Down 10 points to open the second half, the Cornell men’s polo team was prepared to make a valiant comeback attempt to maintain its Division II Champions title from last year’s victory over Georgetown University.
Not much changed between the first and second half in terms of players — starters freshman Max Sponer and junior Benito Jaramillo remained in the lineup and freshman Dylan Tung subbed in for senior Christian Finlay.
At the same time, so much changed in the Red’s offensive effort between the first and second half. Less than a minute into the third chukker, Cornell scored a point and slowly mounted its comeback. Less than nine seconds later, the Red scored again, and in 26 more seconds Cornell added another point to the board.
“Our team was a little slow in the first chukker,” Sponer said. “We woke up and played better in the second half. [We] missed goals and opportunities and gave away too many penalties to start.”
In less than two minutes, Cornell had already scored more points than in the first half total. But scoring was just half the battle, as Cornell needed to keep the University of Kentucky from scoring too.
“In the second half we improved as a team and had less penalties, more goals made and marked men better and closer,” Sponer said. “I am proud of this team and how far we were able to make it this year and am confident that next year we will be better with two starting freshmen.”
However, the Wildcats were determined to hold onto its lead — it brought the score to 5-13 with under three minutes left in the chukker. Jaramillo notched one in for the Red, but Kentucky answered with two scores. To match this, the Red scored three more points in the last minute and 15 seconds of the chukker.
To enter the final chukker, the Red trailed 8-15. Kentucky scored first but Sponer answered by scoring behind the 25-yard mark, as did Jaramillo 17 seconds later.
Now, the score was 12-16 but the Red would have a hard time scoring as the Wildcats held play and scored 12-17. Sponer would score the Red’s final point of the season, and ultimately the match would end with Kentucky winning the championship, with a final score of 13-17. Cornell’s impressive 11-5 run in the second half was not enough.
But the championship weekend had some high points for Cornell, as it beat Texas Tech University on Friday decisively, 21-7. In this match, the Red mounted a comeback in the second chukker headed by Sponer.
“The match against Texas Tech was a team victory, and I am very proud of Dylan, Benito and Christian,” Sponer said. “They all played very well and I was supported heavily by them.”
Sponer had a total of 11 points and a pony goal — meaning his horse kicked the ball in. Jaramillo notched eight goals, and Finlay scored one during the win.
The Red ended the season 9-8 overall, with Jaramillo awarded a National All-Star recognition and the Men’s Horsemanship Award.
Looking to next year, the Red are excited to take on a new season with a young squad of players and hope to take back the National Title.
“We know we will make it back next year,” Sponer said. “We know that we will be more experienced and play under pressure better. Our goal is always to work together and play as a team.”
Zeinab Faraj is the assistant sports editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
