United States defeats Australia in XII World Polo Championship opener
WELLINGTON — The United States opened the XII FIP World Polo Championship Saturday with an impressive 9-4 victory over Australia at USPA National Polo Center.
The foursome of Agustin Arellano, Jake Klentner and brothers Nico and Lucas Escobar led from start to finish with all four players scoring while shutting down Australia's offensive attack.
"We knew what we wanted to do, we played our game," said Arellano, representing the U.S. for the first time. "We kept it simple. Everybody played their position."
The U.S. jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening chukker of the fast-paced open style game. Lucas Escobar scored off a broken play at 4:08. Nico Escobar converted a 30-yard penalty and Arellano scored off Nico Escobar's missed goal attempt.
Hope for US team: Wellington's Hope Arellano will make history when FIP World Polo Championship starts at USPA National Polo Center
Charles and polo: From the Post archives: Prince Charles bestows royal name, presence to polo club in Florida
Lucas Escobar converted a 30-yard penalty with 5:02 left to enable the U.S. to pull away 4-0. Australia scored its first goal with 3:23 left in the second chukker. Jack Archibald scored back-to-back goals to trail 4-2 at the half. Another penalty conversion by Archibald cut the U.S. lead to one with 3:42 left in the third chukker.
A minute later, the U.S. roared back with another Arellano goal for a 5-3 lead and regained its momentum with its stingy defense and great passing. Australia could get no closer than two goals in the final chukker as the U.S. scored three more goals, two by Nico Escobar and one by Klentner.
The Best Playing Pony was Dolfina Citation, played by Lucas Escobar.
After a rest day on Sunday, play resumes Monday with four games, including the U.S. taking on Italy at 3:30 p.m. at Valiente Polo Farm.
The U.S. has not won an FIP title since 1989. With its opening win, it has joined favorites Argentina and Uruguay.
Other games Saturday:
Argentina 10 Mexico 4
The defending champion had no problem with its opener jumping out to an 8-1 halftime lead. Jaoquin Sanchez led scoring with five goals.
Spain 9 Pakistan 7.5
Spain pulled away for a 6.5-2 halftime lead before Pakistan rallied to close the gap behind leading scorer Hamza Mawaz, who finished with seven goals including five penalty conversions. Luis Domecq Carrion led Spain with three goals.
Uruguay 8 Italy 3.5
Led by Nachi Viana and Santi Stirling, Uruguay broke open a close game, leading 3-2.5 at the half by allowing Italy only one goal in the second half. The duo combined for seven goals.
The Opening Ceremonies featured the Parade of Teams waving their country's large flags while sitting in classic convertible cars organized by Palm Beach County Hall of Famer Neil London of Super Car Week. Former 10-goaler Tommy Hitchcock, killed while testing military air craft during World War II, was honored before the game with a flyover by a P-51 Mustang fighter plane which he was instrumental in developing.
Eight countries are competing in the world's largest international polo competition held on U.S. soil for only the second time.
"We put a lot of resources to make this a world-class event," said USPA President Tony Coppola, also FIP U.S. Ambassador. "No stone has been left unturned. The USPA's goal is to make this a world-class tournament and showcase what we have now that we own NPC."
Monday's Schedule
Zone A, 9:30 a.m. Game 5 - Argentina vs. Pakistan at Valiente; 11:30 a.m. Game 6 - Spain vs. Mexico at Valiente; Zone B, 1:30 p.m. Game 7 - Uruguay vs. Australia at Valiente; 3:30 p.m., Game 8 - United States vs. Italy at Valiente Polo Farm. Admission is free except for ticketed events.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: United States, Argentina, Spain, Uraguay get wins in World Polo openers
