Adolfo Cambiaso scored twelve goals in leading La Dolfina to a 16-9 win over La Aguada-Las Monjitas Saturday afternoon in the second round of the Hurlingham Open at Argentina’s Hurlingham Club. (Photo courtesy of Pololine)
A confident La Dolfina team (Adolfo Cambiaso, David Stirling, Pablo MacDonough and Sebastian Merlos) eased their way into the opening chukker of play in defense of their 2015 Hurlingham Open Championship picking up a penalty goal from Adolfo Cambiaso and a goal from the field from Pelon Stirling. La Aguada-Las Monjitas (Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Eduardo Novillo Astrada, Miguel Novillo Astrada and Ignacio Novillo Astrada) was unable to score and trailed early, 2-0.
The signature defense of the La Aguada-Las Monjitas defense stepped it up in the second period, holding the 40-goal La Dolfina team to a single penalty goal from Cambiaso. Alejandro Novillo Astrada scored on a penalty goal for La Aguada-Las Monjitas to trail, 3-1.
Two more goals from Cambiaso in the third period were answered by a single penalty goal from Miguel Novillo Astrada. La Dolfina left the field with a three-goal lead, 5-2.
La Dolfina extended their lead to six goals in the fourth chukker. Three penalty conversions from Cambiaso and a goal from Sebastian Merlos (substituting for the injured Juan Martin Nero) were answered by a score from Eduardo Novillo Astrada (his first after returning to the team from an injury). La Dolfina rode off the field at the end of the first half on top of a 9-3 score.
Cambiaso continued to dominate the field in the fifth, adding a goal from the field and a penalty goal as well. Miguel Novillo Astrada converted a penalty shot for La Aguada-Las Monjitas’ only goal of the chukker. The La Dolfina lead grew to seven goals, 11-4.
Cambiaso scored his tenth and eleventh goals of the day in sixth chukker action. A La Aguada-Las Monjitas mini-rally produced three goals (two from Alejandro Novillo Astrada and another on a deflection from Sebastian Merlos). La Dolfina was still comfortable in the lead, 13-7.
La Dolfina ended any imagined suspense in the seventh period with goals from Cambiaso (penalty goal), Stirling and Pablo MacDonough. Alejandro Novillo Astrada scored once for La Aguada-Las Monjitas but it was La Dolfina who would be entering the final chukker of ply on top of a16-8 lead.
La Dolfina was content to save their horses and play a defensive eighth chukker. A penalty goal from Miguel Novillo Astrada accounted for the balance of the scoring in the game and La Dolfina celebrated the 16-9 victory, a 2-0 record and a date to meet El Paraiso on Tuesday in virtual semifinal tournament action.
Cambiaso led all scoring with twelve goals (seven on penalty conversions). Stirling added two goals and Merlos and MacDonough each scored once for the win. Alejandro Novillo Astrada scored three of his four goals from the field. Miguel Novillo Astrada scored three times (twice on penalty shots) and Eduardo Novillo Astrada was credited with a goal. The team’s ninth goal came off a deflection by Merlos.
El Paraiso 15, Cria Yatay 11
El Paraiso (Agustin Merlos, Ignacio Toccalino, Ignacio Heguy and Santiago Toccalino) defeated a troublesome Cria Yatay polo team (Guillermo Terrera, Magoo Laprida, Joaquin Pittaluga and Inaki Laprida) earlier in the day, 15-11, for a 2-0 record and a semifinal matchup against La Dolfina on Tuesday, November 1st in Hurlingham Open play.
Tincho Merlos gave the early lead to El Paraiso, scoring three times in the opening chukker (once from the penalty line). Guillermo accounted for two Cria Yatay goals to trail, 3-2
Joaquin Pittaluga converted a pair of penalty goals in the second period while the Cria Yatay defense held El Paraiso scoreless. After two chukkers, the lead belonged to Cria Yatay, 4-3.
The two teams traded goals in the third with Merlos adding a penalty goal and teammate Santiago Toccalino adding a goal from the field. Pittaluga added a penalty goal for Cria Yatay with Terrera scoring another goal from the field. Cria Yatay left the field on top of a 6-5 score.
A re-grouped el Paraiso team took the field in the fourth period and took immediate command of the field. Merlos scored once from the field and once from the penalty line. Santiago Toccalino scored his second goal of the day. Cria Yatay was held scoreless and trailed 8-6 at the end of the first half.
Goals were hard to come by as the second half got underway, with both teams concentrating on defense. Neither team was able to mount a successful attack in a scoreless fifth chukker. El Paraiso maintained their two-goal lead, 8-6.
Both offenses got back on track in the sixth. El Paraiso got single goals from Cubi Toccalino and Merlos. Cria Yatay responded with matching goals from Pittaluga and Terrera. The two-goal El Paraiso remained intact, 10-8.
Merlos and Cubi Toccalino each added a goal in the seventh period but Cria Yatay roared back. An aggressive Cria Yatay offense resulted in three penalty goal from Pittaluga as the El Paraiso lead bell to a single goal, 12-11, with one chukker left to play.
The 35-goal El Paraiso foursome made a statement in the final period as they outscored Cria Yatay, 3-0. Single goals from Merlos, Cubi Toccalino and Nachi Heguy went unanswered as El Paraiso rode off with the 15-11 victory over the 30-goal Cria Yatay lineup.
Merlos led the field with eight goals (three on penalty conversions). Cubi Toccalino and Santiago Toccalino scored three goals apiece and Heguy added a goal for the win. Pittaluga scored six of his team-high seven goals on penalty shots. Terrera added four goals from the field in a losing effort.
Hurlingham Open competition continues Sunday with Alegría (Guillermo Caset, Hilario Ulloa, Lucas Monteverde and Fred Mannix) facing La Irenita (Juan Ruiz Guiñazu, Juan M. Zavaleta, Matías MacDonough and Clemente Zavaleta) in a 2pm contest followed by a 4:15 game between Ellerstina (Facundo Pieres, Gonzalo Pieres, Polito Pieres and Nico Pieres) and Washington (Diego Cavanagh, Tomas Garcia Del Rio, Facundo Sola and Alfredo Cappella).