A thrilling conclusion to group play in the Talacrest Prince of Wales Championship featured Monterosso against UAE Polo Team, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s final to face Park Place. Withstanding a sixth chukka surge from UAE Polo Team, Monterosso held on for the narrow 9-8 victory to book their place in the final.
In a must-win game for both teams, the result came down to the final seconds with Monterosso taking advantage of a strong start to erase an early 2-0 deficit and not trail for the remainder of the match. Assisting on six of their eight field goals, Monterosso used an efficient passing attack with Ignacio Toccalino finishing accurately around goal to lead the team with five goals. Cesar Crespo stepped into the saddle in place of Lucas Monteverde Jr. and contributed two goals in the final chukka, but Monterosso’s shooting in open play led them to the one-goal win.
With the change of line-up, UAE Polo Team began with one goal on handicap and quickly doubled their lead when Alfredo Cappella sent a Penalty 4 through the posts. That would be UAE Polo Team’s offense until halfway through the third chukka as Monterosso took control of the match. Distributing the ball effectively, Facundo Sola collected two assists as part of a three-goal chukka for Monterosso as they took their first lead at 3-2 after a field goal from Matt Perry. Continuing their run, Monterosso finished with five unanswered goals, this time with Sola moving forward to collect both of his team’s goals to finish the half. The duo of Bartolome Castagnola and Cappella connected on two separate occasions for UAE Polo Team, entering halftime with some momentum as they reduced the gap from three to just one.
The two-man game proved to be successful in the opening stages of the second half as well, with Cappella finding Castagnola on a pass to goal, tying the score at 5-all. After Toccalino pushed Monterosso back ahead by one, their team’s defense stepped up to prevent a response from UAE Polo Team. A complete team effort kept UAE Polo Team scoreless throughout the entire fifth chukka, allowing them to enter the sixth chukka with a commanding three-goal advantage due to accurate shooting above 50%. Carried over from the fifth chukka, Monterosso’s Toccalino scored his team’s first penalty goal to extend the lead to four and leave UAE Polo Team short on time to produce a comeback. Despite the best efforts of Crespo and Cappella, UAE Polo Team pulled within one, but the following throw-in saw the time expire and Monterosso hang on for the 9-8 win. With the victory, Monterosso will meet Park Place in the final on Sunday to determine the inaugural Talacrest Prince of Wales Championship.