Looking to bounce back from a difficult loss to ML Bar Ranch, Horsegate/Tonkawa were looking for their first win in the H. Ben Taub Memorial at Houston Polo Club. Facing a formidable opponent in BTA, Horsegate/Tonkawa kept the game close to the last chukker, relying on a late offensive push and strong penalty conversions to secure a narrow 9-8 victory.
Horsegate/Tonkawa’s Lance Stefanakis opened the scoring in the first chukker, as the two teams exchanged goals in early stages of the match. BTA broke out in the third, as two-goal additions from both Steve Kreuger and Nicolai Galindo provided a 5-2 lead approaching halftime. As the two evenly matched opponents each searched for an offensive advantage, Horsegate/Tonkawa found one in their ability to convert all four penalty attempts into goals. Overcoming the strong first half of BTA was also driven by the talents of Horsegate/Tonkawa’s Shane Rice, with two goals in the fifth and one more at the end of the final chukker to push Horsegate/Tonkawa over the top 9-8.