Corey Cup Winners: Livin’ the Vision

Any 4-goal tournament at Aiken Polo Club is automatically going to be ultra competitive. It’s not just that the players want to win. The other main factor is that most (if not all) the players, are also regularly playing at a higher level. As a result, everyone is accustomed to going fast and to hitting at speed, making for 4-goal that has every appearance of 6 goal or even 8 goal. Come to play at Aiken in the 4-goal and you had better come prepared.

This year’s 4-goal Corey Cup featured 6 teams, each determined to make it to the awards table. The finalists, Woodlawn and Livin the Vision, had met once before in match play. Then, Woodlawn, the defending champions of the tournament, had won, 9-7 in a hard fought contest. The tournament was played in a cross bracket format with a pair of semi finals. Woodlawn, the undefeated first place team, beat fourth place The Aiken Horse. Livin the Vision, the third place team, downed second place Airy Hall. This earned the two teams a rematch in the final, which took place at 10 am Saturday, October 22 on Powder House polo field.

Chilo Cordova goes for the ball while Jesus Ontiveros defends. In the background, Jacob Brown, Omar Cepeda, Scott Brown.

Both teams played very hard, and the score remained close throughout. Tied at 5 apiece nearing the end of the final chukker, Livin’ the Vision’s Jesus Ontiveros tallied to put his team up with just about a minute remaining. Woodlawn fought back, bringing the ball down to within striking distance, but time ran out before they could convert.

Jesus Ontiveros

Livin the Vision was the victor, 6-5. Jesus Ontiveros was the MVP while Omar Cepeda’s third chukker horse, Coconut, was the BPP.

Omar Cepeda with Coconut, the Best Playing Pony

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