Sports
US Women's Water Polo Team Beats Australia, Will Now Play for Gold
Despite an error by the coach in the fourth quarter, the Los Alamitos-based athletes will play again on Aug. 9 against the winner of Tuesday's Hungary/Spain semifinal.
In a nail biter of a game, the USA Olympic Women's Water Polo team bested the team from Down Under in double overtime at the Aug. 7 semifinals at the London games.
The team will advance to the Aug. 9 final, playing for the gold against whoever wins the Hungary/Spain semifinal today.
In the final quarter of the match, USA was ahead 9 to 8.
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Then Coach Adam Krikorian called for time out when his team didn’t have possession, yielding a penalty shot for Australia with one second left in the game.
The shot was enough to tie the teams 9-9, sending the match into overtime.
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“It was my fault,” Krikorian said afterward. “Even the coach makes mistakes sometimes.”
“It’s a team game, and the team picked me up today.”
Despite the setback, the American team defeated Australia 11 to 9 after two tense overtime periods.
This marks the third time in program history that the USA will play for the Olympic gold medal, according to USA Water Polo .
Danville, CA, native Maggie Steffens scored four times and Ann Arbor, MI, native Betsey Armstrong posted 11 saves in the net.
“It’s just a big venue,” Armstrong said. “There are a lot of nerves going to be on display at the Olympics.”
The two teams have met in either a semifinal or medal round match in every Olympic Games since 2000.
And Armstrong said she knows what the team must do to win the gold Aug. 9:
“I think we just need to keep the same mindset,” Armstrong said.
For more information on Tuesday’s match, click here.
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