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The USA Women’s Senior National Team finished group play 2-1 at the FINA World Championships following a 17-2 win over Japan. Maggie Steffens (Danville, CA/Stanford/Diablo) scored four goals in the win while Ashleigh Johnson (Miami, FL/Princeton/Miami Riptides) and Sami Hill (Santa Barbara, CA/UCLA/Santa Barbara) split time in net recording five saves. Today’s match can be viewed on Universal Sports at 6pm et/3pm pt. Team USA now moves on to meet Hungary on Saturday in the second round. That match will decide whether Team USA advances to the top eight of the tournament. The game is currently set for 6:50pm local time/8:50am pt. As soon as updated streaming/television information is available it will be posted here.
Team USA shrugged off a tough loss to Italy on Tuesday night and wasted little time dispatching Japan on Thursday morning. Steffens scored two straight goals to open the match with a 2-0 lead in the first three minutes. Rachel Fattal (Seal Beach, CA/UCLA/SOCAL) followed with a score and Kami Craig (Santa Barbara, CA/USC/Santa Barbara) capped the period with the first of her three goals for a 4-0 lead.
The second quarter was more of the same with Maddie Musselman (Newport Beach, CA/Corona del Mar HS/CdM Aquatics) and Makenzie Fischer (Laguna Beach, CA/Laguna Beach HS/SET) building a 6-0 lead with 5:16 to go in the first half. Steffens and Craig came back with two more goals in the next two minutes to take an 8-0 lead into intermission.
In the third quarter the United States left no doubt in the result piling up six goals. Ahead 12-0 Ashley Grossman (Santa Monica, CA/Stanford/LAWPC) tacked on the final two USA goals of the period to go ahead 14-0 with 1:44 left. Japan broke through for their first goal moments later on a score from Yumi Nakano, trailing 14-1 after three.
Despite another goal from Nakano, Team USA would cruise to victory comfortably thanks to three more goals from Grossman, Fischer, and Musselman winning 17-2. Team USA went 3/5 on power plays and did not attempt a penalty while Japan was 0/4 on power plays and did not attempt a penalty.
Scoring – Scoresheet
USA 17 (4, 4, 6, 3) M. Steffens 4, K. Craig 3, A. Grossman 3, M. Fischer 2, M. Musselman 2, R. Fattal 1, C. Mathewson 1. K. Neushul 1
JPN 2 (0, 0, 1, 1) Y. Nakano 2
Saves – USA – A. Johnson 3, S. Hill 2 – JPN – M. Rikako 1
6×5 – USA – 3/5 – JPN – 0/4
Penalties – USA – 0/0 – JPN – 0/0
See Tim Binning – theswimpictures.com – photo vault below:
Kami Craig of the U.S. adds the team’s eighth goal in a blowout against Japan in the women’s water polo preliminary round competition at the 2015 FINA World Championships held in Kazan, Russia July 24-August 9, 2015. (courtesy of Tim Binning, theswimpictures.com)
Ashley Grossman of the U.S. women’s water polo team adds a goal late in the game as the team takes a 17-2 victory against Japan in the preliminary round at the 2015 FINA World Championships held in Kazan, Russia July 24-August 9, 2015. (courtesy of Tim Binning, theswimpictures.com)
USA Goalkeeper Samantha Hill (left) reaches to block a shot in the second half of it’s preliminary round match against Japan at the 2015 FINA World Championships held in Kazan, Russia July 24-August 9, 2015. (courtesy of Tim Binning, theswimpictures.com)
Margaret Steffens of the USA women’s water polo team put’s her team up 2-0 against the Japanese team in preliminary round action at the 2015 FINA World Championships held in Kazan, Russia. (courtesy of Tim Binning, theswimpictures.com)
The Japanese women’s water polo team gathers before the start of their match against the USA in the preliminary round at the 2015 FINA World Championships held in Kazan, Russia July 24-August 9, 2015. (courtesy of Tim Binning, theswimpictures.com)
Water Polo News is courtesy of USA Water Polo.
Yet within seven minutes England were level from the penalty spot, in a sequence similar to that in Tuesday s first semi-final between USA and Germany. This time Steph Houghton was deemed to have been brought down by Yuki Ogimi and Williams crashed home a near unstoppable effort from the penalty spot.