La Aguada Claim Hard Fought Victory on Day 7 of Argentine Open
On the seventh day of play in the 2018 Abierto Argentino de Polo, La Aguada claimed a hard-fought victory over Alegria-La Irenita 10-8, while La Dolfina easily defeated La Ensenada 20-6 at Palermo.
The opening game of the day saw La Dolfina overwhelm La Ensenada from start to finish, utilizing their 12-goal advantage on handicap. A dominant opening three chukkas set the tone for the game with La Dolfina shooting 8 for 9 from the field and a perfect 4 for 4 from the penalty line to open up a large lead. A step behind throughout the game, La Ensenada was unable to match the pace of a La Dolfina team that managed possession to finish with the convincing double-digit victory.
The duo of Pablo MacDonough and Juan Martin Nero began La Dolfina’s attack in the opening chukka, scoring and assisting on one goal each, while Juan Martin Zubia opened the scoring for La Ensenada. The following two chukkas saw La Dolfina dominate every aspect of the game, shooting a perfect 6 for 6 from the field and 4 for 4 from the penalty line to outscore La Ensenada 10-1 during the run. Cambiaso displayed his elite status, directly contributing to seven of the ten goals as La Dolfina held a 10-goal advantage at halftime.
The second half saw La Dolfina slow their pace and manage their lead, using their defensive positioning to limit the opportunities for La Ensenada. Keeping their opponents off the scoreboard in the sixth and seventh chukkas, La Dolfina pushed their lead to 14, with all four players scoring at least three goals. With the outcome never in doubt, Cambiaso added his seventh goal of the game to finish the victory and continue La Dolfina’s undefeated run towards the finals.
The second game of the day featured a La Aguada squad overcome two injuries with both Miguel and Ignacio Novillo Astrada sidelined due to injury. In their place, Alejandro Muzzio and Diego Araya performed admirably, combining to score nine of La Aguada’s ten goals in the game. Alegria La-Irenita had their chances in the game but converted just 3 of their 16 shots from the field in the defeat. The missed opportunities gave La Aguada the opening they needed in a tightly marked game, adding three penalty goals in the second half to claim the two-goal victory.
Three early fouls from Alegria-La Irenita in the opening chukka allowed La Aguada to grab the 2-1 lead despite nearly team scoring from the field. The inability to score from the field continued for Alegria-La Irenita throughout the first half as they missed all six shots from the field over the first three chukkas. Muzzio was a big factor in the game, scoring La Aguada’s first three goals from the field to push his team’s lead to 5-2. The quiet Alegria-La Irenita offense came to life in the fourth chukka, with Fred Mannix scoring three consecutive goals, two from the penalty line to tie the game at 5-5 heading into halftime.
The second half saw Alegria-La Irenita claim their first lead of the game, behind their strong defensive play, keeping La Aguada off the scoresheet. That lead was short lived as Alegria-La Irenita committed five fouls in the sixth chukka, conceding the lead to La Aguada with Muzzio and Araya each converting a penalty 2. With their only offense coming from the penalty line, La Aguada’s offensive struggles continued as they failed to score a field goal for the fourth straight chukka but were able to maintain their lead due to inaccurate shooting from their opponents. Mannix attempted to keep his team within reach with his fourth goal of the game, but a two-goal final chukka from Muzzio sealed the outcome as La Aguada held on for the 10-8 victory, setting up a semi-final with La Dolfina to claim a spot in the final.