The U.S. Olympic women’s water polo team, which includes six players from Orange County, has won its second consecutive gold medal, defeating Italy, 12-5, in the final at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
The U.S. never trailed on Friday, taking the lead for good when Kiley Neushul, Kami Craig and Makenzie Fischer scored consecutive goals. The goal by Fischer, a 19-year-old defender who graduated from Laguna Beach High School in 2015, with nine seconds left in the first period.
Courtney Mathewson, an attacker from Anaheim Hills who is one of four players on the 2016 team that was also a member of the 2012 gold medal-winning team, scored the game’s first goal.
Attacker Rachel Fattal of Seal Beach scored the only second period goal for the U.S., which led 5-3 at halftime.
The U.S. increased its lead to 7-3 with four minutes, 47 seconds left in the third period on goals by Fattal and Neushul. Melissa Seidemann and Maggie Steffens scored later in the period to give the U.S. a 9-4 lead entering the fourth period.
Fischer, Maddie Musselman, a former Corona del Mar High School student who has signed a letter of intent to accept an athletic scholarship from UCLA, and Neushul scored in the fourth period.
Ashleigh Johnson made nine saves and fellow U.S. goalkeeper Sami Hill two.
The U.S. is the first team to win consecutive gold medals in women’s water polo, which has been part of the Olympics since 2000.
Steffens, the team captain, was selected as the MVP of the Olympic Games, a honor she also received in 2012. Johnson was selected as the top goalkeeper. Musselman was selected to the tournament’s all-star team in a vote by reporters covering the tournament.
The U.S. has won every major tournament since 2014 including the FINA World Championship, FINA World Cup, Pan American Games title and three FINA World League Super Final titles.
The victory was the 22nd in a row for the U.S., which is 40-2 in 2016.
The U.S. players put their gold medals around the neck of coach Adam Krikorian, a gesture he said “means a ton.”
“I’m not going to say that it doesn’t make your heart warm,” Krikorian said. “I will say though that it’s the daily interaction and the relationships I have with this team means more to me than any medal.”
Krikorian said nearing the end of the game he thought about his brother who died shortly before the start of the Olympic water polo tournament.
“It was hitting me pretty hard,” said Krikorian, who also coached the 2012 team. “I was thinking about my brother and about how hard this journey has been.
“It would have been very selfish of me to let what happened to me personally effect this group. These girls have worked so hard for four years and some have worked their entire lives for this moment.
“Who am I, regardless of what happened to my family, to ruin that for them. It was very important that I stayed focused. I realized it’s not about me, it’s about the team.”
— City News Service