La Dolfina wins Open, captures Triple Crown

La Dolfina beats
Alegria in Open finals, 16-11; wins Triple Crown

By Alex Webbe

The luxury of having the finals of the 2013 Argentine Open final
streamed live on the internet attracted viewing players from around the polo world
as La Dolfina (Adolfo Cambiaso, Pelon Stirling, Pablo MacDonough and Sebastian
Merlos) defeated a resilient but outgunned Alegria (Polito Pieres, Hilario
Ulloa, Lucas Monteverde and Fred Mannix) challenge, 16-11.

La Dolfina got on the scoreboard first with Adolfo Cambiaso
scoring on a 30-yard penalty shot just 1:19 into the game.  Polito Pieres responded for Alegria at 2:45,
converting a 60-yard Safety, 1-1. 
Cambiaso scored the final goal of the chukker on another 30-yard penalty
shot as La Dolfina rode off the field with a 2-1 advantage.

Cambiaso extended the La Dolfina lead with a pair of goals
in the opening minute-and-a-half of the second period.  Another penalty goal was followed by a goal
from the field from the 10-goaler, and Alegria found themselves trailing,
4-1.  With less than three minutes left
in the chukker Pablo MacDonough scored his first goal of the game for a
comfortable 5-1 La Dolfina lead.  Pieres
turned it on in the final minutes of the chukker, scoring twice from the field
in a 30 second span.  After two periods
of play, La Dolfina sat on top of a 5-3 lead.

A determined Alegria quartet took the field in third chukker
action and scored three consecutive goals to tie and then take the lead,
6-5.  Pieres scored on a 40-yard penalty
shot to open the chukker (:21), 5-4, and added two more from the field for the
6-5 edge.  MacDonough scored the final
goal of the period for La Dolfina to end the chukker in a 6-6 deadlock.

The two teams traded goals in the fourth with Cambiaso
scoring the first goal of the chukker at the 3:15 mark for a 7-6 lead.  Pieres answered back with a goal just two
minutes later, 7-7.  Pelon Stirling put
La Dolfina back on top just a minute later, 8-7, with Pieres evening it out at
8-8 to end the first half.

Hilario Ulloa’s first goal of the day gave the lead back to
Alegria, 9-8, but fouls soon got them in trouble (Alegria committed five fouls
in the chukker to one for La Dolfina). 
Cambiaso missed three penalty shots but made good on a pair of
30-yarders for a 10-9 La Dolfina lead.

Both defenses tightened up in the sixth as hard riding
carried the ball up and down the field before Macdonough scored in the final seconds
of the chukker, extending the La Dolfina lead to two goals, 11-9.

Cambiaso and Pieres exchanged penalty goals in the seventh,
12-10, with Stirling’s second goal of the afternoon putting La Dolfina in the
lead by three goals, 13-10.

La Dolfina continued to press the attack as Alegria fought
to stay in the game.  Consecutive goals
from MacDonough and Cambiaso (penalty goal) gave La Dolfina a five goal lead,
15-10.  Four minutes into the chukker,
Ulloa added a goal for Alegria, 15-11, but time was running out.  Cambiaso scored the final goal of the game at
5:02, and two minutes later the stadium erupted in cheers for La Dolfina.  With the win La Dolfina became only the fifth
team in history to win Argentina’s Triple Crown of polo, having won the
Tortugas Open and the Hurlingham Open earlier in the season.

Cambiaso registered a game high ten goals (seven on penalty
conversions).  MacDonough scored four times
and Stirling added a pair for the win.  Pieres scored eight of his nine goals in the
first half of play, and was named MVP for his efforts.  Ulloa accounted for both of Alegria’s
remaining goals scored.  Cambiaso’s
Chocolate received Best Playing Pony honors.