Ellerstina Retains Tortugas Open Title
Facing a much different La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team than in years past, Ellerstina claimed the overwhelming 16-6 victory to capture the 2020 Tortugas Open title and retain the title for the second consecutive year.
Ellerstina emerged as the favourite entering Tuesday’s final with a seven-goal advantage on handicap against a La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team that had three 10-goalers in Pablo MacDonough, David Stirling and Juan Martin Nero on the side-lined with injury. Led by eight goals and four assists from Facundo Pieres, Ellerstina raced out to a quick start, scoring eight of the first ten goals in the game. Behind an exceptional defence, Ellerstina limited the opportunities for La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team, holding them to just three field goals on 12 attempts. With all four Ellerstina players scoring at least two goals, their relentless attack provided consistent pressure to defeat La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team and capture the 16-6 victory.
Inside the first minute of the game, Facundo Pieres converted a penalty 4 for Ellerstina to ignite a dominant first chukka. Keeping the ball in the attacking half, Ellerstina conceded zero shots while Hilario Ulloa scored three unanswered goals as part of a 4-0 first chukka. Ending the early drought, Adolfo Cambiaso scored from the penalty line and was quickly followed by a goal from Rodrigo Andrade to cut the difference in half. The third and fourth chukkas displayed the proficiency of Facundo Pieres, who dominated the front of the game, scoring four goals during the stretch. Pushing Ellerstina’s lead to 10-4 at halftime left La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team facing a significant deficit to overcome in the final three chukkas.
With the opening stages of the second half setting the tone for the remainder of the game, Ellerstina kept accelerating forward, receiving goals from Ulloa and Nico Pieres to extend the lead to eight. Poroto Cambiaso’s lone goal in the match provided a brief reprieve from the Ellerstina attack, but they immediately resumed their unrelenting attack in the sixth chukka. Transitioning to a distributor role, Facundo Pieres collected three assists in the final stages as Ellerstina proved to be too much for a La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team missing three of their four players. Facundo Pieres’ seventh and eight goals highlighted the impressive performance and secured the Tortugas title for Ellerstina.
Photo credit: Matías Callejo / Prensa AAP
To see the best plays of the game, click HERE , where you can download a video from ESPN.