Northern Trust Team wins USPA U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship

LAKE WORTH, Fla. - Nov. 11, 2014 - PRLog -- The United States Polo Association U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship culminated on Sunday, November 9 with Northern Trust defeating BTA 5-4 in sudden death overtime. The championship tournament, which took place at the Houston Polo Club, is polo’s most prestigious women’s tournament and is sanctioned by the U.S. Polo Association (USPA), the sport’s national governing body. To reach the finals, BTA defeated Land Rover 7-6 in overtime, while Northern Trust defeated San Saba/Shanghai by the same score in their semi-final match.

Competing in the finals were Northern Trust’s winning side consisted of Maureen Brennan, Julia Smith, Sarah Wiseman, and Claire Brougham, and runner-up BTA’s   Brianna Galindo, KC Krueger, Sheila Lequerica, and Lia Salvo.  BTA led the entire first half, with Northern Trust staying within striking distance, ending the first half down one goal, 3-2.  Northern Trust scored first in the second half, to tie the game 3-3 with a score from Sarah Wiseman. Wiseman would score again to have Northern Trust take the lead 4-3 going into the 4th and final chukker. BTA would answer back to tie the game 4-4 forcing the game to go into sudden death overtime. Julia Smith, Team USPA member and captain of the University of Virginia Intercollegiate team, scored the game-winning goal on a penalty shot for Northern Trust bringing the final score to 5-4. Sarah Wiseman scored three of Northern Trust’s five goals and was named the most valuable player, and Zumi, owned and played by BTA’s KC Kruegar, was named Best Playing Pony.

Northern Trust’s Maureen Brennan and Julia Smith played together on last year’s US Women’s Open championship team, Goose Creek. Smith, was introduced to polo through the Work to Ride program and advanced to the Intercollegiate level at the University of Virginia. She is currently the captain of the University of Virginia Women’s Polo Team and has led her team to numerous victories including the 2013 Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship title.

“The U.S. Open Women’s Championship provides a tournament for our sport’s fiercest females to showcase their competitive spirit and authentic passion,” said Peter Rizzo, CEO of the United States Polo Association. "Polo’s fastest growing demographic is women, and the United States Polo Association is extremely proud to be represented on and off the field by these outstanding ladies."

About the United States Polo Association ®

The U.S. Polo Association was organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its Member Clubs and Registered Players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions, and games, and providing rules, handicaps, and conditions for those tournaments, competitions, and games including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts. For more information, please visit www.uspolo.org.