FINA World Women’s Junior Water Polo Championships
- Sept. 9-15, 2019
- Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal
- Venue: Funchal Olympic Pools Complex
- Competitors: 16 teams
- Live Scoring
Russia claimed its second straight World Women’s Junior Water Polo crown with an 11-5 victory over the Netherlands on Sunday. Italy rounded out the podium, clinching the bronze medal with a 9-8 win over Greece.
The title marked the second in a row for Russia, which claimed the 2017 crown, ahead of Greece and the Netherlands. Russia also won the title in 2009. Italy, meanwhile, earned its first podium finish in the event’s 24 year history (every two years dating back to 1995).
In other action, Spain defeated the United States 10-9 for fifth place and Hungary downed China 12-7 for seventh place.
Final Standings
- Russia
- Netherlands
- Italy
- Greece
- Spain
- USA
- Hungary
- China
- Australia
- Canada
- Brazil
- South Africa
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Kazakhstan
- Portugal
Sunday Results
| 7th Place | Hungary def. China 12-7 |
| 5th Place | Spain def. USA 10-9 |
| Bronze Medal | Italy def. Greece 9-8 |
| Gold Medal | Russia def. Netherlands 11-5 |
Sunday’s Top Scorers
| Goals | Player, Team | Opponent |
| 4 | Polina Kempf, Russia | Netherlands |
| 4 | Kamilla Farago, Hungary | China |
| 3 | Lieke Rogge, Netherlands | Russia |
| 3 | Agnese Cocchiere, Italy | Greece |
| 3 | Jewel Roemer, United States | Spain |
| 3 | Elia Velayos, Spain | USA |
| 3 | Natasa Rybanska, Hungary | China |
Gold Medal Match
Russia jumped out to a 5-3 lead in the first quarter and held on for the win, tallying two goals in each of the remaining stanzas en route to the 11-5 gold medal victory.
Polina Kempf led all scorers with four goals for the Russians, while Polina Popova and Tatiana Tolkunova added two apiece. Lieke Rogge notched a hat trick for the Dutch.
Bronze Medal Match
Italy staked its claim on the match early, outscoring Greece 4-1 in the opening stanza, giving the team the cushion it needed to withstand a 7-5 charge by the Greeks the remainder of the match, holding on for the 9-8 victory.
Agnese Cocchiere paced the Italians with a hat trick, while Nicole Zanetta and Anna Repetto chipped in two goals each. Eleni Kanetidou and Eleni Elliniadi each scored twice for Greece.
Fifth Place Match
Spain outscored the United States 4-3 in the fourth quarter to snag a 10-9 victory and fifth place in the tournament. The Americans led 4-3 at halftime, then the Spaniards outscored the USA 3-2 in the third period to tie it up at 6-all. Spain scored the game winner with 2:2 remaining in the game on a Helena Zurita goal which made it 10-8. The United States cut the margin to one on a Ryann Neushul score with 17 seconds to play.
Elia Velayos put in three goals for Spain, while Alejandra Diez scored twice. Jewel Roemer led the USA with a hat trick, while Neushul put in two goals.
Seventh Place Match
Hungary jumped ahead 4-0 and carried on to a 7-2 halftime advantage on the way to a 12-7 victory over China. Kamilla Farago put in four goals, one in each period, to lead Hungary, while Natasa Rybanska added a hat trick. Lu Bozhou and Wang Shiyun put in two goals apiece for China.
