(L to R)-La Dolfina 10-goaler Pelon Stirling with the ball, Alegria team captain Fred Mannix in prsuit. Stirling scored six goals on the day as La Dolfina defeated Alegria, 20-10 in Argentine Open action at Palermo. (Photo courtesy of Matias Callejo)
La Dolfina (Adolfo Cambiaso, David Stirling, Pablo MacDonough and Juan Martin Nero) scored their third consecutive win in Argentine Open competition Tuesday afternoon at Palermo by scorching Alegría (Guillermo Caset, Hilario Ulloa, Lucas Monteverde and Fred Mannix), 20-10, earning themselves a semifinal berth that will hopefully allow them the opportunity to defend their 2015 title.
In a subdued opening chukker, Sapo Caset scored a goal from the field for the 1-0 lead. Pablo MacDonough countered with the only other goal of the period goal to tie the game at 1-1.
Second chukker goals from MacDonough and Adolfo Cambiaso had Alegria trailing, 3-1. Hilario Ulloa scored the final goal of the period but the lead belonged to La Dolfina, 3-2.
La Dolfina took control of the game in the third, scoring three unanswered goals as their defense effectively shut down the Alegria attack. Pelon Stirling scored the first two goals of the period followed by MacDonough’s third goal of the afternoon. The La Dolfina lead stood at 6-2 at the end of the third.
MacDonough and Ulloa traded goals to open the fourth, 7-3. Stirling and Cambiaso each added a goal to end the first half with Alegria trailing by six goals, 9-3.
La Dolfina continued to hammer away at the Alegria defense. An injury to 10-goaler Sapo Cased forced him to leave the game. He was replaced by 8-goaler Alejandro Muzzio, and the game continued. Four more La Dolfina goals were answered by single goals from Ulloa and Alegria team captain, Fred Mannix. The La Dolfina lead expanded to eight goals at the end of the fifth, 13-5.
Alegria had their biggest offensive production of the day in the sixth. Goals from Lucas Monteverde, Ulloa and Muzzio pared the La Dolfina back to six goals, 14-8. MacDonough scored a goal for La Dolfina.
La Dolfina stormed the Alegria goal in the seventh period. With Stirling, Cambiaso and Juan Martin Nero adding goals. Ulloa supplied the only goal of the period for Alegria who found themselves down by nine goals, 18-9, entering the final chukker.
Sterling and Nero each scored a goal in the eighth period, 20-9 as the Alegria defense reeled. Ulloa scored the final goal of the match as La Dolfina registered a 20-10 victory over a shell-shocked Alegria foursome.
Stirling, MacDonough and Cambiaso each scored six times on the day (three of Cambiaso’s goals came on penalty conversions. Nero added two goals for the win. Ulloa’s six goals led the Alegria offense. Caset, Mannix, Monteverde and Muzzio each scored a goal in the loss.
The win boosts La Dolfina (3-0) into a semifinal berth with Alegria (2-1) relegated to quarterfinal play.
Cria Yatay 13, Washington 12
Earlier in the day Washington (Diego Cavanagh, Ezequiel Ferrario, Facundo Sola and Alfredo Cappella) got 12 goals from 8-goaler Facundo Sola but came up on the short end of a 13-12 score as Cria Yatay (Guillermo Terrera, Magoo Laprida, Joaquin Pittaluga and Inaki Laprida) parlayed a more balanced attack to eke out the 13-12 win. The loss eliminated Washington from the tournament and qualified Cria Yatay for quarterfinal action.
In a game that was tied seven times, Cria Yatay had a breakout sixth chukker, outscoring Washington 4-1 and taking an 11-8 lead.
Sola opened the scoring in the seventh with a goal but Joaquin Pittaluga answered back with two goals for Cria Yatay. Cria Yatay carried a 13-9 lead into the final chukker of the game.
A porous Cria Yatay defense gave up three goals in the final chukker, barely hanging on for the 13-12 win.
Pittaluga scored five of his team high eight goals on penalty conversions. Magoo Laprida and Guillermo scored two goals apiece and Inaki Laprida added a goal for the win. Sola scored all twelve of Washington’s goals with six coming on penalty shots.
Argentine Open play continues with the final preliminary games in Zone B with La Irenita (Juan Ruiz Guiñazu, Juan M. Zavaleta, Matías MacDonough and Clemente Zavaleta) and El Paraiso (Agustin Merlos, Ignacio Toccalino, Ignacio Heguy and Santiago Toccalino) facing one another in a 2pm contest followed by a 4:30 game between Ellerstina (Facundo Pieres, Gonzalo Pieres, Polito Pieres and Nico Pieres) and
La Aguada-Las Monjitas (Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Eduardo. Novillo Astrada, Miguel Novillo Astrada and Ignacio Novillo Astrada)