After action was suspended due to poor weather, the 127th Argentine Open resumed on Monday at Palermo. Both RS Murus Sanctus and La Natividad Las Monjitas claimed wins, defeating La Irenita II and La Irenita, respectively.
RS Murus Sanctus and La Irenita II resumed their match at 3m 25 sec in the third chukka, with the scoreboard reading 6-0 in favour of RS Murus Sanctus. All six goals had been scored by Sapo Caset on Saturday.
RS Murus Sanctus showed their power and dominated the first half of the match, widening their advantage chukka after chukka. In the fifth, La Irenita II managed to close the gap thanks to goals by Santiago Loza and penalty conversions by Tomás Fernández Llorente. But RS Murus Sanctus replied quickly, and with only two chukkas left, they had secured a commanding 12-5 lead.
La Irenita II struggled in the last few chukkas, as Sapo Caset, the leading man and top scorer (he scored a total of 11 goals) of RS Murus Sanctus, converted from the field and from penalties. Facundo Sola and Fran Elizalde also scored great goals, and the team left the field with an impressive 19-7 win under their belts.
Later in the afternoon, La Natividad Las Monjitas and La Irenita went head to hea on ground 1. It was a highly anticipated match – the awaited debut of the Castagnola brothers on Palermo’s main field against a young La Irenita lineup, with Martín “Min” Podestá playing his first ever Open.
The game was preceded by a poignant tribute to football star, Diego Maradona, who sadly passed away last week. Images of his best plays were displayed on the screens, while players held a one minute silence in his memory. La Natividad Las Monjitas’ Polito Pieres and La Irenita’s Facundo Fernández Llorente held Diego’s iconic number 10 shirt for all to see.
Although La Irenita were the first on the scoreboard thanks to a goal by Juan Martín Zubía, La Natividad Las Monjitas replied quickly, end the first chukka 2-1 up. The Castagnolas took off in a spectacular second chukka, scoring four goals to widen their advantage 6-3. Led by brilliant performances from Jeta Castagnola and Polito Pieres, La Natividad Las Monjitas played a perfect first half against the talented La Irenita foursome, who struggled to close the gap. With just a second before half time, Polito Pieres–who played his best match of the season so far–scored his fourth goal of the game, to give La Natividad Las Monjitas a 9-4 advantage.
La Natividad Las Monjitas used their powerful team play to control the match, but La Irenita fought back hard. The talented Juan Martín Zubía, who was on point with his penalty conversions, as well as being solid on the fiel, meant that La Irenita never gave up. But it was not to be. Camilo Castagnola scored two goals in the last chukka to seal the deal, and La Natividad Las Monjitas won 15-10.
RS MURUS SANCTUS 19-7 LA IRENITA II
RS Murus Sanctus: Facundo Sola 9 (6 goals), Francisco Elizalde 8 (2), Guillermo Caset 10 (11, 6 on penalties), Alfredo Cappella Barabucci 8. Total: 35.
La Irenita II: Santiago Loza 7 (2, 1 on penalties), Tomás Fernández Llorente 7 (4, 2 on penalties), Tito Ruiz Guiñazú 8, Pedro Falabella 7 (1). Total: 29.
Score RS Murus Sanctus: 2-0, 4-0, 7-1, 9-1, 10-3, 12-5, 15-6, 19-7.
Umpires: Federico Martelli & Martín Aguerre.
Third Man: Matías Baibiene.
BPP Polo Argentino: Mariposa Manta (Open Poncho x Marcela), played by Facundo Sola.
Nominees:
Antu Walung Any Chica (Vison x Any), played by Guillermo Caset.
Anay Sur Carozo (Alazanas Puntilloso x Malvita), played by Facundo Sola.
LA NATIVIDAD MONJITAS 15-10 LA IRENITA
La Natividad Monjitas: Camilo Castagnola 8 (8 goals, 6 on penalties), Pablo Pieres 10 (5), Barto Castagnola 9 (1), Nachi Du Plessis 9 (1). Total: 36.
La Irenita: Martín Podestá 7, Juan Gris Zavaleta 8 (1 goal), Facundo Fernández Llorente 7, Juan Martín Zubía 8 (9, 3 on penalties and 2 on safety penalties). Total: 30.
Score La Natividad Monjitas: 2-1, 6-2, 8-3, 9-4, 11-4, 11-5, 13-8, 15-10.
Umpires: Guillermo Villanueva & Esteban Ferrari.
Third man: Rafael Silva.
BPP Polo Argentino: Machitos Viena (El Chapita x Machitos Versace), played by Polito Pieres.
Nominees:
Irenita Laidy (Clarín x Irenita Milanesa), played by Martín Podestá.
Van Kristal (Van Brutal x Van Kawasaki), played by Nachi Du Plessis.
The 127th Argentine Open continues on Tuesday:
11am: La Dolfina Polo Ranch vs. Cria Gete
4pm: La Ensenada La Aguada vs. Los Machitos
127th ARGENTINE OPEN: Fixture & Teams
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