The National Arena Bronze Cup, part of the widely popular Texas Arena League (TAL), concluded on Sunday, March 2, at Legends Polo Club in Kaufman, Texas, following a month-long tournament spanning two weekends of play. The final showdown featured Red River Polo (Brooke Burke, James Glew, Eric Brown, sub. Birdie Brush) against Diamond Y (Emrey Owen, Ashley Owen, Ulysses “Uly” Escapite Jr., sub. Kate Bitnerowska). A battle between the boards, Red River Polo set the pace early, applying steady offensive pressure to secure the 0- to 4-goal title.
Both teams entered the arena on a high note, following victories on Saturday, March 1, to determine who would advance to the final. Red River Polo earned its ticket defeating Los Polo Hermanos (Nick Lahutsky, Jordan Upchurch, Michael Farah) 27-14. Meanwhile, Diamond Y dazzled the crowd in the fourth chukker against Polo InterActive (Brady Williams, Jose Velez, Javier Insua). Trailing by one goal in the final moments of the period, Ashley Owen hit an electrifying two-pointer to deliver the victory, 16-15. Reflecting on the emotional finale, USPA umpire Alejandro “Tata” Garcia del Rio shared, “The last chukker was incredible. They never gave up. They lost the lead with six seconds. There was a penalty from midfield and Ashley just came and hit that score from midfield. It was a really good game.”
Awarding Diamond Y two goals on handicap, all three Red River Polo teammates found the goal mouth in the first chukker to quickly establish a 5-2 edge. After a tough first chukker, Diamond Y bounced back in the second fueled by three combined goals from the Owen mother-daughter duo. Keeping the pressure on, Red River Polo’s Glew scored five additional goals, including the only two-pointer of the match, to double up the score 10-5 at the break.
Working in unison throughout the third chukker, Red River Polo managed to shut out Diamond Y, while Brush and Glew extended its lead 13-5. Battling back in the final period, Emrey Owen ended the chukker with a hat trick for the team in teal, but it was ultimately too late to turn the tide, as River Polo galloped away with the 15-8 victory.
For her contributions on both sides of the ball, including four goals for Diamond Y in the final, Emrey Owen was named Galvin Agency’s Most Valuable Player. Reflecting on the accomplishment of earning MVP in a national tournament, Owen stated, “It feels so awesome, I’m just so happy and thankful for my teammates, I couldn’t have done it without them either.” Collecting multiple honors, Owen’s Sportscenter also took home the Nutrena Best Playing Pony award. Played in the fourth chukker, Emrey noted the gelding’s impressive performance, “He just played awesome in general—I was like ‘left, right!’ and he was there. His ride-offs too were just amazing, he did so good.” The Cavalor/JD Polo Sportsmanship Award was presented to Team Marines’ Rachel Mittman for her continued positive attitude, fairness and support for her peers on and off the field.
Celebrating its eight year of competition, TAL is comprised of host locations including Legends Polo Club, Brookshire Polo Club (Brookshire, Texas), Dripping Springs Ranch Park Event Center & Arena (Hays Country, Texas) and San Antonio Rose Palace (San Antonio, Texas) uniting arena players from the beginner to 12-goal level across the Lone Star State.
All photos courtesy of David Murrell.