Coca-Cola rides emotion to win Ylvisaker Cup

WELLINGTON — In an emotionally-charged game, CocaCola rallied for a thrilling 9-8 overtime victory over To n k awa t o c a p t u r e t h e USPA Ylvisaker Cup Sunday at International Polo Club Palm Beach.

Coca-Cola patron Gillian Johnston and team captain Julio Arellano dedicated the game to 17-year-old Donovan Stratemann, who died in a polo accident at Santa Clara Polo Club on Thursday.

Players wore black armbands with the initials D.S. on their left arms. Flags on Engel and Volkers Field were flflown at half-staffff. Before the game, a moment of silence was held for the late teenager.

Coca-Cola’s foursome of Wes Finlayson, Julian de L us a r r e t a , Are l l a no a nd Johnston trailed 6-3 at the half but bounced back to win the 14-team tournament with a 5-1 record.

“At the half, we t alked about those guys were hitting us first before we hit them,” Arellano said. “They were setting the tempo and rhythm. We needed to go out there and be aggressive.

C o c a - C o l a p i c k e d u p momentum and confifidence in the fourth chukker, outscoring Tonkawa, 4-0.

From then on, it was a close game with Johnston taking a pass from Arellano on the bounce and scoring on a neck shot to send the game into overtime. Three minutes later, Tonkawa was assessed a reaching foul and Arellano converted a 30-yard penalty shot to clinch the win.

Arellano was emotional after the game, hugging his wife Meghan and their three children, Hope, Lucas and Agustin, all lifelong friends with the Stratemann family. Lucas Arellano and Donovan Stratemann grew up together on the polo fifields and were best friends.

“It’s been a tough several days for the family,” Arellano said. “I didn’t feel like I had my best game. But my teammates sure stepped up to the plate and more today. They really were there to do what they needed to do.”

De Lusarreta, who sparked the fourth chukker rally with two goals and played well defensively, was named Most Valuable Player.

“We relaxed a little bit and the goals came,” de Lusarreta said. It was an emotional game.”

Finlayson, 21, a Team USPA member and Harvard student, replaced an injured Del Walton ( collarbone) for two games and played well in his IPC 20-goal debut. It was his fifirst major tournament win.

Tonkawa, led by 10-goaler Sapo Caset, converted only 5 of 24 shots. Caset scored a game-high six goals and has 62 in 10 games over two tournaments. Arellano scored a team-high four goals and has 45 in eight games. Caset’s h o r s e A n n i e N e g r a wa s selected Best Playing Pony.

In subsidiary games on Sunday:

Mt . B r i l l i a n t d e f e a t e d Goose Creek, 11-10, to win the George Haas Cup. Mt. Brilliant’s Bo Goodman was named MVP. Lusiano, played by Goose Creek’s Mariano Gonzalez, was named Best Playing Pony.

Jason Crowder led Mt. Brilliant with six goals, fifive on penalty shots. Teenager Peke Gonzalez had six goals for Goose Creek.

E qu i n e L i qu i d B i o c e l l edged La Indiana, 11-10, at Isla Carroll East to win the Glenn Hart Memorial. Toto Obregon was named MVP.