Scone Joins Semifinals with Victory Over Monterosso
The third quarterfinal in the Gold Cup for the British Open Championship kicked off play on Sunday at Cowdray Park Polo Club as Scone used a strong second half to claim the 14-11 victory on the Lawns Ground.
A match displaying two high-profile offenses resulted in accurate shooting on both sides of the ball, with Scone holding the narrow edge. Converting 11 of their 19 shots, Scone overcame a slow start to pull even by halftime and then relied on their trio of Adolfo Cambiaso, Poroto Cambiaso and Isidro Strada, who all contributed at least two goals each in the second half, to defeat Monterosso. Juan Martin Zubia substituted for the injured David Stirling, but it was Ignacio Toccalino who led Monterosso’s attack with six goals, but the Scone defense ultimately limited their opportunities in the second half of the game to complete the 14-11 victory.
Building on their one-goal advantage on handicap, Monterosso opened the scoring on an Alessandro Bazzoni field goal and completed an exceptional first chukka with two more goals from Zubia and Toccalino, leaving Scone stunned and trailing 4-1. With 11 shots through two chukkas, Monterosso continued to pressure Scone and extended their lead to four as they controlled possession in open play. Scone focused on inching back from the deficit, led by the play of Strada, who would score four of Scone’s six goals for the remainder of the half. Slowing the Monterosso offense in the third chukka, Scone gained the momentum to completely erase the difference on the scoreboard and leave the game tied at 7-7.
The second half began with a Poroto Cambiaso field goal that gave Scone their first lead of the game as their momentum from the first half carried over. Despite two missed penalty attempts, Scone were able to stay ahead of Monterosso, who struggled to find their offense from the first two chukkas. Goals from Mackenzie Weisz and Ignacio Toccalino kept Monterosso within two during the fifth chukka, but the passing attack of Scone paid dividends, assisting on all three field goals in the fifth chukka. A last push from Toccalino tried to bring Monterosso within reach but Adolfo Cambiaso and Strada sealed the victory to send Scone into the semifinals with the 14-11 victory.