WELLINGTON, Fla. – The lush, open grounds of the International Polo Club (IPC) was the playing field for more than 3,000 youth soccer players. With laced-up cleats and unfathomable energy they competed in the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) National Games, July 4-11.

“The opportunity to host the AYSO National Games was exciting,” said John Wash, president of club operations for IPC.  “IPC was honored to have hosted this weeklong competition which had a significant economic impact and to have welcomed so many talented young athletes to our facility.  The event was an incredible way to promote understanding and friendship through sport and highlight Palm Beach County as a world-class travel destination.”

The AYSO National Games are held every two years at rotating sites.  Working in concert with the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, IPC won the bid to host the 2010 AYSO National Games two years ago.  Without the 250 acres offered by IPC the event would not have taken place in Palm Beach County.

With an estimated 10,000 visitors spending on average more than $1,500 for the week on transportation, lodging, meals and entertainment, the AYSO National Games generated an estimated $8 million, $4 million of which is approximated to have been spent on meals and entertainment locally.

The AYSO is the one of the largest youth sports organizations in the U.S. with more than 50,000 teams and 650,000 players. AYSO provides soccer development and instruction for kids ages 4 to 19 in all 50 states and some U.S. territories. It is an opportunity for children from all over the country to come together for fun, sportsmanship, soccer and cultural exchange.

The line-up of events began with the opening ceremonies on July 6 at Palm Beach Central High School. Over 5,000 spectators, soccer players and coaches gathered to officially begin the games.  SoccerFest, which took place July 7, shuffled players and coaches into random, one-day teams and served as an opportunity to meet new friends and learn from others.

The games ended on July 11, returning the IPC grounds to members and polo enthusiasts.
About International Polo Club Palm Beach

International Polo Club Palm Beach is located in Wellington, Florida – in the heart of South Florida’s famed horse country.  IPC is host to major tournaments and world-class events throughout the Palm Beach Polo Season, including the Highest Goal Polo played in the U.S. and such prestigious competitions as the Iglehart Cup, Joe Barry Memorial Cup, Ylvisaker Cup, C.V. Whitney Cup, and USPA Piaget Gold Cup, culminating with the 107th playing of the coveted USPA U.S. Open Polo ChampionshipTM.  The world’s polo elite descend upon Wellington each season to enjoy their love of the sport and the lifestyle in the most prominent and well-equipped polo facility in the nation.  IPC features eight manicured polo fields and the Piaget Field, the Nespresso Grande Pavilion, private boxes and viewing stands, tennis courts, a croquet field, a state-of-the-art spa, a lushly landscaped pool deck, après polo celebrations and a fabled gourmet Sunday brunch.  The 2011 Palm Beach Polo Season begins on Jan. 2 and concludes on April 17.

For media inquiries please contact Shamin Abas or Elizabeth Rose of Shamin Abas Public Relations, 561.366.1226 or email shamin@shaminabaspr.com or elizabeth@shaminabaspr.com.

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It was in 2007 that Crab Orchard won both the U. S. Open and the Gold Cup; and White Birch won the US Open and the Whitney Cup in 2005, but the /Gold Cup was played in Aiken, South Carolina that year, and without a White Birch entry, the honors went to Fred Mannix and his Millerville team.  Audi won the C. V. Whitney and the U. S. Open last year, but couldn’t hold it together for the Piaget Gold Cup win and had to settle for two-thirds of the Triple Crown. 

The accomplishment achieved by Crab Orchard during the season was Herculean in its efforts and accomplishments, and a fitting reward for the time and investment made in the team by George and Beverly Rawlings. 

Wellington resident Julio Arellano put an exclamation on the last game of the high-goal season with three goals in the final chukker in a game in which they never trailed.

The fourth game of the season between the two titans, the Open final, was greeted with great anticipation by a hearty crowd that gathered under cloudy and threatening skies.  

Crab Orchard won their first two encounters with a 10-7 win in the C. V. Whitney and an embarrassing 18-11 romp over Audi in the Piaget Gold Cup, but that was where it ended. 

In their divisional meeting in the US Open, Audi moved 10-goaler Facundo Pieres from the Number 4 position, at the back of the lineup, to the Number 2 position at the front end of its attack.  The adjustment resulted in nine goals from Facundo, including the overtime penalty conversion that resulted in the 14-13 Audi win. 

This Sunday, however, belonged to Crab Orchard as they took an early 3-1 lead after the first chukker, and never trailed. 

Facundo Pieres cut the lead to a single goal with a penalty conversion at the start of the second period, but goals by Adolfo Cambiaso and Arellano took them into the third with a 5-2 advantage.

Again, Audi responded with a goal from Gonzalo Pieres to open the third chukker, but ensuing goals from Hilario Ulloa and Arellano ended the first half with Crab Orchard on top of a 7-3 score.

The Audi continued to attack in the fourth chukker, but a resilient Crab Orchard turned aside one drive after another.  Audi got on the scoreboard with a pair of penalty goals from Facundo Pieres, cutting the lead to two goals, but Crab Orchard returned the favor with an Arellano penalty conversion to end the period riding an 8-5 lead.

The pace picked up in the fifth, with Facundo Pieres scoring the first goal of the period on a well-directed 70-yard shot for a goal.  Ulloa responded with a goal from the field for Crab Orchard before Audi team captain Marc Ganzi barreled one through from over 80-yards.  With just 22 seconds left in the chukker, Ulloa fought his way through a crowd in front of the Audi goal and scored his third goal of the day to end the period.  Crab Orchard rode off the field to change mounts with a 10-7 lead and just seven-and-a-half minutes to play. 

Arellano scored in the first 25 seconds of the sixth chukker, followed by a goal from Audi’s Inaki Laprida just over a minute later, but Crab Orchard remained in control of the game.

With 4:45 left to play, Arellano converted a penalty shot for a goal and a 12-8 lead.  Audi continued to try and organize an effective attack, but couldn’t get any momentum to their less than organized effort. 

Arellano scored the final goal of the game on a great run that had his initial shot hit the left goalpost.  The ball bounced off, and at speed, while galloping past the ball, he tapped it through for the 13-8 final. 

Hilario Ulloa was named Most Valuable player in the Open finals while Julio Arellano’s eight-year-old, brown Thoroughbred mare, True, received Best Playing Pony honors.

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In the opening match of the day, Adolfo Cambiaso led a talent-laden Crab Orchard team to a 10-7 win over Bob Jornayvaz’s upstart Colorado-based Valiente team in the first semifinal match of the day.

Julio Arellano converted a penalty shot for the only goal of the opening chukker as both teams practiced shutout defense.  Cambiaso made it 2-0 on his second chukker goal before Valiente answered with a goal from the field from Magoo Laprida and a penalty goal from Nacho Astrada, tying the score at 2-2.

Nacho Astrada added a goal from the field and another from the penalty line while Crab Orchard was held to a single penalty conversion from Cambiaso, giving Valiente a narrow 4-3 halftime advantage.

The Valiente lead was short-lived as Cambiaso took control of the opening play of the fourth chukker to score his third goal of the game.  Arellano added a pair of goals while the entire Crab Orchard played heads up defense, shutting out Valiente, moving ahead 6-4.

Nacho Astrada got Valiente back into it in the fifth with a penalty conversion, cutting the Crab Orchard lead to a single goal when Cambiaso displayed the brilliance that has him revered as the top player in the game today.  Cambiaso took a pass from teammate Hilario Ulloa over 250 yards down the field to put Crab Orchard up, 7-5.

A missed penalty shot from Nacho Astrada took the winds out of the Valiente sails late in the chukker, with Ulloa scoring his first goal of the game to move Crab Orchard in front by three goals, 8-5, as the period ended.

Valiente rallied in the early minutes of the sixth, getting a goal from the field from Miguel Astrada and another penalty goal from brother Nacho Astrada that cut the Crab Orchard lead to a single goal, but that would be as close as they would come.

Arellano converted a penalty goal and added another goal from the field to close out the scoring and give Crab Orchard the 10-7 win and a berth in Sunday’s US Open finals.

AUDI 7, LECHUZA CARACAS 6

In a match that began as a blowout by Audi, Victor Vargas’ Lechuza Caracas team stormed back in the final chukker to make it a closer game than most expected, falling to the 2009 defending US Open Champion by the score of 7-6.

First chukker goals by Gonzalito Pieres, Marc Ganzi and Facundo Pieres had Audi up 3-0 at the end of the first chukker as the Audi defense performed admirably against a veteran Lechuza lineup.

Facundo Pieres managed a single penalty goal in the second chukker and team captain Ganzi scored the only goal of the third chukker to give Audi a commanding 5-0 halftime lead as Lechuza struggled to find any offense at all.

Audi rode off the field with a five goal advantage, and looked to make little work of the Lechuza team in the final three chukkers of play.

Lechuza finally found its punch in the fourth chukker, combining three penalty goals from Sapo Caset with an admirable defense that kept Audi off the boards for the first time all day.  Audi continued to lead, but the margin was cut to a pair of goals, 5-3.

Audi tightened up the screws on defense again in the fifth period, pitching shutout ball while getting another penalty goal from Facundo Pieres to take a 6-3 lead into the final chukker of play.

Facundo Pieres scored his fourth penalty goal of the game to open the action in the final chukker before Lechuza mad a mad rally to get back into the game.

Ten-goaler Juan Martin Nero scored his first goal of the game in the final chukker followed by a pair of goals from team captain Victor Vargas, but the writing was already on the wall. 

The matchup that everyone was looking forward to, Crab Orchard vs. Audi, was set.  Audi took the 7-6 game and will move ahead to meet Crab orchard in Sunday’s finals of the 2010 US Open Championship at the International Polo Club.

HALL OF FAME CUP

ORCHARD HILL 13, PIAGET 6

In earlier 26-goal action, Orchard Hill scored a 13-6 win over Piaget in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Cup as 10-goaler Pablo MacDonough scored eight goals in the effort.

Piaget kept it close in the first half, receiving one goal by handicap and adding a goal by Juan Bollini and a pair by Nic Roldan to trail 6-4 at the end of the first half, but from then on it was all Orchard Hill.

Four more second half goals from Macdonough were complimented by three goals from Lucas Criado as Orchard Hill cruised to an easy 13-6 win.

Orchard Hill will play Pony Express in the finals of the cup at 3pm on Saturday.

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(Wellington, FL) April 14, 2010 – Every year the Unites States Polo Association (USPA) gathers the best polo players from across the world at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) in Wellington, Florida for a chance to compete in one of the most prestigious and world-renowned Polo tournaments, the U.S. Open Polo Championship™.  This celebrated, month-long tournament’s highly-anticipated championship match will spectacularly close the 2010 high goal season in Palm Beach on Sunday, April 18.  The final match begins at 3 p.m., with festivities beginning at 2 p.m, including a special field-side brunch in the Nespresso Grande Pavilion.  Semi-final matches are set for Thursday, April 15.  The finale weekend will also include the Hall of Fame Cup Final and National Presidents Cup Final.  U.S. Open Schedule is listed below.

The season has attracted celebrity guests, record-breaking attendance and distinguished sponsors such as luxury Swiss watch maker Piaget, coffee pioneer and market leader Nespresso, award-winning lighting manufacturer Arcalux and premier champagne brand Veuve Clicquot, to name a few.

IPC, regarded as the finest polo facility in the nation, is host to the highest goal polo played in the country and a long list of influential competitions including: the Iglehart Cup, Joe Barry Memorial Cup, Ylvisaker Cup, C.V. Whitney Cup, and USPA Piaget Gold Cup, culminating with the coveted U.S. Open Polo Championship™.

Participating teams have included Bendabout/ Wanderers: Gillian Johnston (1), Sugar Erskine (7), Jeff Hall (7), Mike Azzaro (9), Crab Orchard: George Rawlings – A, Adolfo Cambiaso – 10, Julio Arellano – 8, Hilario Ulloa – 8, Las Monjitas: Camilo Bautista – A, Javier Astrada – 9, Eduardo Astrada – 10, Alejandro Astrada – 7, Audi: Marc Ganzi – 1, Facundo Pieres – 10, Gonzalito Pieres – 10, Inaki Laprida – 5, Lechuza Caracas: Victor Vargas – 1, Sapo Caset – 8, Juan Martin Nero – 10, Santiago Toccalino, Orchard Hill: Steve VanAndel – A, Lucas Criado – 9, Pablo Mac Donough – 10, Hector Galindo – 7, Piaget: Melissa Ganzi – A, Juan Bollini – 6, Lolo Castagnola – 10T, Nic Roldan – 9, Pony Express: Bob Daniels – A, Carlos Gracida – 8, Matias Magrini – 9, Bautista Heguy – 9T, Valiente: Bob Jornayvaz – A, Nacho Astrada – 9, Miguel Astrada – 9, Magoo Laprida – 8.

Details are as follows:

WHO: Notable attendees include Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, USPA Executive Director Peter Rizzo

WHAT: US Polo Association (USPA) presents Arcalux USPA 106^th U.S. Open Polo

Championship™

WHERE: International Polo Club Palm Beach

3667 120th Avenue South

Wellington, FL 33414

WHEN: Thursday, April 15:            2:00 p.m.                         Crab Orchard vs Valiente (U.S. Open

Polo Championship™ Semi-Final)

4:00 p.m.                         Lechuza Caracas vs Audi (U.S. Open

Polo Championship™ Semi-Final)

Sunday, April 18:        2:00 p.m.                    Nespresso Grande Pavilion Opens for Brunch and Closing Festivities

3:00 p.m.                     U.S. Open Polo Championship™

Final, Piaget Field

All press must RSVP with Shamin Abas Public Relations for coverage and entry.

About United States Polo Association (www.uspolo.org)

The USPA was organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its Member Clubs and Registered Players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions, and games, and providing rules, handicaps, and conditions for those tournaments, competitions, and games including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts.

About International Polo Club Palm Beach (www.internationalpoloclub.com)

International Polo Club Palm Beach is located in Wellington, Florida — in the heart of South Florida’s famed horse country. Founded in 2004, IPC is host to major tournaments and world-class events throughout the Palm Beach Polo Season, including the Highest Goal Polo played in the U.S. and such prestigious competitions as the Iglehart Cup, Joe Barry Memorial Cup, Ylvisaker Cup, C.V. Whitney Cup, and USPA Piaget Gold Cup, culminating with the Arcanum USPA 106th U.S. Open Polo Championship™. The world’s polo elite descend upon Wellington each season to enjoy their love of the sport and the lifestyle in the most prominent and well-equipped polo facility in the nation. IPC features eight manicured polo fields and the Piaget Field, the Nespresso Grande Pavilion, private boxes and viewing stands, tennis courts, a croquet field, a state-of-the-art spa, a lushly landscaped pool deck, après polo celebrations and a fabled gourmet Sunday brunch, presented by NYC’s Bistrot Bagatelle. The 2010 Palm Beach Polo Season began on January 3 and will conclude on April 18. Learn more about IPC and their exclusive membership and sponsorship opportunities at www.internationalpoloclub.com.

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Sunday Brunch & Polo

Presented by Bistrot Bagatelle of NYC

Nespresso Grande Pavilion

at the International Polo Club Palm Beach

Brunch Hours: 2pm – 5pm

Featured Match Begins at 3pm

Enjoy the final Sunday Match of the 2010 Palm Beach Polo Season and take,
in all the breathtaking high goal polo action, from this field side oasis,
which also featured fashion shows, musical entertainment,

complimentary champagne and a gourmet brunch.

Fashion Sponsor:

Tory Burch

Wine Tasting by Whole Foods Market Wellington

Pavilion Tickets – Select Cocktails and Hors d’oeurves only – $50.00

Brunch Tickets – Includes Gourmet Field Side Brunch – $100.00

Purchase Tickets Online internationalpoloclub.com

International Polo Club Palm Beach

3667 120th Avenue South

Wellington, Florida

Club Line: 561.204.5687

www.internationalpoloclub.com

Sunday Brunch Palm Beach

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Bendabout entered the contest with an 0-2 record and averaging just five goals a game while the undefeated Valiente team (2-0) was averaging over 10 goals a game in its first two games.

With several hundred spectators in attendance for the “early” game of the day, the teams struggled to produce anything that resembled a high-power offense.  After two chukkers of play, Valiente led by an embarrassing 3-0 score, on the strength of two goals from Nacho Astrada.

Threatening clouds finally gave way to the rain, and the teams played on as the rain came down.

Valiente team captain Bob Jornayvaz scored the first goal of the third period to put his team on top, 3-1, before Bendabout ever got on the scoreboard.

A goal from the field from Bendabout’s Jeff Hall in the third chukker spoiled the Valiente shutout, but goals from Magoo Laprida and Nacho Astrada ended the first half with Valiente holding on to a commanding 5-1 lead.

Although Bendabout hadn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard in earlier matches (averaging five goals a game) a lot more had been expected considering the caliber of players on the roster.

Laprida’s second goal of the game had Valiente up, 6-1, as the pace slowed down again.  Bendabout’s Sugar Erskine broke through the Valiente defense late in the chukker, to notch their second goal of the game.

Hall powered another ball through the goal posts to open the fifth chukker before Miguel Astrada scored for Valiente.  The chukker ended with Valiente maintaining a 7-3 advantage.

A renewed Bendabout (0-3) team took the field in the final chukker and quickly got goals from Hall and Erskine, cutting the lead to two goals, 7-5 before Laprida’s third goal of the game put Valiente (3-0) up by three goals, 8-5 to end the game.

LAS MONJITAS vs. LECHUZA CARACAS RAINED OUT

Continuing afternoon rains dampened the spirits of thousands of spectators who arrived at the International Polo Club to find out who would be facing Audi in the final semifinal berth of the 2010 US Open. 

With identical 1-1 records, Las Monjitas and Lechuza Caracas were scheduled to compete Sunday afternoon for the last available semifinal position in the Open, but to no avail.  Heavy rains forced the postponement of the match until Monday, April 12 at noon at the club. 

The semifinals that were originally scheduled to be played on Wednesday, April 14 have been moved back to Thursday, April 15.

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Cambiaso scored the first goal of the game and teammate Julio Arellano added two more as Crab Orchard jumped out to an early 3-1 lead.  Four goals from Julio Arellano and three goals from Adolfo Cambiaso had them up 7-5 at the half.  Pablo MacDonough scored four times for Orchard Hill.  Lucas Criado added a single goal in the first half. 

Three goals from Hilario Ulloa and another from Cambiaso put Crab Orchard up 11-6 after four chukkers with Criado adding a goal for Orchard Hill. 

Crab Orchard extended its lead to six goals after the fifth chukker with Arellano scoring twice for Crab Orchard while Orchard Hill managed a single penalty conversion from MacDonough.  The chukker ended with Crab Orchard out in front 13-7. 

With seven-and-a-half minutes left to be played, Orchard Hill attempted to mount a rally as the Crab Orchard sat back and played defense.  A pair of goals from Criado and MacDonough’s sixth goal of the game were all they could muster, however, and Crab Orchard held on for the 13-10 win and a berth in Wednesday’s semifinals against Valiente.

PONY EXPRESS 13, PIAGET 9

Pony Express trailed early but bounced back to take a narrow 6-5 lead over a realigned Piaget team that had Lucas Lalor (4) and Luis Escobar (7) playing in place of Lolo Castagnola (10) and Melissa Ganzi (0). 

Nic Roldan scored his fourth and fifth goals of the game for Piaget in the fourth chukker but a pair of goals from Carlos Gracida and goal from Bautista Heguy kept Pony Express on top, 9-7.

Gracida scored for the sixth time in the fifth period while the Pony Express held Piaget to a single goal from Roldan.  The chukker ended with Piaget continuing to trail, 10-8.

Luis Escobar cut the lead to a single goal in the final chukker, but Pony Express came back with a vengeance.  Matias Magrini gave them a two goal lead again, 11-9.  

Bautista Heguy scored the last two goals of the game for Pony Express the final 13-9 victory.

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Bautista had recruited an “All-Astrada” team with Eduardo, Javier and Alejandro Novillo Astrada.  Jornayvaz selected Miguel and Nacho Astrada to join with Magoo Laprida on his Colorado-based team.

Not quite a “Civil War”, but close enough for polo aficionados.

It just so happened that on Thursday afternoon, however, the two Astrada brothers wearing the white jerseys of the Valiente team (Miguel and Nacho) scored more goals than Eduardo, Javier and Alejandro scored for Camilo Bautista’s Las Monjitas foursome, winning their second consecutive game without a loss.  Las Monjitas evened its record at 1-1.

Valiente took an early 2-1 lead after a pair of penalty conversions by Nacho Astrada while Las Monjitas got on the board in the first chukker on a goal from the field from Alejandro Astrada.

Nacho Astrada added two more goals in the second chukker while Valiente got another goal from Miguel Astrada.  Alejandro Astrada converted a penalty shot for another goal, but Las Monjitas trailed by a three goal margin that they would never overcome.

Valiente was up 8-5 at the end of the first half and led 10-6 after the fourth as Las Monjitas (1-1) struggled to get its offense on track. 

Magoo Laprida added his second goal of the game in the fifth followed by goals from Nacho Astrada and Miguel Astrada as Valiente stretched its lead to seven goals, 13-6.

Coasting through the last seven minutes of play, Valiente (2-0) gave up two goals, and left the field with a well-earned 13-8 win.

Nacho Astrada led all scoring with eight goals on the day.  Miguel Astrada scored three times and Laprida added two goals in the win.

Alejandro Astrada scored five times for Las Monjitas.  Javier Astrada added two goals and 10-goaler Eduardo Astrada scored once.

LECHUZA CARACAS 11, BENDABOUT/WANDERERS 6

In afternoon US Open play Lechuza Caracas rebounded from an opening round loss to score a resounding 11-6 win over a confused Bendabout/Wanderers lineup.

Bendabout held in the game early, trailing 3-2 after the first chukker and 5-4 after the second, but Lechuza put up three unanswered goals in the third period and stretched its lead to four goals, 8-4, to end the first half.

Goals from team captain Victor Vargas and 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero in the fourth were complimented by shut-out defense and Lechuza took a six goal lead, 10-4.

Bendabout continued to try and organize some sort of attack in the fifth, getting a penalty goal from Mike Azzaro and a goal from the field from Jeff Hall, but that was where it ended for them.

Santiago Toccalino scored the only goal of the sixth and final chukker as Lechuza took the game, 11-6.

Sapo Caset led the scoring for a balanced Lechuza attack with five goals.  Nero added three goals and Vargas scored twice.  Toccalino accounted for a single goal in the win.

Azzaro and Hall scored a pair of goals apiece for Bendabout/Wanderers.  Sugar Erskine and team captain Gillian Johnston accounted for single goals.

Us Open play continues on Saturday when Piaget(0-3) and Pony Express (0-3) square off at 1 pm followed by a pivotal match between Crab Orchard (2-1) and Orchard Hill (2-1), with the winner advancing to the semifinals.

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Facundo scored the first five goals of the game before brother Gonzalo added a goal for Audi , the 2009 defending US Open Champion, in what looked like a whitewashing of the orchard Hill team in Open action.  Two more goals from Facundo had Audi up 8-0 before Orchard Hill finally responded with a goal from Lucas Criado with two minutes left to play in the second chukker.

Then it was Orchard Hill’s turn.  As Audi relaxed to catch its collective breath, Orchard Hill went on a tear of its own, scoring five consecutive goals before Facundo added two more goals to the Audi total.

At the end of the first half, Orchard Hill had managed to scratch its way back into the game, trailing the powerful Audi team by only three goals, 10-7.

Gonzalito Pieres and Marc Ganzi supplied the only scoring of the fourth chukker as Audi extended its lead to five goals, 12-7, as Orchard Hill struggled to find any offensive punch in the second half.

The Pieres brothers each scored a goal in the fifth, but penalty conversions from Orchard Hill’s Hector Galindo and Pablo MacDonough kept Audi in front by five goals, 14-0 after the first five chukkers of the game.

Pablo MacDonough put three more goals on the scoreboard in the final chukker, but Facundo’s eleventh and twelfth goals of the game more than sealed their fate, as Audi (4-0) rolled over Orchard Hill (2-1) to become the first team to secure a berth in the tournament semifinals with a perfect 4-0 record.

Orchard will get one more opportunity to advance in the Open on Saturday when it faces Adolfo Cambiaso and the powerful Crab Orchard (1-1) team.

CRAB ORCHARD 15, PIAGET 13

In the second contest of the day, Crab Orchard (1-1) overcame an early 3-1 deficit to score a 15-13 win over Piaget (0-3) as US Open play continued.

Crab Orchard took advantage of three goals by Julio Arellano and a four-goal second chukker to pick up its first lead, 5-4, of the game in a contest that was closer than most had expected.

American 9-goaler Nic Roldan played brilliantly for Piaget, scoring a game high ten goals for Piaget, but the combination of Julio Arellano and Adolfo Cambiaso proved to be too much for the upset-minded Piaget foursome.

The first half ended with Crab orchard up, 9-7, a lead that Crab Orchard would maintain through the end of the game.

The loss knocked Piaget out of contention for this year’s Open while Crab Orchard managed to stay in contention for the coveted trophy.

US Open action will continue on Thursday when Las Monjitas (1-0) faces Valiente (1-0) in a game that will see five Astrada brothers take the field between the two teams.  The second match of the day will pit the Bendabout/Wanderers (0-1) against Lechuza Caracas (0-1).

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Age: 7 years old

Color: Dark Bay

Panchito is a gelding from Argentina and he is owned and played by Mr. Bob Jornayvaz. Mr. Jornayvaz, owner of the Valiente team, is originally from Denver, CO. He has been playing polo for many years, but this is his first winter season in Florida at the International Polo Club.

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