The second week of play in the Cartier Queen’s Cup began with the tournament debut of BP Polo, but they ran into a tough White Crane team that produced an exceptional performance to capture the 14-6 victory at Coworth Park.
Leading from start to finish, White Crane had Guy Schwarzenbach in their line-up, replacing the injured Jasmine Calvert-Ansari to score one goal and provide space off the ball for his teammates. Shooting 5 for 7 from the penalty line while also scoring four field goals, Nico Pieres led a White Crane attack that produced more opportunities at goal and shot a better percentage than BP Polo. Shooting just 33% from the field and 25% from the penalty line, BP Polo were unable to match White Crane in the 14-6 defeat.
Pieres opened the scoring for White Crane, but it was Schwarzenbach who wasted little time in making an impact with a field goal of his own to extend the lead to two. Beginning the game with four straight goals, White Crane’s early pressure left BP Polo a step behind as Pieres scored his third goal in the second chukka. Preventing the lead from increasing any further, BP Polo ended the chukka with a more organized attack that resulted in a goal and an assist from James Beh. Foul trouble caught up to BP Polo to end the half, conceding a Penalty 1 and 2 to Pieres, as part of a three-goal chukka for the nine-goal player that pushed White Crane into halftime holding the 7-3 lead.
After a scoreless few minutes to begin the second half, a Penalty 2 conversion for Pieres was quickly matched on the following throw-in by Juan Martin Nero, maintaining the four-goal difference on the scoreboard. BP Polo struggled to generate enough scoring against an organized White Crane defense that was led by James Harper, as White Crane slowly increased their lead further. Holding BP Polo without a goal in the fifth chukka, Pieres’ ninth goal left the score at 10-4 and BP Polo in dire need of offense. However, Andrew Blake Thomas took over in the final seven minutes, adding four goals to White Crane’s total and completing the dominant 14-6 victory.