the only points of the second half as Lufthansa rode off with
the 6-1 win, setting up Sunday’s showdown with titan commercial and the Usandizaga
brothers.

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