The real celebration could wait.
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Russian Federation will play in the bronze medal match Friday against the loser of Hungary and the United States.
The U.S.is the first team to win consecutive gold medals in women’s water polo, which has been part of the Olympics since 2000. Since finishing fifth at the 2013 world championship, the US has gone on to win the world league in 2014, 2015, and 2016, the world cup in 2014, the Pan American Games in 2015, the world championships in 2015 and the Olympic qualification tournament earlier this year.
“We wanted to make sure that he got the medals as well”, said captain Maggie Steffens. “That’s our main focus”. “We love and respect him greatly”.
Goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson, the first African-American woman to play water polo in the Olympics for the US, was also spectacular, saving a penalty shot in the third quarter that would have trimmed the USA lead to 7-4 and making nine saves in all.
The win is the second gold for head coach Adam Krikorian, who left Rio prior to the opening ceremonies after the sudden death of his brother Blake.
Much of the highly physical action takes place beneath the pool surface, a reason why the game does not typically lure millions of prime-time viewers.
Attacker Rachel Fattal of Seal Beach scored the only second period goal for the US, which led 5-3 at halftime. “This is what we trained for”.
The win comes less than 24 hours after Walsh Jennings lost on the Olympic beach for the first time in 27 matches over four Summer Games.
The deficit lasted 44 seconds.
Seidemann tied the score off a shot from the outside.
Krikorian kicked the white buoy on poolside at one point, getting a red card for his effort.
With the US paying close attention to Barbara Bujka in the middle, captain Rita Keszthelyi scored four times as Hungary became the first country to reach double digits against the USA since Spain got 10 goals in a loss to the Americans on June 9.
The semifinal match between Hungary and the United States was every bit as intense as the final 14-10 score suggests.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next four years”, Steffens said, “but this is too incredible, incredible of an opportunity to call yourself an Olympian with a team, a real team, not just people that are thrown together, but a team that has grown together, to pass up again”.
Krikorian, who received his one and only red card since joining the national team following the 2009 college season, will likely keep his composure this time around. In the gold medal match, Team USA won 12-5 against Italy.
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Breaking his silence Friday, Lochte said he was sorry for his behavior surrounding an early-morning incident at a gas station that in many ways has become the defining moment in Rio. “It’s on to Italy”.
