Canada’s Jessica Gaudreault Wins Best Goalkeeper at World Super League Final

Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana water polo senior Jessica Gaudreault played an outstanding tournament to kick off team Canada’s summer FINA action at the 2017 World League Super Final. Gaudreault was named the Most Valuable Goalkeeper of the tournament, as she guided Canada from the cage to a silver medal in the first major competition of the Tokyo 2020 quadrennial.

Gaudreault played every minute of Canada’s six-game run to the gold medal match, ascending to their highest team finish since 2009. In addition to the Most Vaulable Goalkeeper honor, the first major tournament award of her international career, Gaudreault joined teammate Hayley McKelvey (Southern California) as Canada’s selections to the media’s All-Star team.

Shae Fournier (2011-14), Indiana’s all-time leading scorer and one of a handful of players in the NCAA’s “300 Club”, also joined Gaudreault in Shanghai as a recurring member of Team Canada. Fournier scored four goals over the week, including a score in the gold medal game with the United States.

Canada swept their competition in the group stage to top Group B by one point, entering a favorable pairing with Japan in the quarterfinals. The round robin commenced with their toughest adversary, Hungary, in which Canada prevailed 11-10 after a tiebreaking penalty shootout. Gaudreault stepped up in the clutch on the shootouts to give Canada the opening win.

“I’m really happy with the way that we played today,” Gaudreault told waterpolo.ca after holding off Hungary in the shootout. “For the first game of the tournament, we came out ready to play at the first whistle against a worthy opponent.”

A pair of wins in their next two games—8-4 over Australia and 10-7 over China, respectively—set Canada on the inside track of the quarterfinal round. Fournier sparked the quick start in their second game, while Gaudreault and the defense held the Aussies to just one goal in the second half. Against China, Fournier added an important goal to the tally and helped Canada pull away in the final quarter.

Canada prevailed in the quarterfinals with a 9-5 win over Japan thanks to Gaudreault’s second half shutout, which allowed her offense to break free from the 5-5 halftime tie. The win set up one of the most compelling games of the tournament, a semifinal between Canada and Russia, and one of the greatest comebacks in Gaudreault’s time with Team Canada.

Russia sprung into action to take an early lead, but Canada kept the score within two goals after the first quarter. Russia again extended their lead, eventually growing to 8-4 despite a power play score by Fournier.

Staring down a three-goal deficit with just a quarter to play, Canada needed and achieved a flawless effort in the final minutes to enter the gold medal game. They scored four unanswered, taking their first lead at 11-10 on a power play with 1:50 left on the clock. Russia earned a five-meter shot in the closing seconds with a chance to extend the game, but Gaudreault filled the cage and stopped the shot to seal the win.

The Canadians earned silver after suffering their first defeat of the tournament to the defending champions, the United States, who took gold with a 12-6 result in the final game. The game was close after the first half, but the Americans dropped back-to-back scores in the third quarter to gain a decisive distance on the ledger.

The above press release courtesy of Indiana Athletics

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Thomas A. Small

6 years ago

Congratulations

Swimming Pool Lovers

6 years ago

Can’t leave that unshared