Equuleus beats White Birch in Monty Waterbury Cup finals, 10-9

By Alex Webbe

Joe DiMenna’s Equuleus polo team (Martin Pepa, Magoo Laprida, Mariano Gonzalez

and Joe DiMenna) scored twice in the final chukker and held off a last minute rally to

defeat White Birch (Del Walton, Matias Magrini, Joao Ganon and Peter Brant) 10-9  

Saturday afternoon in the finals of the 2013 Monty Waterbury Cup at the Bridgehampton

Polo Club in New York.

In an offensively-challenged opening chukker, Mariano Gonzalez accounted for the

only scoring with the conversion of a 40-yard penalty shot.  White Birch was unable to

generate any positive offense as Equuleus the early lead, 1-0.

White Birch’s Joao Ganon tied it up at 1-1 with a penalty conversion of his own followed

by a go-ahead goal from Del Walton, 2-1.  Equuleus responded with consecutive goals

from Magoo Laprida to tie and then take the lead back, 3-2.  Walton closed out the

scoring with a tying goal that ended the chukker in a 3-3 deadlock.

The two teams traded goals in the third period with Gonzalez scoring on a 60-yard

penalty shot for Equuleus followed by a goal from the field from White Birch’s Walton,

4-4.   White Birch team captain Peter Brant put his team on top again, 5-4, with his first

goal of the game, but Laprida evened it up at the end of the first half, 5-5.

Goals from Ganon and Brant in the fourth chukker were complimented by a superior

defensive effort that held Equuleus to a single goal from Martin Pepa.  After four

chukkers of play White Birch left the field with a one goal, 7-6 advantage.

Ganon extended the White Birch lead to two goals with a penalty conversion to open

the fifth, but Equuleus fought back.  Defensive fouls by White Birch sent Gonzalez to

the penalty line on three occasions, allowing him to convert goals from 30-yards and 40-

yards while missing a go-ahead goal on a missed 60-yard attempt.  The teams were all

even at 8-8 going into the sixth chukker.

Both defenses held tight in the opening minutes of the sixth, with no scoring from either

team.  Gonzalez stepped up late in the chukker, converting another 40-yard penalty

shot for a 9-8 lead and then cushioning it with another goal from the field.  Ganon cut

the Equuleus lead to a single goal with a penalty conversion with 40-seconds on the

clock, but time was on the side of Equuleus.  Ganon stole the ball from Laprida and

charged 150 yards down the field, giving Matias Magrini an opportunity to tie it up with

five seconds left.  The effort failed and Equuleus celebrated the 10-9 victory.

Gonzalez scored five of his game high six goals on penalty shots and received MVP

honors.  Laprida added three goals and Pepa scored once in the win.  Ganon scored

four goals for White Birch (three on penalty shots) Walton contributed three goals and

Brant scored twice in the loss.

Brant’s pony, Chef, was named Best Playing Pony.

Heathcote (Steve Lefkowitz, Naco Taverna, Tommy Biddle and Nick Manifold) will meet

Lechuza (Victor Vargas, Mariano Gracida, Juan Martin Nero and Tomas Goti) in the

finals of the Two Trees Cup Sunday afternoon at 5PM at the Bridgehampton Polo Club.