BROOKSHIRE, Texas -- The top two teams in women's collegiate polo battled throughout the morning, but defending champion Virginia was able to rally late and earn a shootout victory over Cornell on Saturday morning for the USPA national title. For the second straight year, the Cavaliers ended the Big Red's season, this time with a 15-2 overall mark.
For the third straight season, the Big Red and the Cavaliers matched up in the national finals, and it would be another instant classic.
Ali Hoffman,
Kailey Eldredge, and
Anna Winslow started for the Big Red. Cornell jumped to an early lead in what would be a defensive battle. After one, Cornell had moved to a 5-1 lead. There was a lot of polo left and the Cavaliers would nopt go away. Fighting back in the second, Virginia won the chukker 3-1 to pull within 6-4 at the half. The third saw
Devin Cox come in for Hoffman. The Cavaliers fought hard and edged closer heading into the fourth with Cornell still up 7-6.
The fourth started with Cornell jumping out to a three goal lead at 9-6. Virginia would again rally and tie it at 9-9 with 30 seconds left. The Big Red earned a number four penalty with 12 seconds left, but UVa successfully defended to force the game to a shoot out. It was the first shoot out in the women's finals since the rule changed when in the late 80's. Coming down to the very last shooter, the Cavaliers scored to take the 2013 National title.
Despite battling flu-like symptoms, Eldredge gave her all while scoring three goals and was voted as the second best women's player at the national tournament.
Anna Winslow took the fourth and final berth as best player at the tournament. Eldredge and Winslow each tallied three goals with Cox adding two and Hoffman had one.
On the men's side, Cornell's Nik Feldman was voted as the National Male Sportsman Award.
