ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell men’s polo team rolled past the Central New York Polo Club by a score of 22-10 on Saturday night at the Oxley Equestrian Center in Ithaca, N.Y., remaining unbeaten with a 3-0 record this season.
The 12-goal win was the largest margin of victory for the Big Red in a year in which Cornell has been dominant so far, winning its three contests by an average of over nine goals per game.
The Central New York Polo Club came out of the gates strong, scoring the first three goals of the contest. The Big Red quickly got to work, however, scoring five-straight goals to close out the first chukker to take a 5-3 lead. Back-to-back goals from Taylor Palacios got Cornell on the board, with a Pablo Herrera goal and a pair of scores from Santiago Valenzuela following. Valenzuela’s goals marked the first of his collegiate career.
Both teams scored three goals in the second chukker, with Cornell carrying a two-goal advantage into the half, 8-6. The Big Red surged forward in the third and never looked back, outscoring the Central New York Polo Club 7-1. Palacios continued to be the catalyst for Cornell, scoring three more goals, while Herrera added two, including his second two-point score of the season.
Another seven-goal chukker in the fourth allowed the Big Red to cruise to the 22-10 victory. The scoring in the fourth was nearly identical to the scoring in the third, with the only difference being that Nick Paciorek got in on the action with a goal of his own.
Palacios continues to raise his own standard, posting a game- and career-high nine goals. He’s notched a career-high in goals scored in each of his first three matches. Herrera also scored six goals, including a pair of two-point scores, for eight points. Valenzuela added two goals and Paciorek scored once.
The Cornell men’s polo team gets ready for a big week as it prepares to compete in the University of Virginia Invitational on Oct. 20-24 in Charlottesville, Va.