Valiente I/Tonkawa earns finals berth
with 11-7 win

By Alex Webbe

Houston businessman and polo player Jeff Hildebrand made his 20-goal debut at the
International Polo Club in Wellington Thursday morning with his Valiente I/Tonkawa
team as they downed Villa Del Lago 11-7 in the first semifinal of the Iglehart Cup.
With little ongoing rhythm to it, the choppy game produced 12 penalty goals and had
Argentine 8-goaler Santiago Toccalino scoring ten of his team’s 11 goals in a winning
effort.

The two teams battled through a scoreless six minutes of play before Toccalino made
good on his first penalty shot of the day for a 1-0 Valiente I/Tonkawa leas. A brilliant run
down the field by Villa Del Lago’s Pelon Escapite tied it up at 1-1 with 11 seconds on
the clock.

Both defenses exerted themselves in the second period with Escapite converting
a penalty shot for a brief 2-1 lead halfway through the chukker. Two minutes later,
Toccalino tied it up on a penalty conversion, 2-2, to end the period.

Valiente I/Tonkawa took control early and scored the first three goals of the third
chukker, 5-2, with Toccalino adding two more penalty goals and team captain
Hildebrand scoring once from the field. Halfway through the period, Escapite scored for
Villa Del Lago on another penalty shot, and the 5-3 held until the horn sounded the end
of the first half f play.

Villa Del Lago tightened up the game in the fourth chukker, capitalizing on goals from
Augustin Obregon and Escapite while limiting Valiente I/Tonkawa to a single goal from
the field from Toccalino but continued to trail, 6-5.

Valiente I/Tonkawa extended their lead in the fifth on a pair of goals from Toccalino,
including a beautifully placed 85 yard shot through the goal posts. Villa Del Lago picked
up a single penalty goal from Escapite, falling behind, 8-6.

Toccalino added two more penalty conversions in the sixth chukker and added a goal
from the field. Escapite scored his sixth goal of the game but fell in the final period, 11-
7.

Toccalino led all scoring with ten goals for Valiente I/Tonkawa. Hildebrand scored a
goal from the field in the win.

Escapite led the Villa Del Lago Effort with six goals. Obregon added a goal in the loss.

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