USA Women’s Water Polo Sweeps Russia with 16-7 Victory

Photo Courtesy: Jared Gray/USA Water Polo

Stanford, CA – July 27 – The ‘Rumble To Rio’ was a fitting name for the final match of a three game set between the U.S. Olympic Women’s Water Polo Team and Russia as Team USA capped a rumble through the series with a 16-7 victory and a clean sweep. In front of a capacity crowd at Avery Stadium on the campus of Stanford University it was Maggie Steffens (Danville, CA/Stanford/NYAC) and Rachel Fattal (Seal Beach, CA/UCLA/SOCAL) posting three goals each in the victory. Ashleigh Johnson (Miami, FL/Princeton/NYAC) and Sami Hill (Santa Barbara, CA/UCLA/Santa Barbara) shared time in net recording 10 saves. Next up for Team USA are the 2016 Olympic Games which open on August 9 in Rio de Janeiro when the United States meets Spain. For more information on Team USA at the Olympic Games, click here.

Steffens, a current Stanford student-athlete, helped Team USA get out to a good start scoring two goals in the first quarter to help build a 4-1 advantage. She scored the first in the second and then watched Fattal add the final three goals of the period for a 10-3 lead at intermission. Early in the third, sisters Makenzie Fischer (Laguna Beach, CA/Laguna Beach HS/SET) and Aria Fischer (Laguna Beach, CA/Laguna Beach HS/SET) teamed up for the first three goals of the period, two from Makenzie, for a 13-3 lead 3:09 to play in the quarter.

Ahead 15-4 to start the third quarter Team USA would allow three goals from Russia but they wouldn’t factor in the decision as Maddie Musselman (Newport Beach, CA/Corona del Mar HS/CdM Aquatics) added her second goal of the day to help seal the 16-7 victory.

Team USA was stellar on player advantages going 6/7 on power plays and 1/1 on penalties while Russia was 2/5 on power plays and did not attempt a penalty.

Scoring
USA 16 (5, 5, 5, 1) M. Steffens 3, R. Fattal 3, K. Neushul 2, M. Musselman 2, M. Fischer 2, A. Fischer 1, K. Gilchrist 1, C. Mathewson 1, K. Craig 1
RUS 7 (1, 2, 1, 3) A. Grieva 2, N. Glyzina 2, M. Borisova 1, E. Soboleva, E. Prokofyeva 1
Saves – USA – A. Johnson 9, S. Hill 1 – RUS – A. Karnaukh 4, A. Ustiukhina 2
6×5 – USA – 6/7 – RUS – 2/5
Penalties – USA – 1/1 – RUS 0/0

USA Water Polo contributed this report.

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