Buena Vibra won the final of the U.S. Open Women's Polo Championship on Sunday 9th February, winning 12-9 against La Fe Eastern Hay at the National Polo Center. An incredible start from La Fe Eastern Hay saw them double Buena Vibra's score in the 2nd chukka, going 6-3 up and piling on the pressure heading into the 3rd, but Buena Vibra kept their heads and played to their strengths. Cande and Milly Hine worked beautifully together at 3 and 4, creating team combination plays that started to have results as they started to catch up. By the 4th chukka it was all even at 8-8, La Fe Eastern Hay's earlier advantage lost out to consistent attacking plays and intercepts from the Buena Vibra foursome.
Hope Arellano was playing 3 positions at once, trying to control the game, make plays and score goals but she struggled against a more evenly spread team and was heavily targeted by the Buena Vibra defence who were able to neutralise her and allow free play for their power duo.
It was still close right up until the final chukka, with just 1 goal in it going into the last. But a strong performance from Buena Vibra who had found their stride saw them go 3-1 up and push the Buena Vibra team to their second consecutive win in the U.S. Open Women's Polo Championship. Accuracy in front of goal both from the field and the penalty line was paramount and while possession and fouls were relatively even, Buena Vibra were able to make the most of more scoring opportunities, successfully converting 5 of their 8 penalty shots to push up their score and ultimately secure the win.
The Teams:
Chukka Breakdown:
Score Progression:
Game Statistics:
Selected Match Highlights:
Cande hooks Hope Arellano off the ball, picks it up and turns it into an attacking play, powering down the field. When she leaves it behind teammate Milly Hine is well placed as back up. She waits patiently while her teammates clear her path to goal, taking out the defensive players. When she has a clear shot Milly sends it through the posts:
When Milly Hine's penalty is stopped, Cande goes forward, waits patiently and turns onto the loose ball. She pauses for Hope Arellano to clear before sending the ball through the goal: