Palacios Secures 13-12 Shootout Victory for Men’s Polo over NYC Polo Club
ITHACA, N.Y. – Sophomore Taylor Palacios was the hero for the Cornell men’s polo team on Friday night, scoring the winning goal for the Big Red in a shootout and securing a 13-12 victory for Cornell over the New York City Polo Club on Friday night in Ithaca, N.Y. With the victory, the Big Red improves to 7-1 on the season.
With the end of regulation having come and gone and the score knotted, 12-12, the contest was forced to go to a shootout to determine a winner. That’s when Palacios stepped up, scoring a goal in crunch time to give Cornell the 13-12 win for its third-straight victory.
Palacios stayed calm despite the NYC Polo Club eliminating a three-goal lead that Cornell held in the final chukker. Cornell trailed, 9-8, heading into the fourth, but four-consecutive Big Red goals, including one from Palacios, two from Pablo Herrera, and one from Santiago Valenzuela, gave Cornell a 12-9 advantage. The NYC Polo Club came storming back, however, scoring three goals to tie the game and force the shootout.
Herrera led the Big Red in scoring in the contest, notching a match-high five goals. Palacios scored three goals in regulation in addition to his game winner, while Patricio Fraga-Errecart notched two and Santiago Valenzuela scored one.
The Cornell men’s polo team will be back in action when it hosts the annual Bill Field Invitational from Nov. 18-21 at the Oxley Equestrian Center in Ithaca, N.Y.
