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Undefeated U.S. Women Overpower Canada 10-8 at 2007 Pan American Games
By Lindsay DeWall // U.S. Olympic Committee // July 17, 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – In their closest game yet, the U.S. women’s water polo team defeated Canada 10-8 Monday at the 2007 Pan American Games. The game was tied 4-4 at halftime, with goals going back and forth throughout. The U.S. outscored their North American rivals 4-3 in the third and 2-1 in the fourth to clinch the win at the Julio Delamare Aquatic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“We knew it would be a good game, one that was won by only one or two goals,” captain Brenda Villa (Commerce, Calif.) said. “We wanted to work on our defense today and see where we’re at. We didn’t do too well at our five on six defense, but it’s something we can go over for our next game.”
The U.S. Team is now 3-0, with games against host Brazil Tuesday and Puerto Rico Wednesday completing their round robin play. They’ll likely face Canada (2-1) again at that time, in the semi-finals or the finals.
“Canada is a team that will try to throw a lot at us in any given game, so we’ll most likely face it all again,” goalkeeper Betsey Armstrong (Ann Arbor, Mich.) said. “They have a lot of different things they like to try, to get us out of our comfort level. It’s a rivalry that’s long standing, and they’ll always want to beat us.”
Leading scorers for the U.S. Monday were four players with two goals each: center Kami Craig (Santa Barbara, Calif.), defender Natalie Golda (Fullerton, Calif.), Villa, and defender Lauren Wenger (Long Beach, Calif.). Villa also had two assists and three steals.
Brazil (2-1) will be a strong contender Tuesday, with their wins earlier this week coming against Venezuela 20-4 and Puerto Rico 7-6, and their only loss to Canada 2-5. At the 2003 Pan American Games, the U.S. nabbed gold and Brazil won bronze; and at the 2007 FINA World Championships, the U.S. finished first, with Brazil taking 10th.
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