Securing a commanding 15-9 victory, with no stakes beyond building confidence and refining their gameplay, they handled the always-heated matchup with poise and now head into their ultimate goal: the Palermo semifinal against La Dolfina, the “big” match for which this new lineup was assembled.
The outcome of this fourth-round clash in Palermo had no bearing on the Zone B standings, nor did the result of the later match on Field 1. Regardless of the results, Ellerstina and La Dolfina were already set to battle for the second finalist spot in the 131st Argentine Open.
What drove Ellerstina, then? “We wanted to use this game to practice what we’ve been working on, stay focused for all eight chukkers, and build confidence for the next match,” explained Guillermo “Sapo” Caset, the team’s standout player this season, who once again delivered an impressive performance. Judging by their display on Field 2, Ellerstina more than met their objective.
It was a stellar showing by the General Rodríguez squad against a longtime rival. In true Ellerstina fashion, reminiscent of the Pieres and Mac Donough era, they played fast, anticipated backs, and executed long passes to break free from Cría La Dolfina’s usual scrappy style, achieving a dominant win. A 6-0 run between the second and fourth chukkers set the tone for the match. Ellerstina led by as much as 14-6 before Cría La Dolfina trimmed the deficit to the final 15-9 scoreline.
While Ellerstina rested their horses for the semifinal, Cría La Dolfina relied on the same mounts they had used previously. The General Rodríguez team’s weakest links this season—Gonzalito Pieres and Ignatius du Plessis—rose to the occasion, delivering outstanding performances. Gonzalito contributed six impressive goals, while du Plessis was a defensive wall. Lucas Monteverde Jr. was omnipresent, and Caset shone once again with precise leadership and spectacular goals, including one where he stole the ball, carried it midair with deft control, and unleashed a rocket from long range to push the lead to 12-6 in the seventh chukker.
Cría La Dolfina, on the other hand, had no stakes in this game either. Out of contention for the final and safe from relegation, their only motivation was the honor of competing in the world’s most prestigious tournament—a significant enough incentive. “When you come to Palermo, you want to win and play well as often as you can,” said Diego Cavanagh, the heart of the team. “They played very well, and we had a few bad chukkers. After that, it became hard to catch up.”
Beyond the lack of stakes, Ellerstina faced a psychological challenge: Cría La Dolfina has historically been a difficult rival. Earlier in the season, they defeated Ellerstina in Tortugas (though Ellerstina later advanced to the final by beating La Natividad). In previous years, Cría La Dolfina, led by the Pieres brothers, also triumphed over them in Hurlingham 2021 and Palermo 2022. “We wanted to shake off the frustration from Tortugas,” admitted Caset, who acknowledged the pressure they felt within the organization about facing the Cañuelas side.
With this win, Ellerstina has reached the stage it aimed for when assembling this lineup. “At our first meeting of the year, we set a goal to make the semifinals of every tournament,” said Caset. “We’ve achieved that and even exceeded it by making the Tortugas final, which slipped away from us by a narrow margin. Obviously, once you’re here, you want more. Ellerstina has shown itself to be a cohesive team with an identity that energizes the crowd, and we feed off that energy. We want to win on Sunday, but we know we’re up against a 40-goal team like La Dolfina.”