A highly anticipated semifinal between Cotterel and Green Gates required overtime with Cotterel’s Lucas Monteverde scoring the golden goal to capture the 11-10 victory at La Dolfina Polo Club.
Showcasing some of the top young players in polo, Cotterel received at least three goals each from the trio of Lucas Escobar, Lucas Monteverde Jr. and Poroto Cambiaso, while Louis Hine led Green Gates with six goals. Little separated the two teams as momentum swung back and forth in a tightly marked contest that saw 24 combined fouls. Both teams added six goals from the field, but the extra penalty conversion from Monteverde Jr. in the overtime chukka is what decided the game and finalist in the Copa Zafiro.
A start and stop beginning to the match resulted in Green Gates taking the 5-4 lead through two chukkas with three of their goals coming from the penalty line via Hine. With little space provided to either team, the competitive semifinal resulted in a tied game at halftime as Cotterel held Green Gates without a goal in the third chukka, as a pass from Escobar found Cambiaso to even the score at 5-all.
Turning to their 9-goaler Diego Cavanagh, Green Gates raced out of the halftime break with three goals, one from Cavanagh, while he assisted on the other two, giving Green Gates their first significant lead of the game at 8-6. Stepping into the spotlight for Cotterel, Cambiaso converted both of his opportunities from the field, but Green Gates held strong, answering with two goals of their own as they were just one chukka from victory. Outshooting Green Gates 7-0 in the sixth chukka, Cotterel was relentless in their pressure to tie the game and despite being unable to convert any of those seven shots, the result was two penalty conversions, sending the game into overtime. Carrying that attack into the extra chukka, it was another Green Gates foul that sent Cotterel to the penalty line, where Monteverde Jr. made the Penalty 2, sending Cotterel into the finals.