Coca-Cola Polo Team and Villa Del Lago Polo Team to meet in
Pennell Cup Polo finals

By Alex Webbe

The return of the Gracida brothers, Memo and Carlos, to the playing fields of the International Polo
Club was much anticipated, and the two former 10-goalers didn’t waste any time getting started. Memo
Gracida took control of the ball in the opening 45 seconds of play and carried it over 150 yards down
the field for the opening goal. Carlos Gracida followed up the lead set by his older brother with his first
goal of the game for a 2-0 advantage. Jose Donoso converted a 30-yard penalty shot for a 3-0 lead
that had Villa Del Lago reeling.
Magoo Laprida closed out the scoring in the first chukker with a goal from the field to trail 2-1.
Augustin Obregon opened the second period with a goal from the field, followed by a goal from
teammate Polito Pieres for a 3-3 tie. A goal from Memo Gracida was followed by a penalty conversion
from Carlos Gracida and La Herradura held a 5-3 advantage. Pieres cut the lead to a single goal with
his second score of the chukker. La Herradura continued to lead, 5-4.
A foul near the Villa Del Lago goal allowed Carlos Gracida to score on another penalty shot followed
by a goal from the field for a 7-4 lead. Laprida scored on a penalty shot for Villa Del Lago but was
countered by a goal from the field from Memo Gracida. At the end of the first half of play La Herradura
was on the winning end of an 8-5 score.
Obregon’s second goal of the game came in the opening minute of the fourth chukker when Donoso
took control of the game. Three consecutive goals from the talented Chilean had La Herradura on top,
11-6. A 40-yard penalty conversion from Laprida ended the chukker with La Herradura defending an
11-7 edge.
Defenses took control in the fifth period with Laprida’s goal from the field accounting for the only
scoring of the chukker. Villa Del Lago cut into the La Herradura lead but still trailed by three goals, 11-
8.
Consecutive goals from Pieres and Laprida (penalty shot) had Villa Del Lago within a goal of La
Herradura. A final effort had Obregon tapping the ball through the goal posts in the final second of
regulation time for an 11-11 tie and a sudden-death overtime period.
After a brief intermission of play, both teams returned to the field and battled for the ball in the opening
minute of play. Villa Del Lago pressed the La Herradura defense. Less than two minutes into the
overtime La Herradura fouled, sending Pieres to the penalty line. He shot the ball high and true and
Villa Del Lago celebrated the win and a trip to Sunday’s finals of the 2013 Herbie Pennell Cup.
Laprida led all scoring with five goals on the day for Villa Del Lago. Obregon added three goals and
Pieres accounted for four goals, including the winner for the overtime victory. Carlos Gracida and
Donoso scored four goals apiece for La Herradura. Memo Gracida added three goals in the loss.

COCA-COLA 11, LECHUZA CARACAS 8

Later in the day, Coca-Coal overwhelmed Victor Vargas and his Lechuza Caracas teammates in
the opening chukker of the second Pennell Cup of the day, scoring five times and holding Lechuza

Caracas to a single goal. Coca-Cola jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on a goal from Julio Arellano and
a pair of goals from Gillian Johnston. Adam Snow finally got Lechuza Caracas on the scoreboard, but
scoring efforts from Sugar Erskine and Arellano ended the first period with Coca-Cola ahead, 5-1.
Lechuza Caracas started to pick up the rhythm in the second frame with goals from Tomas Goti (on a
well-placed pass from Snow) and team captain Victor Vargas. Coca-Cola was shut out but continued
to lead, 5-3.
Scoring was hard to come by in the third period. Two minutes into the chukker Vargas scored from the
field. Arellano countered with a well-executed nearside neck shot and the first half ended with Coca-
Cola on top, 6-4.
Three of Coca-Colas four players (Johnston, Erskine and Arellano) had played together for two years
before the 2013 season, and the familiarity was evident. Tommy Collingwood scored his first goal of
the afternoon in the opening minute of the fifth chukker. But that was when both defenses tightened
up. With 39 seconds on the clock, Johnston scored for the fourth time and Coca-Cola left the field
chukker left to a commanding 10-5 advantage and one chukker left to play.
Goti scored the first goal of the sixth chukker with Collingwood responding form Coca-Cola with a goal,
11-6. Vargas and Snow each scored for the third time, but it was Coca-Cola with the 11-8 win.
The victory will allow Coca-Cola to defend its 2012 Pennell Cup title against an impressive Villa Del
Lago foursome on Sunday afternoon at 3pm on the International Polo Club stadium field.

Coca-Cola team captain Gillian Johnston set the pace with four goals. Julio Arellano scored three
times and Sugar Erskine and Tommy Collingwood each scored a pair of goals. Victor Vargas and
Adam Snow scored three goals apiece for Lechuza Caracas. Tomas Goti added two goals in a losing
effort.