The 127th Argentine Open continued with the penultimate day of action at Palermo. The cloudy day kicked off with a match between Los Machitos and Cria GT on ground 2. Mariano Aguerre’s team needed a win in order to remain in the top eight teams and qualify for the 2021 Triple Crown.
Los Machitos made it to half time with a 5-3 lead. Until that moment, only a few goals had been scored, with Los Machitos taking off in the third chukka, outscoring Cria GT 4-1 thanks to four unanswered goals by Toccalino brothers Santi (3) and Cubi (1). Joaquin Pittaluga then went on to score for Cria GT in the last seconds.
Cria GT made a comeback in the second half of the match, as the Laprida brothers (Iñaki and Magoo) scored. Magoo became Cria GT’s leading man, taking the match to 6-goals a piece with only one chukka left. And what a chukka it was! Following two goals by Iñaki Laprida, and with only 10 seconds left on the clock, Cubi Toccalino scored to tie the game 8-all, and into overtime they went!
Magoo Laprida was the one to seal the deal and give Cria GT the 9-8 win. As a result, Los Machitos qualified for the 2021 Triple Crown and Cria GT go to a playoff match against the winner of the Cámara de Diputados Cup (Brava or Indios Chapaleufu II). Unfortunately, neither La Irenita nor La Irenita II were able to qualify.
Later in the afternoon, it was time for the second semifinal of the Open, where an undefeated Ellerstina took on La Dolfina Polo Ranch. It was expected to be a hard fought contest, as many remembered the last time they clashed in the Open, back in 2017. Back then, Ellerstina claimed a narrow 12-11 win on a rainy afternoon.
This year’s match was just as intense! La Dolfina Polo Ranch put up a fight and Ellerstina had to fight hard to hold them back. La Dolfina Polo Ranch were strong in both attack and defence, they were very precise with their stick-and-ball skills, and quick to reply to every goal scored by Ellerstina. They even managed to hold Ellerstina scoreless in the fourth, as they added numbers to the boards thanks to goals by Juano Britos and Diego Cavanagh. By halftime, La Dolfina Polo Ranch had secured a 7-4 lead.
In the fifth chukka, Ellerstina went another chukker without scoring, while Terrera and Britos widened La Dolfina Polo Ranch’s advantage to 9-6. It was not until the first minutes of the sixth that Ellerstina managed to score, thanks to a goal by Gonzalito Pieres.
Ellerstina made a comeback in the seventh, outscoring La Dolfina Polo Ranch 5-0. With one chukka left to play, they re-gained the lead (12-10) to stay in the game. In the first minutes of the last, La Dolfina Polo Ranch scored three unanswered goals, thanks to Cavanagh and Terrera (2), to take back the lead. To add to the drama, Ellerstina were awarded a foul with just one minute left to play, and they tied the match 13-all. With only 30 seconds left in regulation time, Facundo Pieres missed an opportunity to seal the deal and the match went to extra chukka.
A brilliant play by Diego Cavanagh almost gave La Dolfina Polo Ranch the win, but it went wide. That’s when Nico Pieres came through, picking up the ball on Open Guillermina. Together they ran as fast as possible down the field and scored the dramatic winning goal to qualify for the final of the Argentine Open.
After a brilliant Triple Crown, Ellerstina almost tumbled against a powerful La Dolfina Polo Ranch. They were unable to play as well as they have done so far, but they have earned a place in the final and they will battle La Dolfina for the title once again.
CRIA GT 9-8 LOS MACHITOS
Cría GT: Valerio Zubiaurre 8, Cristian Laprida 8 (4 goals), Joaquín Pittaluga 8 (1), Ignacio Laprida 8 (4 penalties). Total: 32.
Los Machitos: Agustín Merlos 8, Ignacio Toccalino 8 (2), Mariano Aguerre 7 y Santiago Toccalino 8 (6, four penalties). Total: 31.
Score Cría GT: 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 3-5, 4-6, 5-6, 6-6, 8-8, 9-8.
Umpires: Matías Baibiene and Gonzalo López Vargas.
Third Man: Federico Martelli.
BPP Polo Argentino:
Machitos Jazzita (Sportivo x Machitos Jazz), played by Mariano Aguerre.
Nominees:
Machitos Charita (Sportivo x Machitos Mechera), played by Mariano Aguerre.
Machitos Valencia (Open El Padrino x Los Machitos Versuit), played by Mariano Aguerre.
ELLERSTINA 14-13 LA DOLFINA POLO RANCH (EXTRA CHUKKA)
Ellerstina: Facundo Pieres 10 (7 goals, three penalties), Hilario Ulloa 10 (3), Gonzalo Pieres 9 (1), Nicolás Pieres 10 (3). Total: 39.
La Dolfina Polo Ranch: Guillermo Terrera 8 (4 goals), Juan Britos 8 (3, two penalties), Diego Cavanagh 9 (5, two penalties), Alejo Taranco 8 (1). Total: 33.
Score Ellerstina Johor: 2-1, 3-4, 5-5, 5-7, 5-9, 7-10, 12-10, 13-13, 14-13.
BPP Polo Argentino:
Open Guillermina (Optimun x Open Geisha), played by Nicolás Pieres.
Nominees:
Dolfina C06 Lapa – Clon 6 (Founder Dolfina Lapa, Monarch x El Sol), played by Diego Cavanagh.
Mas Acquadance (Machitos Melchor x Machitos Lantana), played by Diego Cavanagh.
127th ARGENTINE OPEN: Fixture & Teams
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