Olympic Women’s Water Polo: Ashleigh Johnson Stellar as U.S. Trounces Italy

Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Olympic Women’s Water Polo: Ashleigh Johnson Stellar as U.S. Trounces Italy

The U.S. apparently didn’t take kindly to a loss in women’s water polo against Spain on Monday. Italy was the unfortunate beneficiary of the American frustrations.

Maddie Musselman scored three goals, and Ashleigh Johnson made 12 saves to hold Italy to three goals in a 10-3 stomping Wednesday in group play at the Paris Olympics.

The U.S. led 6-2 at half and shut the Italians out in the third quarter. Johnson, the most outstanding goalkeeper at each of the last two Olympics, was outstanding, with 12 denials. Italy had upset the U.S. in the quarterfinals of Worlds last year on the way to bronze for the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalists.

Maggie Steffens orchestrated the attack, which bounced back from a 13-11 loss to Spain on Monday. Steffens scored on her only shot and dished four assists. Jordan Raney had a goal and two assists.

The U.S. was 6-for-12 on the power play, holding Italy to 1-for-6 on the player advantage and 1-for-18 (6 percent) on action shots.

Elsewhere, 10 rounds of the shootout were required for Australia to upset 2023 world champion Netherlands, 15-14, in a classic. Bente Rogge tied the game at 7 with 44 seconds left to push the Aussies to OT, after both teams had chance to win it late in regulation.

Laura Aarts made a save in the second round of the shootout for the Netherlands, but the Dutch missed in the fourth. In sudden death, both shooters missed in the seventh round, Genevieve Longman saving a Sabrina van der Sloot shot to keep Australia alive. Bronte Halligan scored in the 10th round, and Longman denied Lola Moolhuijzen to seal the win for the Aussies.

The goalies were great all day. Aarts made nine saves. Gabriella Palm had seven, including a denial of van der Sloot at the buzzer, before Longman entered for the shootout.

Alice Williams scored four times for Australia. Zoe Arancini had a hat trick. Both went 2-for-2 in the shootout, as did Bronte Halligan and Sienna Hearn.

Van de Kraats scored four times to go with three assists. Van der Sloot struggled at 3-for-9 shooting in her hat trick. Rogge scored three times.

Martine Terre came up with nine saves as Spain outlasted Greece, 10-8, in a battle of medal hopefuls. Judith Forca broke a 7-7 tie with 2:10 left in the third, and Elena Ruiz added a power-play goal to give Spain a two-goal lead that it never relinquished.

Forca scored four goals. Ruiz had two, and Bea Ortiz was spectacular again with two goals and five assists.

Nicoleta Eleftheriadou and Vasiliki Plevritou had two goals and an assist each for Greece.

Canada built a four-goal first-quarter lead on the way to a 12-7 win over China. Axelle Crevier and Emma Wright had two goals and one assist apiece. Elyse Lemay-Lavoie and Serena Browne also scored two goal each, Verica Bakoc dished three assists and Jessica Gaudreault tallied nine saves.

Zewen Deng led China with three goals.

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