At just 17 years old, young Rufino Merlos played every one of his 3 goals in his first full US high goal season last year, combining excellently with Poroto Cambiaso, Tomas Panelo and Alejandro Aznar to create an attacking force that saw their team La Dolfina/ Tonkawa win both the CV Whitney and the US Open Polo Championship.
Top Stats from the 2024 Season:
11 games
14 goals
1 penalty
13/28 shots (46% overall or 54.2% inside the 60)
6 assists
17 throw ins
9 fouls received
A forward running player, Rufino reads the game well, anticipating his teammate's moves and able to place himself efficiently on the field to receive passes and finish goals or run interference, clearing defence and making space for Poroto and Tomas Panelo to run through unobstructed. He is seen almost exclusively in his attacking half where he is most valuable. He is cool headed in front of goal, scoring under heavy pressure and is equally tough on the man, able to create space by drawing defence out of the area of play or create attacking opportunities by setting himself up for passes from the back.
This year his handicap has jumped up to 5 goals and he takes his place once more alongside Poroto for this year's Gauntlet of Polo, this time playing for Catamount a new face on the Gauntlet of Polo roster.
He excels in areas including:
- Steal
- Shooting