Washington and La Aguada Las Monjitas Finish Third in Groups A and B
By Darlene Ricker
The 123rd Hurlingham Open resumed Friday after a torturous series of rain delays. Although the extenuated break made for some heavy horses, Washington and La Aguada Las Monjitas pushed on to their first wins, finishing third in their respective groups.
The two matches could not have been more different. Washington demolished La Irenita 26-10, while La Aguada Las Monjitas narrowly edged out Cría Yatay 13-11.
Facundo Sola carried the day for Washington, sweeping the field with 15 goals. He got staunch support from his teammates, all of whom scored. Diego Cavanagh and Ezequiel Martinez Ferrario each contributed four goals, and super-distance hitter Alfredo Cappella Barabucci made three. Barabucci was impassable as a back, Cavanagh controlled the front and Ferrario neutralized the middle. Sola ran circles around his opponents in a dizzying display of skill.
The game was all but over before it began, with Washington promptly snagging a six-goal lead in the second chukka (9-3). The gap stretched incrementally from one chukka to the next. La Irenita trailed by 9 goals in the fourth and fifth, 12 goals in the sixth and seventh, and finally by 16 at the final bell (26-10).
Still, La Irenita never gave up and fought with dignity throughout all eight chukkas. The team showed consistent strength from the penalty line. Juan M. Zavaleta made three of his five goals from the line; Matías Mac Donough and Juan Ruiz Guiñazú each scored twice on penalties.
The second game of the day was a solid contest from start to finish. La Aguada Las Monjitas bagged a tight lead in the first chukka and never let their opponents pull ahead. But far from giving up, Cría Yatay persisted with some dynamic plays. They had a great seventh chukka, cutting the La Aguada lead from four goals to two. But with their trademark resolve, the Novillo Astradas dominated the final minutes of the match and secured a 13-11 win.
The Hurlingham Open continues this weekend with the semifinals. La Dolfina Sancor Seguros plays El Paraíso on Saturday, and Ellerstina Johor faces Alegría Assist Card on Sunday.