Ellerstina unloads on Chapaleufú in Argentine Open play
By Alex Webbe
Ellerstina (Polito Pieres, Nico Pieres, Gonzalito Pieres and Facundo Pieres) flexed their offensive muscles Sunday afternoon as they hammered Chapaleufú (Pepe Heguy, Nachi Heguy, Bautista Heguy and Eduardo Heguy) 20-5 in second round play of the Argentine Open Championship at Palermo in Buenos Aires.
The two teams played to a 0-0 tie in the opening chukker but Ellerstina unleashed Polito Pieres, the latest addition to the team as they began to manhandle Chapaleufú in the second, third and fourth chukkers.
Four goals in the second and third periods had Ellerstina on top, 8-2 going into the fourth chukker. At the end of the first half Ellerstina had extended their lead to seven goals, 11-4 with the veteran Chapaleufú lineup unable to slow down the front end of the Ellerstina attack.
The high-scoring Ellerstina attack was complimented by stellar defensive efforts. Ellerstina managed hold Chapaleufú scoreless over the fifth, sixth and seventh periods. By the end of the seventh period the Ellerstina lead had swollen to fourteen goals, 18-4.
Ellerstina added two more goals while allowing Chapaleufú a single goal with less than a minute left in regulation play. The final horn sounded mercifully for Chapaleufú with Ellerstina remaining undefeated (2-0), and looking forward to an opportunity for a final rematch of the high-goal season.
Polito Pieres led all scoring with nine goals. Nico Pieres added five goals; Facundo Pieres scored four times (once on a penalty conversion) and Gonzalito Pieres was credited with two goals in the romp. Pepe Heguy scored a team high three goals for Chapaleufú. Nachi Heguy and Bautista Heguy each added a goal in the loss.
La Aguada/ Las Monjitas 11, Washington 8
Earlier in the day, La Aguada/ Las Monjitas (Ignacio Toccalino, Pite Merlos, Eduardo N. Astrada Jr. and Alejandro Novillo Astrada) struggled with Washington (Diego Cavanagh, Ezequiel M. Ferrario, Facundo Sola and Alfredo Cappella) before riding on to record the 11-8 win.
La Aguada/Las Monjitas took the early 3-2 lead but fell behind in the second and third chukkers before retaking the lead, 7-6, to end the first half.
La Aguada/ Las Monjitas took control of the game in the second half, holding Washington to just two goals over the course of the final four chukkers. The win was the second for La Aguada/ Las Monjitas (2-0) and sets up the semifinal showdown with Ellerstina on Sunday, December 6th.
Alejandro Novillo Astrada led the La Aguada/Las Monjitas offense with six goals (three on penalty conversions). Ignacio Toccalino scored three times (one on a penalty conversion) and Sebastian Merlos added two goals for the win. Facundo Sola scored two of his team high three goals on penalty shots. Diego Cavanagh and Ezequiel Ferrario each scored twice with Alfredo Cappella scoring once in the loss.
Argentine Open play continues on Monday with La Aguada (Agustín Merlos, Guillermo Terrera, Sapo Caset and Ignacio Novillo Astrada) facing Magual (Alejandro Muzzio, Francisco Elizalde, Marco Di Paola and Santiago Toccalino) in a 2:30 contest followed by a showdown between La Dolfina (Adolfo Cambiaso, Pelon Stirling, Pablo MacDonough and Juan Martin Nero) and Alegria (Magoo Laprida, Hilario Ulloa, Lucas Monteverde and Fred Mannix) at 4:30pm.
(Photo courtesy of the AAP and Matias Callejo)