Determining the last spot in the coveted C.V. Whitney Cup finale at National Polo Center- Wellington (NPC), Pilot (Curtis Pilot, Lucas Escobar, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Facundo Pieres) met Shack Attack (Santino Magrini, Ignacio ‘Nachi’ Viana, Kristos ‘Keko’ Magrini, Santiago ‘Santi’ Toccalino) in a riveting back-and-forth contest that went down to the wire.
Getting off to a hot start Shack Attack was on the charge early, as contributions from Viana and Santino Magrini gave their team a 3-0 lead and set the stage for an offensive showdown. Entering the semifinal third in scoring throughout the tournament, Pilot’s capitan Pieres could only be contained for so long until a five-goal first half including three successful penalty conversions gave Pilot a 6-5 boost at the break. Continuing to take advantage of Shack Attack’s foul troubles in the fourth chukker, Pieres sank another two conversions through the posts, as Toccalino stepped-up for Shack Attack to add three on the scoreboard and keep his team within striking distance. Diversifying their offensive efforts, Toccalino, Viana and Magrini all found the goal to bring themselves within one at the end of the fifth. Following a successful drive from Keko Magrini to tie the match 11-all, Pieres’ ended Shack Attack’s hopes of reaching the C.V. Whitney Cup final with his tenth goal of the match to seal the 12-11 victory for Pilot.
Upcoming Schedule:
C.V. Whitney Cup Final
Valiente vs Pilot at 3:00pm ET
U.S. Polo Assn. Field One
Photo Credit: David Lominska