La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team Capture Eighth Consecutive Abierto Argentino de Polo
Overcoming injuries early in the season and a loss to RS Murus Sanctus at Palermo, La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team entered the final of the 127th Abierto Argentino de Polo against undefeated Ellerstina, with their sights set on an eighth consecutive title. Steps away from capturing the Triple Crown, Ellerstina held the lead into the final minutes on Field 1, but a dominant final chukka from La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team pushed them to the exhilarating 10-8 victory on the iconic field 1 at Palermo.
Ellerstina and La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team generated their offense in different ways throughout the final in what emerged as the storyline. La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team received 12 penalty attempts, converting seven, while Ellerstina received just one Penalty 4 attempt that sailed wide off the mallet of Facundo Pieres. With the large discrepancy from the penalty line, Ellerstina controlled open play, outscoring La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team 8-3 from the field, and holding the normally potent La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team to just 15% shooting on 20 shot attempts. The two leading scorers in Adolfo Cambiaso and Facundo Pieres finished with six goals each, but the outcome was decided in the final minutes as La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team scored the final three goals to capture the 10-8 victory.
Receiving a penalty 4 in the opening seconds, Cambiaso converted from the 60-yard line to give La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team the early 1-0 lead. A quick response from Facundo Pieres on the following play restored the tie, setting the tone for the game as neither team would be given an inch. Hilario Ulloa found Facundo Pieres with a pass for his second goal, but the game turned to the penalty line resulting in La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team taking control. Scoring four penalty goals over the second and third chukkas, Ellerstina could not hold enough possession to match the penalty shooting of Cambiaso and Pablo MacDonough, facing a three-goal deficit. Keeping La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team off the penalty line towards the end of the first half, Ellerstina pulled within one goal after back-to-back goals from Facundo Pieres left the score at 6-5.
The defensive intensity increased on both sides of the ball at the beginning of the second half producing a scoreless fifth chukka and just one field goal from Ulloa that tied the score at 6-6. Inaccurate shooting from the field continued to force La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team to generate their offense from the penalty line, where they reclaimed the lead on a Penalty 3 from MacDonough. With two chukkas standing in the way of Ellerstina’s undefeated season and the Triple Crown, Gonzalito Pieres scored his only goal while adding an assist in the crucial moments of the seventh chukka to leave Ellerstina holding the 8-7 lead. The resiliency of La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team was evident in what was a dominant final chukka for the 40-goal side. Juan Martin Nero’s field goal, his team’s first since the second chukka, tied the game at 8-8 and quickly followed by MacDonough’s third penalty conversion. With two minutes remaining, Cambiaso broke in behind the Ellerstina defence to extend the advantage to 10-8. Withstanding the late push from Ellerstina, La Dolfina Saudi Polo Team saw time expire as the celebrations began for their eighth consecutive title in the Abierto Argentino de Polo.
Photo credit: Matías Callejo / Prensa AAP
To see the highlights of the best plays of the game, click HERE , where you can download a video from ESPN.