Scone’s Second Half Defense Leads to Victory Against UAE Polo Pod
Coming off an impressive 18-goal performance in their previous game, Scone used their defense in the second half to defeat UAE Polo Pod in the Gold Cup for the British Open Championship, capturing the 10-7 victory on the Brooks ground at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
A match of two halves, UAE Polo Pod stormed into a 5-1 lead to begin the game, relying on the accurate shooting of Alfredo Cappella and Sam Browne. Reorganizing, the Scone defense changed the dynamic of the game, holding UAE Polo Pod to just one goal over the final four chukkas. Poroto Cambiaso led Scone’s charge back into the game, scoring four of his five goals in the second half, while father Adolfo Cambiaso provided a steady presence with four goals and three assists. Despite holding the early lead, UAE Polo Pod managed to convert just one of their final eight shot attempts, preventing them from holding off the Scone comeback in the 10-7 defeat.
The opening chukkas of the game displayed the exceptional abilities of Cappella, who scored the first four goals for his team. Receiving one-goal on handicap to begin the game, Cappella added two goals from the field along with two penalty conversions to singlehandedly give UAE Polo Pod the 5-1 advantage. Scone’s Poroto Cambiaso ended the UAE Polo Pod run in the second chukka with his first goal of the match, while Adolfo Cambiaso converted a crucial Penalty 4 to bring Scone back within two. Withstanding the Scone push, UAE Polo Pod’s Sam Browne was on the receiving end of a pass from Jack Richardson to score his first goal at the end of the second chukka. The momentum of the game switched before the end of the half as the Scone defense increased their intensity and limited the scoring chances for UAE Polo Pod. With the extra possessions, it was Adolfo Cambiaso who added his third and fourth goals to reduce the deficit to just one at halftime.
UAE Polo Pod’s scoreless drought would carry throughout the fourth and fifth chukkas as their lead evaporated and Scone began to assert their control on the match. Poroto Cambiaso tied the score at 6-all and it was Isidro Strada’s Penalty 2 conversion that gave Scone their first lead. With a complete team effort for Scone on the defensive end changing the game, it allowed Poroto Cambiaso to continue attacking forward, accounting for Scone’s final three goals. A sixth chukka goal from Browne gave UAE Polo Pod their first goal since the second chukka, but it did not leave enough time to pull even with Scone in the 10-7 defeat.