Antelope Easily Wins Beal 12 Goal Championship

The 2018 Carlton and Keleen Beal 12 Goal Tournament Final turned out to be a rather one sided contest as Geoff Palmer and his Antelope polo team (Geoff Palmer, Santiago Trotz 5, Jared Sheldon 4, Remy Du Celliee Muller 3) outscored Danny Walker and Ben Soleimani's Famers and Merchants Bank/RH Polo group (Ben Soleimani, Mariano Fassetta 5, Santiago Von Wernich 5, Alonso Cruz 1 - sub for injured Walker 2) by an average of one goal per chukker and cruised to a 14 - 9 victory.Having to give up one goal at the start - based on handicap difference - Antelope won the opening throw-in and scored in the first 25 seconds. Famers & Merchants/RH got that back and actually led after the first period with the score in their favor at 2 - 1.That was pretty much it for the Walker/ Soleimani team however as Antelope exploded with five goals in the second and led by three at 6 - 3.The scoring - if not the play - was even in the third with two apiece and the half ended with the pronghorns three goal lead intact at 8 - 5.Antelope counted three more in the fourth to only two for Farmers & Merchants/RH and the lead increased to four goals at 11 - 7.The fifth chukker was much of the same as Antelope continued to play a running game to score twice more and Farmers & Merchants/RH were not able to keep up and counted just one (13 - 8).Scoring was even in the last frame to give the final count of 14 - 9.Antelope scoring was led by Trotz with eight goals (1 75 yard safety), Sheldon had five, and Palmer converted a penalty two.The reply from Farmers & Merchants/RH was from Fassetta with four (1 penalty 4), Von Wernich with three, and Cruz scored once.Based on his dominating open and influential play, Trotz was the unanimous choice as the MVP and his mare Pepper (4th Chukker) was selected as the Best Playing Pony.Tony Gregg