USC Aiken almost made it to the finals of the U.S. Polo Association Division I Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Pacers battled hard throughout their semifinal game April 12, but the University of Virginia prevailed 20-16 with a late offensive rally.
USC Aiken got off to a strong start. The team held an 11-8 lead at halftime and was in front 13-12 at the end of the fourth chukker.
Then the University of Virginia, led by Alana Benz, fought back and enjoyed 16-14 advantage heading into the sixth and final chukker.
Powered by Summer Kneece, USC Aiken tied the game at 16 in the final minutes. The University of Virginia responded with a scoring flurry that included a two-point goal from beyond 25 yards.
“That took the wind out of our sails,” said USC Aiken Coach Parker Scott of the two-pointer. “That sealed it up. We couldn’t come back.
But, he added, “I’m really proud of our team. They stuck to the plan to play a lot more defense than we normally seem to. We have a lot of offensive-minded players, so today, to try to beat Virginia, we thought defense was the key, and it really was. But they still got loose and had a couple of great shots.”
One consolation for USC Aiken was the closeness of the contest. Scott described it as “a big game of good polo.”
Last year, USC Aiken lost its first game of the tournament.
“We deserved to because we weren’t that strong,” Scott said. “But we were a seriously strong team today.”
Also April 12, 2023's champion, Texas A&M, defeated the University of Kentucky 17-7 in the other semifinal match.
Then, on April 14, the University of Virginia beat Texas A&M 14-13 to earn the title.
USC Aiken advanced to the semifinals of the Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship with a 25-14 win over Southern Methodist University on April 10.
In addition to Kneece, Kaylin Bender, Shona Adams and Brianna Jordan are members of the USC Aiken squad.
We have two freshmen (Kneece and Jordan) who are good polo players, so the future looks bright,” Scott said. “Shona is a junior, and Kaylin will be graduating.”
