The win marked the team’s sixth straight in Pan Am action at the Julio Delamare Aquatic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and their second over Cuba, a team they beat in round robin play 14-6. However, in their first victory over Cuba it took the U.S. squad a quarter to get started, after trailing 1-3 a good portion into the game.
“I think the difference this time (in getting a fast start) was that we knew Cuba was capable of going up 3-1 on us, and we have a lot of respect for that team,” defender Natalie Golda (Fullerton, Calif.) said. “That game showed us they were very capable opponents, and we kept that in mind in trying to prepare for today’s game. The best thing about our team is you don’t really worry about who you’re going to play. We win or lose by what we do. We can really beat ourselves, or we can make ourselves great. That’s one of the things that brings me a lot of comfort as an athlete – knowing that we’ve prepared ourselves very well, and if we do everything we trained to do, we’ll come out on top.”
The U.S. Team shot 66 percent Thursday led by high scorers Lauren Wenger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Moriah Van Norman (San Diego, Calif.), who had four goals each. Throughout their six games in Rio, every member of the U.S. Team has scored at least one goal, with the exception of the team’s two goal keepers. Four team members have netted 11 goals each: Wenger, Van Norman, Golda and Kami Craig (Santa Barbara, Calif.). Leading the team in steals, with seven each, are Golda and captain Brenda Villa (Commerce, Calif.).
For the U.S. women, the Pan Am Games now come down to Friday’s championship against Canada. More than just gold is at stake; the winner also earns an automatic berth to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The U.S. Team beat Canada for gold at the 2003 Pan Am Games, securing their spot at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The U.S. beat Canada earlier this week 10-8 in what was their closest contest at the Pan Am Games.
“We’re excited,” head coach Guy Baker said. “We look forward to playing tomorrow. I think it defines us as a program and a team – how we handle the pressure of trying to qualify for an Olympic Games. We’ll watch this game tonight (the Canada vs. Brazil semi-final), and we’ll start planning and preparing as far as how we’ll go about playing tomorrow.”
About USA Water Polo: USA Water Polo, Inc. is a non-profit corporation organized for the purpose to serve as the national governing body for the sport of water polo in the United States under the auspices of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). For more information please visit www.usawaterpolo.com.
