Ellerstina vs La Aguada
In a game that decided the first finalist in the 2017 Hurlingham Open, Ellerstina was able to hang on for the narrow 12-11 victory over La Aguada Las Monjitas at Hurlingham Polo Club.
Ellerstina maintained possession in the offensive half throughout the majority of the match, as they outshot La Aguada 26-7, but 31% shooting compared to La Aguada’s 86% shooting, kept Ellerstina from running away with the game. The back line defence of Ignacio and Miguel Novillo Astrada kept the Ellerstina team to the outside of the field, forcing difficult shots. Ellerstina continued to press, leaving themselves open to a counter-attack and although La Aguada didn’t have many opportunities, they converted the few chances they did. The resilience of Ellerstina, led by Facundo Pieres’ seven goals allowed Ellerstina to overcome a tough La Aguada team.
The first two chukkas echoed the tone of the game as Ellerstina outshot La Aguada 10-1, but were only able to gain a 4-2 lead as Miguel Novillo Astrada converted the lone shot from the field, while Alejandro Novillo Astrada converted La Aguada’s one penalty attempt. Ellerstina continued to pressure the La Aguada defence in the 3rd chukka, but found themselves in foul trouble, committing three fouls that led to two penalty goals for La Aguada as they closed the deficit from two to one.
Four missed shot attempts from the field for Ellerstina in the 4th chukka, resulted in 4 for 17 (24%) shooting to end the first half. Meanwhile, La Aguada continued their perfect shooting, with Miguel and Ignacio Novillo Astrada converting their shot attempts, as La Aguada gained their first lead of the game at 7-6 at halftime.
Despite giving up eight goals on handicap, La Aguada continued their performance in the second half, as they maintained their one goal edge, with a goal from the field and the penalty line. With Ellerstina trailing, Facundo Pieres asserted himself in the game, scoring two goals in the 5th chukka along with three more goals in the following chukka to tie the game heading into the final chukka.
The 7th chukka was tightly contested with Ellerstina continuing to keep the ball in the offensive half of the field. After three missed shot attempts, Ellerstina finally broke through as Polito Pieres stole the ball at half and finished an impressive run to give Ellerstina the lead with three minutes remaining. Despite only missing one shot the entire game, La Aguada was unable to create enough chances late in the game as their upset bid fell short and Ellerstina finished with the 12-11 victory, advancing to the Hurlingham Open Final.
The result of the remaining matches of the day were:
– Cria Ytay 11 vs La Esquina 7
– La Irenita 15 vs Chapaleufu 13