Team USA women's water polo team advanced to the Olympic semifinals after a hard-fought 5-4 victory over Hungary, with a decisive goal by Rachel Fattal and standout performances by Ashleigh Johnson and Maggie Steffens. (X/USA Water Polo)
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Team USA women’s water polo team kept their Olympic dreams alive by edging Hungary, 5-4, in the quarterfinals Tuesday, reports USA TODAY.
The Americans now advance to the semifinals on Thursday, where they will face Australia, which defeated Greece, 9-6, earlier in the day.
“Me and Maggie [Steffens] hugged each other and just screamed in each other’s faces, just acknowledging that we both put our whole selves into that game,” said USA goalkeeper and three-time Olympian Ashleigh Johnson. “We both could see that effort and appreciate that effort, and it’s on to the next one. We’re like, ‘We got this.’ ”
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In a tightly contested match, the teams were evenly matched throughout, with Team USA holding a narrow 3-2 lead at halftime. Tied at 4-4 midway through the fourth quarter, Rachel Fattal, a three-time Olympian, scored the decisive goal with 3:02 remaining, securing the victory for the Americans.
The game was defined by its defensive intensity, marking the lowest combined score in women’s water polo at these Olympics.
“We knew it was gonna be a grind,” Fattal said about Hungary. “We knew it was gonna be a tough game no matter what, whether it was high-scoring or low-scoring. And we knew we were gonna have to fight the whole time. So, no, it doesn’t surprise me that it was low-scoring at all.”
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Team captain Maggie Steffens, a four-time Olympian, led the team with two goals on three shots, while Johnson made 17 saves out of 21 attempts at Paris La Défense Arena.
Spain will face the Netherlands in the other semifinal match, with Spain having defeated Canada and the Netherlands beating Italy in the quarterfinals.
Read more at USA TODAY.
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