Nico Pieres scored twice and provided impressive defensive talents in Sunday’s 13-8 Argentine Open win over El Paraiso in Palermo, Buenos Aires. (Photo courtesy of Matias Callejo)
A checkered start ended with neither team taking control of the pace of the game and 10-goaler Facundo Pieres accounting for the only goal of the chukker as Ellerstina (Facundo Pieres, Gonzalo Pieres, Polito Pieres and Nico Pieres) took a 1-0 lead over El Paraiso (Agustin Merlos, Ignacio Toccalino, Ignacio Heguy and Santiago Toccalino) after the first chukker of play in Argentine Open competition at Palermo Sunday afternoon in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and held on to register a 13-8 win.
A slow start gave Ellerstina the 1-0 lead after the opening chukker and in another offensively stunted second period, Santiago Toccalino tied the game at 1-1.
El Paraiso started to believe that they could upset the recent Hurlingham Open champion in the third chukker as a 60-yard penalty goal from Agustin Merlos was followed by a goal from the field from Nachi Heguy for a 3-1 lead. Facundo Pieres scored the final two goals of the chukker on penalty conversions from 30 and 40-yards to level the score at 3-3.
Ellerstina turned it around in the fourth period with an opening goal from Gonzalito Pieres as he followed up a run at goal by Facundo. Polito Pieres added a goal and Facundo Pieres tacked on two more penalty goals. Ellerstina played shut-out defense and left the field at the end of the first half on top of a 7-3 score.
A regrouped El Paraiso team returned to the field in the fifth, playing a more disciplined defense. Facundo Pieres and Merlos traded penalty goals for the only scoring in the chukker. Ellerstina continued to lead, 8-4.
Polito Pieres scored his second goal of the game at the 1:26 mark of the sixth period, 9-4. Cubi Toccalino responded with a goal for El Paraiso a couple of minutes later, 9-5. Facundo unleashed a blast from nearly 100-yards out for a score and added another on a 30-yard penalty shot in the final minute of the chukker. Ellerstina was enjoying a six-goal lead, 11-5, with just two periods left in regulation play.
Ellerstina continued to press into the seventh period. A pair of goals from Nico Pieres were answered by a goal from Santiago Toccalino. El Paraiso showed signs of life, but the game belonged to Ellerstina who owned a 13-6 lead.
There was no quit in El Paraiso as they attempted to stage a last chukker rally. Merlos got them on track with a goal from the field with just 22 seconds off of the clock, 13-7, but the Ellerstina defenders went to work. The only other scoring in the chukker came on a 30-yard penalty conversion from Merlos with less than two minutes left in the game. When the final bell sounded, it was Ellerstina with the 13-8 victory.
Facundo Pieres scored a game-high eight goals (six on penalty shots). Polito Pieres and Nico Pieres each scored twice and Gonzalito Pieres added a goal for the win. Merlos scored three of his team-high four goals on penalty shots. Santiago Toccalino added two goals with Heguy and Cubi Toccalino each being credited with a single goal in the loss.
La Aguada-Las Monjitas 14, La Irenita 10
In the second Argentine Open match of the day, La Aguada-Las Monjitas (Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Eduardo. Novillo Astrada, Miguel Novillo Astrada and Ignacio Novillo Astrada) jumped out to an early 3-0 start against La Irenita (Juan Ruiz Guiñazu, Juan Martin Zavaleta, Matías MacDonough and Clemente Zavaleta) on an opening score from Nacho Novillo Astrada and a pair of goals from Alejandro Novillo Astrada (one on a penalty conversion). La Irenita ended the period with goals from Juan Ruiz Guiñazu and Matias MacDonough to trail, 3-2.
Nacho Novillo Astrada added two more goals in the second while MacDonough missed a penalty shot. La Irenita fell behind by three goals again, 5-2.
MacDonough scored twice in the third period, the last on a 30-yard penalty conversion. La Aguada-Las Monjitas was held scoreless but continued to lead, 5-4.
Alejandro Novillo Astrada converted a 60-yard penalty shot at the 2:40 mark of the fourth chukker, followed by a goal from the field from Miguel Novillo Astrada on a well-executed backhander, 7-4. Guiñazu kept La Irenita from getting shut out, ending the first half on the short end of a 7-5 score.
La Irenita charged back into the fifth chukker with goals from Juan Martin Zavaleta, Guiñazu and MacDonough (30-yard penalty conversion). Nacho Novillo Astrada scored the only goal of the period for La Aguada-Las Monjitas on a 60-yard penalty shot and the score was tied at 8-8.
La Aguada-Las Monjitas stepped up their attack in the sixth chukker with an aggressive defense that shut down the La Irenita attack while their offense put up three goals of their own. After six periods of play, La Aguada-Las Monjitas led by three goals, 11-8.
La Irenita rallied for the first two goals of the seventh with Zavaleta scoring from the opening throw-in and MacDonough converting a penalty shot from the 30-yard mark that cut the lead to a single goal, 11-10. Goals from Alejandro Novillo Astrada (40-yard penalty shot) and Nacho Novillo Astrada pushed the La Aguada-Las Monjitas lead back to three goals, 13-10.
Miguel Novillo Astrada scored the final goal of the game just one minute into the eighth period with an oppressive La Aguada-Las Monjitas defense keeping La Irenita off of the scoreboard for the final seven minutes of the game. The win went to La Aguada-Las Monjitas, 14-10.
Alejandro Novillo Astrada scored eight goals on the day (five on penalty shots). Nacho Novillo Astrada added four goals and Miguel Novillo Astrada was credited with two goals for the win. Five goals from MacDonough (three from the penalty line) led the La Irenita offense. Guiñazu scored three times and Zavaleta added two goals in a losing effort.
Argentine Open play is scheduled to continue on Tuesday, November 22nd with a 2pm game between Cria Yatay (Guillermo Terrera, Magoo Laprida, Joaquin Pittaluga and Inaki Laprida) and Washington (Diego Cavanagh, Ezequiel Ferrario, Facundo Sola and Alfredo Cappella) while the two unbeatens in the bracket (2-0), La Dolfina (Adolfo Cambiaso, David Stirling, Pablo MacDonough and Juan Martin Nero) and Alegría (Guillermo Caset, Hilario Ulloa, Lucas Monteverde and Fred Mannix) will meet at 4:30pm.