U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team Wins Pan American Championship over Argentina
The U.S. women’s water polo team on Monday won the Pan American Championship with an 18-5 win over Argentina in Ibague, Colombia.
Emily Ausmus, Charlotte Raisin and Anna Pearson each tallied hat tricks in the game for the U.S., which fielded a youthful team that included four Olympics. Two of those Olympic vets garnered individual honors, with Ausmus named tournament MVP and Amanda Longan taking home Top Goalkeeper honors. The team was coached by first-team assistant coach Molly Cahill.
Ausmus led all Americans with 16 goals in the six-game tournament. Raisin added 15, plus three two-assist games. Paris Olympian Jovana Sekulic had 13 goals, and Pearson scored 12 times in the last four games. The U.S. won its six games over continental competition by a combined score of 130-24.
That included a pair of wins over Argentina, which got closest to upending the Americans with a 20-9 loss in the opener. Any hopes of an upset in the final ended with a 13-2 margin at halftime.
Both the U.S. and Argentina have qualified for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. The U.S. got there via a 23-1 win over Venezuela in the semifinal behind four goals from Pearson and hat tricks from Ausmus and Sekulic. Twelve American players scored in that outing.
U.S. Head Coach for the 2024 @PanamSports Championships, Molly Cahill shares what @TeamUSA was focused on during this tournament. #WaterPolo pic.twitter.com/kPNQTG8Ebx
— USA Water Polo (@USAWP) November 25, 2024
Ausmus scored all three of her goals in the first quarter of the gold-medal match, after which the U.S. led 6-1. Fellow Olympians Sekulic, who scored twice, and Tara Prentice also tallied in the first quarter. Longan made 12 saves in net in the final after splitting time with Lauren Steele for much of the tournament.
The U.S. defense held Argentina to 3-for-11 on power plays, with the U.S. going 3-for-4 with the player advantage and 4-4 on penalties. Emma Lineback and Quinn Healy scored twice each for the Americans. Raisin added two assists, as did Rosalie Hassett.