{"id":268756,"date":"2017-07-26T20:30:20","date_gmt":"2017-07-27T03:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=268756"},"modified":"2017-07-26T22:53:56","modified_gmt":"2017-07-27T05:53:56","slug":"14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"14-9 Win over Russia Advances USA to FINA Finals and Shot at Second Straight World Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>BUDAPEST, Hungary. Getting out in front early against four previous opponents, the U.S. Women\u2019s Water Polo Team was yet to have a signature win in the 2017 FINA World Championships because they had rarely been tested.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"265911\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/catching-up-with-darko-udovicic-about-serbian-water-polo\/fina_worlds-logo-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fina_worlds-logo.png\" data-orig-size=\"398,127\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"fina_worlds-logo\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;07\/29\/17&lt;br \/&gt;\nfina_worlds-logo&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy:&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fina_worlds-logo.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fina_worlds-logo.png\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-265911 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fina_worlds-logo.png\" alt=\"fina_worlds-logo\" width=\"398\" height=\"127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fina_worlds-logo.png 398w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fina_worlds-logo-280x89.png 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 398px) 100vw, 398px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>That all changed in a semifinal match Wednesday night at Alfred Hajos Pool. Facing a Russian team that stunned medal contenders Holland and Italy the past two matches, the Americans were down 2-0 early in the match on goals by <strong>Anastasia Simanovich<\/strong> and <strong>Ekaterina Prokofyeva<\/strong> before rallying for an impressive 14-9 win and a date Friday evening in the finals against Spain, a 12-9 winner over Canada in the other semifinal.<\/p>\n<p>As Team USA head coach <strong>Adam Krikorian<\/strong> knows, on any given day anyone can be beat\u2014even a United States team that hasn\u2019t lost a major championship since placing fifth at the 2013 FINA World Championships.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re a confident group but we talk about being humble enough to prepare and confident enough to perform,\u201d he said immediately following the match. \u201cWe go into every game thinking there\u2019s a chance we could lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat keeps the edge for us, because we\u2019ve been in a lot of different situations,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Being down by two goals\u2026 perhaps everyone freaks out because the Americans are never supposed to be down, but it\u2019s not a surprise for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the opening moments she and her teammates seemed out of sync, admitted <strong>Maddie Musselman<\/strong>, Team USA\u2019s talented young attacker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnergy was a huge part of our game today,\u201d she said. \u201cOur defense was slow and in the beginning we didn\u2019t come out with energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But if there\u2019s one thing you can count on from Team USA, it\u2019s that they are not easily flustered. Musselman opened her team&#8217;s scoring with a strongside blast past Russia goalie <strong>Anna Karnaukh<\/strong> halfway through the first, a sign of good things to come for her and her teammates.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_268788\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-268788\" data-attachment-id=\"268788\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/usa-russia-fina-july17\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/usa-russia-fina-july17.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,900\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone SE&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1501100733&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;32&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.02&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"usa-russia-fina-july17\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;usa-russia-fina-july17&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy:&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/usa-russia-fina-july17-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/usa-russia-fina-july17-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-268788 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/usa-russia-fina-july17-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"usa-russia-fina-july17\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-268788\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rain didn&#8217;t dampen American fans&#8217; spirits. Photo Courtesy: M. Randazzo<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Rachel Fattal,<\/strong> who would be the best player on any other team that didn\u2019t have <strong>Maggie Steffens<\/strong>, picked Wednesday night to responded when her team needed her most. At the 3:35 mark of the first she made the Russians pay with a powerplay score. After Prokofyeva and <strong>Maria Bourisova<\/strong> put Russia again up by two, she followed a Steffens&#8217; scoring strike with two of her own: a weakside goal with 48 seconds remaining in the period, and then a cross-cage missile forty seconds later that Karnaukh had no chance on.<\/p>\n<p>Just like that, the Americans were up 5-4. And the offensive explosion was just beginning. Team USA hit on six of the second period\u2019s seven goals, part of a 10-1 run by the U.S. that put them up 11-5 after two and squelched any upset dreams of an opportunistic Russian squad.<\/p>\n<p>Fattal, who led all scorers with five goals, said that defending the Russian counter-attack was the difference-maker on a chilly, rainy evening in Budapest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the second half we started playing better defense to stop their offense and limit their counter,\u201d she said. &#8220;They\u2019re a very fast team and a good team and for us that was one of our keys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Explaining that they were well-prepared for the Russian counterattack, Fattal said that success is a matter of time, patience and confidence in teammates who have weathered numerous challenges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of us have been playing together for a long time, even the new girls, and our team is starting to flow together really well,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have confidence that we\u2019re each going to play our roles to the best of our abilities\u2014and that\u2019s what happens when we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Which is win.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. has now progressed farther than any women\u2019s team has at FINA Worlds after winning Olympic gold, and is on the cusp of a second straight FINA World Championship, an appropriate bookend to back-to-back Olympic titles earned in 2012 and 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Yet their head coach knows as well as anyone how easily a determined opponent, tough weather conditions and an inexplicable lack of energy can doom even the most capable of teams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a lot of respect for every opponent here, so when we\u2019re losing, we\u2019re not shocked,\u201d Krikorian said. \u201cWe understand how difficult it is to get a win in this tournament against quality teams.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Given the significance of what his team is looking to accomplish, perhaps there\u2019s no more appropriate venue than Alfred Hajos Pool. Site of the 1958, 2006 and 2010 European Aquatics Championships, as well as the 2006 FINA Men&#8217;s Water Polo World Cup, Krikorian called it the \u201cWimbledon\u201d of water polo.<\/p>\n<p>He could not help but be moved by the passionate fan base that has come out day after day to cheer their beloved Maygars and applaud the best water polo athletes the world has to offer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was watching the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/comeback-win-over-greece-brings-redemption-for-hungary-womens-water-polo-team\/\" target=\"_blank\">Hungary game<\/a> today, and I almost had tears in my eyes.\u201d Krikorian said. \u201cWatching Hungary play in a [classification match with Greece] just to get into the fifth-place game\u2014this place was packed. And loud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reason why it\u2019s that way is because the people here love this sport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Musselman, who despite her relatively young age of 19 already possesses an Olympic gold medal and may soon own FINA gold, agreed with her coach about the devoted Hungarian fans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is what our sport\u2019s all about\u2014to have that crowd and that atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps Team USA will experience all that and more at Friday\u2019s championship match.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor. BUDAPEST, Hungary. Getting out in front early against four previous opponents, the U.S. Women\u2019s Water Polo Team was yet to have a signature win<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4875,"featured_media":268774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[53330,62669,59716,3384,62782,62574,62780,1031,62573,37598,39337,62781,60192,32490,62629],"class_list":["post-268756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-water-polo","tag-2016-rio-olympics","tag-2017-fina-world-championship","tag-2017-fina-world-championships","tag-adam-krikorian","tag-alfred-hajos-pool","tag-anastasia-simanovich","tag-anna-karnaukh","tag-budapest","tag-ekaterina-prokofyeva","tag-maddie-musselman","tag-maggie-steffens","tag-maria-bourisova","tag-michael-randazzo","tag-rachel-fattal","tag-us-womens-water-polo"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>14-9 Win over Russia Advances USA to FINA Finals and Shot at Second Straight World Championship - Swimming World<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"14-9 Win over Russia Advances USA to FINA Finals and Shot at Second Straight World Championship\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor. 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Getting out in front early against four previous opponents, the U.S. Women\u2019s Water Polo Team was yet to have a signature win\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swimming World\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-07-27T03:30:20+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-07-27T05:53:56+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fattal-fina-july17-1.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Randazzo\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Randazzo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Randazzo\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/fb1d58ba008040c3ad837f46defed7bb\"},\"headline\":\"14-9 Win over Russia Advances USA to FINA Finals and Shot at Second Straight World Championship\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-07-27T03:30:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-07-27T05:53:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/\"},\"wordCount\":960,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/fattal-fina-july17-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2016 Rio Olympics\",\"2017 FINA World Championship\",\"2017 FINA World Championships\",\"Adam Krikorian\",\"Alfred Hajos Pool\",\"Anastasia Simanovich\",\"Anna Karnaukh\",\"Budapest\",\"Ekaterina Prokofyeva\",\"Maddie Musselman\",\"Maggie Steffens\",\"Maria Bourisova\",\"Michael Randazzo\",\"Rachel Fattal\",\"US Women's Water Polo\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Water Polo\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/14-9-win-over-russia-advances-usa-to-fina-finals-and-shot-at-second-straight-world-championship\/\",\"name\":\"14-9 Win over Russia Advances USA to FINA Finals and Shot at Second Straight World Championship - 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