Jun 5, 20222 min read

Park Place Vaara Dominate King Power to Advance to Semis.

Updated: Jun 18, 2022

Final Scores; Park Place Vaara 11 – 9 King Power | Venue: The Duke’s Ground

With one of Andrey Borodin’s Park Place teams already in the semis, his second team, Park Place Vaara were looking to claim the final spot in a match against King Power on The Duke’s Ground. Executing a flawless knock-in, King Power opened the scoring as Mackenzie Weisz fought off Hilario Ulloa to run the ball through the goal. Park Place Vaara responded with consecutive goals from Ulloa and Juan Britos to hold a narrow 2-1 lead.

Dubai Polo. UAE Polo. Sheikha Maitha Al Maktoum. — Park Place Vaara with the Gerard Leigh Cup

Returning to the King Power line-up for the first time in three games, Nico Pieres brought King Power back to even in a match that was continuing to go back and forth. James Harper kickstarted a run for King Power with consecutive goals in a fast-paced second chukka to inch King Power ahead by one. It was evident though that these two teams were closely matched as Park Place Vaara erased the deficit in the third chukka to tie the game at 6-all. After feeling unwell at the start of the fourth, Britos then stepped up for Park Place Vaara, firing through two goals, including a nice cut shot to hold a two-goal advantage. Their defence stood strong too, keeping King Power off the scoreboard.

Santos Merlos and Juan Britos celebrate getting through to the Cartier Queen's Cup Semis 2022

However, Park Place Vaara’s lead evaporated after Weisz impressively ran a throw-in straight to goal and Pieres successfully fought through multiple defenders as one chukka remained to determine the last semi-finalist. A missed Penalty 4 from King Power opened the door for Park Place Vaara, with Britos scoring from distance and then drawing a foul in front of goal to add a penalty conversion. With just three minutes left, King Power charged down the field but Park Place Vaara produced some strong defensive play, including a backhand from Santos Merlos off the goal line, to secure a hard-fought, 11-9 victory and claim the fourth and final spot for Wednesday’s semi-finals.

Cartier Queen's Cup 2022 Quarterfinals Day 2 Gallery