WORLD LEAGUE: Super Final 2011 (Women): Unstoppable USA claims incredible sixth World League crown

TIANJIN, China (June 19) - United States of America continued its domination of the FINA Women’s World League crown with an incredible sixth title against Italy in the gold-medal final at the Tianjin Olympic Centre Swimming & Diving Pool this evening.

The USA escaped the doldrums and a 7-7 tie inside the final five minutes to win 9-7. The top-of-the-dais effort means the North Americans have won all the major events for the last two years — 2009 World Championship, 2010 World Cup and three successive World Leagues — and is an ominous sign leading up to next year’s London Olympic Games.

The only time in the eight editions of the World League that the USA did not stand on the podium was in Kirishi, Russia in 2005 (finishing fifth). In 2008, Russia had the better of the USA in the final.

For Brenda VILLA and Heather PETRI it was their sixth World League gold medal to go with their three Olympic medals and three FINA World Championship golds. VILLA, named to the Media All Star Team, also has World Cup gold in her collection.

Betsy ARMSTRONG, voted the tournament’s best goalkeeper, secured her fourth gold medal along with Lauren WENGER, Elsie WINDES and Kameryn CRAIG. Three others took home their third golds and three more their second.

It was a second silver medal for Italy to go with the 2006 one, alongside two bronzes. Italy had not qualified the last two years and finished eighth at its last appearance in 2009.

USA head coach Adam KRIKORIAN said: “We escaped with a win. We missed a lot of six-on-five chances. They had a lot of momentum going into the game. 

“To come from behind and pull out a win shows a lot of character.”

On what the tournament means leading into the FINA World Championships in Shanghai next month, KRIKORIAN said: “It’s great preparation for everyone here. All teams will now go back home and analyse the things they did well and not so well. They will make adjustments and bring their A game to Shanghai.”

On winning five titles in the past two years: “I have a short memory. You are only as good as your next game.”

For Italian captain Elise CASANOVA, it was a wonderful moment. “We have a new team and we are very strong. They are younger and I am not. I am 38 but inside I am 15 or 16. I like to play with this team. We play all of the match and the spirit is OK.

On what she will do tonight to celebrate making the final and taking home silver: “They will dance. I will sleep. They are young and I am not,” she said.

Australia won the battle for third place, beating China 7-5 after surviving many scares in the final minutes.
China laid siege to the Australian goal for much of that time, regaining the ball off goalie deflections and two extra-man chances but not conversions. It was sad for China, playing at its best without GAO Ao, who missed the tournament through injury, but it was Australia’s day.

For Australia, it was a fourth bronze medal to go with the two silvers won in the last two years.

Head coach Greg McFADDEN said he was “over the moon” with the victory.

“It was a great team effort but we had to work on extra man. We nullified their extra man and they were lucky to score. We talked about what to do each quarter and it paid off.

On the outlook for Shanghai next month: “I am happy where we are. We were unlucky against the USA and against Russia we had a bad start. It’s close at the top of the world. Now it’s Shanghai and we have a big game first up against Canada.”

Russia, so much feared this year but who stumbled against Italy to miss the semifinals, rolled Canada 14-9 for fifth place. In the first game of the tournament, Russia won 9-8 in the clash between the two.

Russia head coach Alexander KABANOV said his team played better than the past few days.

“The first game is always different and the players nervous. Today it was easy. We knew what to expect from them and expect from us.”

On the massive counter-attack success by Russia: “I think this is usually important. Our counter-attack was successful and we had many times where we were one and two players up. Maybe they didn’t want to swim today!”
Canadian head coach Pat OATEN was blunt about his team’s effort: “They scored eight counter-attack goals. It killed us. I felt there was never any flow to the game and we can’t convert the man up!”

Greece defeated Spain 14-8 for seventh place. It was Greece’s best quality play of the week and possibly Spain’s worst. Spain lost star centre forward M Carmen GARCIA with a bleeding wound near her right eye for the third period but returned for the fourth.

Georgia LARA (GRE) said it was an important game. We will meet (Spain) for sure at the Worlds. Today was the best we could play. Most of the time we concentrated and did what we said we would do.

“We tried some new things and most were helpful as the score was good and we won. Our extra (man) was good and we had a good rhythm, which is most important for us.”

Spanish head coach Miki OCA was most disappointed with the way his team lost.

“I was very disappointed, much more than the first two days (when Spain lost 14-6 to Australia and Russia). We learned our lessons but then we didn’t. It hurts me because we should be getting better as the tournament progresses. We will learn and grow.”

With the World League Super Final completed, all eyes and focus will be on next month’s FINA World Championships in Shanghai.

Match reports:
MATCH 21, 15:00, CLASSIFICATION 7th & 8th, SPAIN 8 GREECE 14
Quarters: 3-4, 2-4, 0-2, 3-4
Referees: Amber DRURY (USA), MENG An Long (CHN)
Extra Man: ESP: 3/9. GRE: 6/14
Pens: ESP: 0/0. GRE: 0/0

Teams:
SPAIN: Ava COPADO, Blanca GIL (2), Ana ESPAR (1), Roser TARRAGO (1), Matilde ORTIZ (1), Jennifer PAREJA, Lorena MIRANDA, Pilar PENA, Andrea BLAS (1), Ona MESSEGUER (1), M. Carmen GARCIA (1), Marta BACH, Laura ESTER. Head Coach: Miguela OCA.
GREECE: Eleni KOUVDOU, Christina TSOUKALA (2), Antiopi MELIDONI (1), Ilektra Maria PSOUNI (1), Kyriaki LIOSI (1), Alkisti AVRAMIDOU (1), Alexandra ASIMAKI (2), Antigoni ROUMPESI, Angeliki GEROLYMOU (1), Triantafyllia MANOLIOUDAKI (4), Stavroula ANTONAKOU (1), Georgia LARA (1), Eleni GOULA. Head Coach: Georgios MORFESIS.

Greece played some of its best water polo of the tournament, coming from 1-0 down to lead 4-3 at the quarter and 9-4 by halftime. Spain tried hard against the onslaught but the forward strike power went out of Spain when star centre forward M Carmen GARCIA received a cut near her right eye while wrestling at two metres. She left the water with bloody streaming down her face, was treated poolside and returned for the fourth quarter.  Spain led through Blanca GIL from six metres but Alexandra ASIMAKI replied with the easiest of turning goals at two metres. GARCIA scored with a tip on from the left-post position for 2-1. Then Greece got serious with Triantafyllia MANOLIOUDAKI and Antiopi MELIDONI from the left-hand-catch position and Angeliki GEROLYMOU from the other side, taking Greece to 4-2. Roser TARRAGO scored an excellent lob from deep left six seconds from time for 4-3. Greece increased the tempo even further with Maria PSOUNI from the top; Kyriaki LIOSI on a drive on extra down the right and Christina TSOUKALA from the top on extra for 7-3. Spain called a timeout immediately after the goal to settle the team. Ona MESSEGUER scored on a counter for Spain but MANOLIOUDAKI jumped on a rebound to score and GIL scored three seconds from halftime to come within three of Greece at 8-5. Soon after the restart, GARCIA received her blood substitution. MANOLIOUDAKI scored from a rebound for 9-5. Greece called time and converted the extra-man attack through Stavroula ANTONAKOU. Greece led 10-5 at the final break. MANOLIOUDAKI started the fourth with a lob from deep right and Matilde ORTIZ received a short cross pass to the near post on extra for 11-6. The next three goals went to Greece with ASIMAKI lobbing at two metres, Alkisti AVRAMIDOU and TSOUKALA taking the score to 14-6. Spain scored the last two goals through Ana ESPAR on counter and Andrea BLAS from the top.

MATCH 22, 16:20, CLASSIFICATION 5th & 6th, RUSSIA 14 CANADA 9
Quarters: 4-1, 2-2, 4-2, 4-4
Referees: Noel HARROD (AUS), John WALDOW (NZL)
Extra Man: RUS: 0/6. CAN: 4/9
Pens: RUS: 2/2. CAN: 2/2

Teams:
RUSSIA: Maria KOVTUNOVSKAYA, Nadezhda FEDOTOVA (2), Ekaterina PROKOFYEVA (3), Sofia KONUKH (2), Alexandra ANTONOVA, Victoria KUROCHKINA, Ekaterina LISUNOVA (1), Ekaterina TANKEEVA (1), Olga BELYAEVA (3), Evgenia IVANOVA (1), Yulia GAUFLER, Ekaterina ZELENTSOVA,. Head Coach: Alexander KABANOV.
CANADA: Rachel RIDDELL, Krystina ALOGBO (1), Katrina MONTON, Emily CSIKOS (2), Sophie BARON LA SALLE (1), Whitney GENOWAY (1), (Rosanna TOMIUK (1), Dominique PERREAULT (1), Monika EGGENS, (1) Hanna YELIZAROVA (1), Tara CAMPBELL (1), Marina RADU, Serena BREDIN. Head Coach: Pat OATEN.

Russia ran away with the match against Canada, or more precisely, swam away, especially on counter attack. It made the task look easy and showed why Russia should have been in the semifinals. Russia took control of the first half, remembering well the tough game on day one where it was 3-3 at halftime. Olga BELYAEVA scored first from centre forward and KRYSTINA ALOGBO replied, claiming a rebound and slowly shooting from in close. In just over three minutes Russia had three more. BELYAEVA sent in a backhand goal from two metres, Nadezhda FEDOTOVA scored on extra from deep and Ekaterina PROKOFYEVA netted on the drive for 4-1, 11 seconds from the buzzer. Hanna YELIZAROVA converted a penalty for Canada (her eighth goal for the week). PROKOFYEVA gained a deflection of her shot from the top and EVGENIYA SOBOLEVA converted from the penalty line for 6-2. Whitney GENOWAY eased the pain for Canada on a short drive six seconds from halftime. Monika EGGENS rifled one in from the top, two minutes into the third period. BELYAEVA scored her third and 10th for the tournament from centre forward, followed by a PROKOFYEVA lob at the end of counter. Tara CAMPBELL replied for Canada but Sofia KONUKH and Evgenia IVANOVA lifted Russia to 10-5, the last with a swift drive on counter down the right. FEDOTOVA scored on extra and Canada replied through Rosanna TOMIUK on penalty for 11-6. Evgenia IVANOVA was suspended at this time. Canada used its first timeout at 6:22 but no score. KONUKH shifted at two metres and received an angled pass to score from the far post. Emily CSIKOS scored a skip shot on extra for 12-7.  Ekaterina LISUNOVA scored a penalty goal and Ekaterina TANKEEVA drove down the left to score at 1:51 for 14-7. Canada used a second timeout and Sophie BARON LA SALLE converted the extra. CSIKOS grabbed her second on extra in the last three seconds for 11 during the tournament. 
As an aside, the match was the last that long-serving international referee Noel HARROD (AUS) would officiate a senior FINA match.

MATCH 23, 17:40, CLASSIFICATION 3rd & 4th, AUSTRALIA 7 CHINA 5
Quarters: 1-2, 2-2, 2-1, 2-0
Referees: Filippo GOMEZ (ITA), Marie-Claude DESLIERES (CAN)
Extra Man: AUS: 1/6. CHN: 2/10 
Pens: AUS: 1/1. CHN: 0/0

Teams:
AUSTRALIA: Alicia McCORMACK, Gemma BEADSWORTH (2), Sophie SMITH, Rebecca RIPPON (1), Jane MORAN, Ashleigh SOUTHERN (1), Rowena WEBSTER (1), Kate GYNTHER (1), Keesja GOFERS, Holly LINCOLN-SMITH, Nicola ZAGAME, Kelsey WAKEFIELD. Head Coach: Alexander OSADCHUK.
CHINA: YANG Jun, TENG Fei, LIU Ping, SUN Yujun, HE Jin, SUN Yating (1), SONG Donglun (1), CHEN Yuan, WANG Yi, MA Huanhuan (3), SUN Huizi, ZHANG Lei, WANG Ying. Head Coach: Juan JANE GIRALT.

Australia finished on top of China for the bronze medal after not gaining the lead until two minutes in the final quarter. It was a controlled water polo from both sides but Australia’s superior extra-man defence proved critical. Frequent training partners, Australia and China were going to provide a tight game. Aussie Stingers captain Kate GYNTHER opened the scoring on penalty at 3:49. SUN Yating made the most of a loose ball and poor Australian defence to push the ball into goal from one metre on the next attack. SONG Donglun rifled in a shot from deep on the left, careering in off the far post for 2-1 at the quarter. MA Huanhuan made it 3-1 with a lob on extra. Two minutes later Ash SOUTHERN drove down the right and threaded a goal past the defence. Rowena WEBSTER levelled the game at 3-3 a minute after. MA struck again 1:15 from halftime with a straight shot from the left side of the pool across the cage, catching out Aussie goalkeeper Kelsey WAKEFIELD. China would have been pleased with its lead and a half, which was easily its best of the tournament. Gemma BEADSWORTH smashed one in from the top to level at 4-4. Australia showed some good defence on extra but the defender dropped off MA, against the coach’s orders and she shot from well out with a well-aimed projectile for 5-4 at 6:21. Australia called timeout at 5:21 on extra. For TENG Fei it was her third foul. No score came from the ploy but three minutes later SOUTHERN scored her second for 5-5. In the fourth period China went to a timeout for no joy but Australia scored on the next attack when Rebecca RIPPON sent in an acute-angled shot to take the lead for the first time. There was still six minutes left and China had most of the attack and in one instance twice regained the ball off a shot and gained extra man but no score came. The game was put beyond doubt when BEADSWORTH lobbed from six metres at 2:04. China had four more attacks and two extra-man chances until the buzzer but could not find a hole and had to settle for fourth, one placing south of the historic bronze medal gained at last year’s FINA World Cup in Christchurch, New Zealand.

MATCH 24, 19:00, CLASSIFICATION 1st & 2nd, ITAL Y 7 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 9
Quarters: 1-2, 3-1, 1-3, 2-3
Referees: Gabor VOGEL (HUN), German MOLLER (ARG)
Extra Man: ITA: 2/12. USA 5/12
Pens: ITA: 0/0. USA: 0/1

Teams:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Elizabeth ARMSTRONG, Heather PETRI, Melissa SEIDEMANN (1), Brenda VILLA (1), Lauren WENGER, Courtney MATHEWSON (1), JESSICA STEFFENS, LAUREN SILVER (1), Elsie WINDES (1), Kelly RULON (2), Annika DRIES (1), Kameryn CRAIG, Margaret STEFFENS. HEAD COACH: Adam KRIKORIAN.
ITALY: Giulia GORLERO, Simona ABBATE (1), Elisa CASANOVA (2), Giulia RAMBALDI, Martina SAVIOLI, Alegra LAPI, Marta COLAIOCCO, Roberta BIANCONI (4), Giulia EMMOLO (6), Francesca POMERI (2), Aleksandra COTTI, Teresa FRASSINETTI (3), Elisa QUEIROLO (3). Head Coach: Fabio CONTI.

The tournament went to script when the USA beat Italy in the gold-medal final but Italy paid no heed to it and led midway through the third period and came back to level the game inside the final five minutes. The USA appeared to have a dream start with a penalty foul sending Kelly RULON to the line. However were shot was blocked by Giulia GORLERO. Italy did not miss on the next attack with Roberta BIANCONI drilling a shot from the top on extra. Brenda VILLA and Courtney MATHEWSON both scored on left-hand catch with the second goal coming three seconds from the buzzer to give the USA a 2-1 lead. Then came the LAPI factor. It was Alegra LAPI, so quiet all tournament when it comes to scoring, who stood up big time and scored three goals in the second quarter. All were from out the top with the middle shot coming in from downtown Beijing with a lob. The only joy for USA was Margaret STEFFENS on extra, also from outside. Italy proved that losing the first three games meant nothing. Italy took a timeout early in the third but no goal eventuated. But a minute later it was captain Elise CASANOVA who set the place alight with a fierce drive and shot while her head was underwater. Lauren WENGER bravely took the full impact of the drive but the sneaky shot caught Betsy ARMSTRONG unawares. At 5-3 ahead most people were stunned but not the North Americans. Firstly it was Annika DRIES in the hole who leaned over and flicked in a rebounded ball. Two minutes later, coach Adam KRIKORIAN called a timeout, got the whiteboard out and instructed his team what to do. MATHEWSON finished the plan from the five-metre line on extra to tie the game for the fourth time. As the time ticked down, RULON made amends for the missed penalty by lobbing from five metres four seconds from the final break. The championship quarter had arrived and the USA, sniffing a sixth crown, sent the ball deep left to the go-to girl, MATHEWSON, who squeezed in her third in the bottom left for 7-5. Italy struck back within a minute through BIANCONI on right-hand catch. BIANCONI chanced her arm again when she sent in a missile, hitting the right upright, bouncing off the back of ARMSTRONG and into goal for 7-7 at 4:47. VILLA then screamed in a shot, sweeping it around her body, cross-cage into the left at 3:57 and the lead. BIANCONI missed a big lob, hitting the right upright. At 2:16, Margaret STEFFENS scored the exact way VILLA did less than two minutes before, giving the USA a huge 9-7 advantage in such a tight game. BIANCONI fell off the shot on extra on the next attack. Both teams had attacks blocked before USA went to a timeout. The plan was to waste time and an ejection was gained. The ball was wasted  until 12 seconds but the last shot from Elisa QUEIROLO barely made ARMSTRONG. USA was a six-times winner and $100,000 richer.

FINAL PLACINGS
1. United States of America
2. Italy
3. Australia
4. China  
5. Russia
6. Canada
7. Greece
8. Spain

MEDIA ALL STAR TEAM
Goalkeeper:         Betsy ARMSTRONG (USA)
Centre Forward:     Olga BELYAEVA (RUS)
Left-Hander:         Giulia EMMOLO (ITA)
Drivers:         Sofia KONUKH (RUS)
Kate GYNTHER (AUS)
MA Huanhuan (CHN)
Brenda VILLA (USA)

LEADING GOAL-SCORERS
14    Sofia KONUKH (RUS)
13    Blanca GIL (ESP) 
12    Giulia EMMOLO (ITA)
12    Evgenia IVANOVA (RUS)
12    MA Huanhuan (CHN) 
11    Emily CSIKOS (CAN)
11    Ekaterina PROKOFYEVA (RUS)
10    Jennifer PAREJA (ESP)    
10    Bronwen KNOX (AUS)
10    Olga BELYAEVA (RUS)
9    M Carmen GARCIA (ESP)
9    Alexandra ASIMAKI (GRE)
9    Kate GYNTHER (AUS)
8    Roberta BIANCONI (ITA)
8    Antigoni ROUMPESI (GRE)
8    Simona ABBATE (ITA)
8    MANOLIOUDAKI  (GRE)
8    Hanna YELIZAROVA (CAN)
8    SUN Yating (CHN)
7    TENG Fei (CHN)
7    Krystina ALOGBO (CAN)
7    Ona MESSEGUER (ESP)
7    Stavroula ANTONAKOU (GRE)
7     FEDOTOVA (RUS)
6    Kelly RULON (USA)
5    Aleksandra COTTI (ITA)
5    Natalia RYZHOVA-ALENICHEVA (RUS)    
6    Ashleigh SOUTHERN (AUS)
5    Brenda VILLA (USA)
5    SUN Yujun (CHN)
6    Sophie BARON LA SALLE (CAN)

sumber:fina

WORLD LEAGUE : Super Final 2011 (Women): USA impressive in 8-5 win over China

TIANJIN, China (June 15) - Reigning champion United States of America looked impressive against world No 3 China on day-two action at the FINA Women’s World League Super Final in Tianjin tonight. Playing in the impressive Tianjin Olympic Centre Swimming & Diving Pool in front of 700 people, USA took a 4-2 halftime lead to 8-3 against a jaded-looking China.

Chinese head coach Juan JANE GIRALT said the tournament was tough “with the best eight teams in the world here”. “To play up approximately with the USA and Australia we need to play normal. The solutions are technical. Perhaps I am not selling my ideas very well. We are not creating opportunities very well.”

For USA mastermind Adam KRIKORIAN it was a margin he did not expect. “To beat a team like that by four goals means it must have been an aberration (by them).” He was pleased with his defence — “the five-man defence and the half-court defence”. “Our goalkeeper (Tumuaialii ANAE) played well and I think we were a little too passive once ahead.

“They missed some early goals so after that they had to think twice. It was nice to get a lead and keep the crowd out of it, so to speak.” On China’s chances at the tournament: “I wouldn’t be surprised if they were in the final,” he said.

Greece outgunned Italy 8-4, also in Group A action, shifting from 3-1 to 6-1 and 7-3 at the breaks to victory. Greek head coach Georgios MORFESIS was upset with the foul count — 14-5 — against his team as both teams were playing zone defence. “It was disappointing. How is it possible that two teams are playing zone and one gets one exclusion and the other five? I don’t understand.

“We played very well today with some good defence. The main problem today was the different way they whistled with the same defensive zone. However, this was good preparation for us. We now have to solve this fouling problem.”

Spain’s Miki OCA said he wasn’t happy with the way his team fronted for the match. “The start was not strong like yesterday. We made too many mistakes. The first quarter and second quarter is important to stay in the game. Yesterday we had some training but we have one game good and one game not good. Our preparation must be better.”

In Group B, Russia beat Spain 14-6, the same score Australia beat Spain on the opening day and Australia beat Canada 10-8 after twice holding four-goal margins. Russian head coach Alexander KABANOV was unconcerned when Spain twice took the lead in the second quarter. He proudly watched as his team kept Spain scoreless for nearly 13 minutes and won the third period 5-0. “We were much stronger as it showed in the third period. We were always sure we would win.”

Spanish head coach Miki OCA was pleased with his team’s first-half effort but lamented another day where his team was “killed”. “The third period was a disaster. I think they beat us 7-0 (from 3-4 to 10-4). We didn’t do well on extra man with shots and passes. We will try and get better.”

Australia had the wood over Canada but the Aussie Stingers head coach Greg McFADDEN said his side was “inconsistent”. “We had a couple of good leads but we allowed Canada back into the game with some easy goals. We weren’t composed as much as yesterday (in the 14-6 win over Spain). There were individual moments of madness. “Rachel (RIDDELL) was good in goals for them today and she kept them in the game. “It was not a great win but a win’s a win,” McFADDEN said. 

Canadian head coach Pat OATEN laid the blame at mental errors. “Mental errors killed us. We can’t win (tight matches) until we don’t make these errors. There were positive things on offence but we have not been playing together enough. Girls have been off doing their own thing. “It was close at the end and we had a chance to win the game but we can’t make those silly mental errors.”

On the awarding of a controversial penalty against goalkeeper RIDDELL, OATEN said: “Our defender had her hand on the (Australian) hand and Rachel had her hand on top of that. It was stupid.”

Match reports:

MATCH 5, 15:00, RUSSIA 14 SPAIN 6
Quarters: 2-2, 3-2, 5-0, 4-2

RUSSIA: Maria KOVTUNOVSKAYA, Victoria KUROCHKINA, Ekaterina PROKOFYEVA (2), Sofia KONUKH (3), Alexandra ANTONOVA (2), Natalia RYZHOVA-ALENICHEVA (1), Ekaterina LISUNOVA (2), Evgenia SOBOLEVA (1), Ekaterina TANKEEVA, Olga BELYAEVA, Evgenia IVANOVA (2), Yulia GAUFLER (1), Ekaterina ZELENTSOVA. Head Coach: Alexander KABANOV.

SPAIN: Ava COPADO, Blanca GIL (1), Ana ESPAR, Roser TARRAGO, Matilde ORTIZ, Jennifer PAREJA (3), Lorena MIRANDA, Pilar PENA, Andrea BLAS, Ona MESSEGUER (1), M. Carmen GARCIA (1), Marta BACH, Laura ESTER. Head Coach: Miguela OCA.

Russia played a steady match and never panicked when 3-2  and 4-3 down to Spain early in the second quarter. The Russian attack hit top gear midway through the third quarter and the rest is history. Russia started strongly with the first two goals to Alexandra ANTONOVA and Natalia RYZHOVA-ALENICHEVA but Spain showed some excellent water polo with M Carmen GARCIA scoring from the deep right and Jennifer PAREJA from a penalty. Spain went to the lead through Blanca GIL on extra nearly halfway through the second quarter. Evgenia SOBOLEVA received a nice cross-pass into the zone on counter to level the game but Ona MESSEGUER gave Spain the lead again with a shot from the top. At 4-3, it was looking good for Spain. However, Russia moved seamlessly into a higher gear and Ekaterina LISUNOVA and captain Sofia KONUKH took the halftime lead of 5-4. A five-goal quarter to Russia took the game to 10-4 with KONUKH and Evgenia IVANOVA scoring twice each and ANTONOVA gaining her second. KONUKH’s goal at 8-4 appeared a gift on counter after the Spanish centre forward was dragged back but a foul was called on her instead. While Russia went eight minutes without scoring earlier in the game, Spain stopped its scoring drought at nearly 13 minutes when PAREJA scored the first of two goals, either side of IVANOVA’s third, which came against the grain when all her team-mate were pressed hard and she found space to drill the ball from the outside. PAREJA could have made it her  fourth goal but had her penalty attempt blocked.  Ekaterina PROKOFYEVA made her scoring debut after sitting out the first match with a sore shoulder, shooting from the top on extra for 12-6. Spain took a timeout to no effect and Yulia GAUFLER joined the scoresheet soon after the exclusion period. Olga BELYAEVA then missed the easiest of shots from two metres, electing to lob instead of blasting the ball home. It went above the crossbar. PROKOFYEVA lobbed Ava COPADO for 14-6 with 32 seconds left and it proved that patience was a virtue for the Russians.

MATCH 6, 16:20, GROUP A, GREECE 8 ITALY 4
Quarters: 3-1, 3-0, 1-2, 1-1

GREECE: Eleni KOUVDOU, Christina TSOUKALA, Antiopi MELIDONI, Ilektra Maria PSOUNI, Kyriaki LIOSI (2), Alkisti AVRAMIDOU, Alexandra ASIMAKI (3), Antigoni ROUMPESI (1), Angeliki GEROLYMOU (1), Triantafyllia MANOLIOUDAKI (1), Stavroula ANTONAKOU, Georgia LARA, Eleni GOULA. Head Coach: Georgios MORFESIS.

ITALY: Giulia GOLERO, Simona ABBATE (1), Elisa CASANOVA, Giulia RAMBALDI, Martina SAVIOLI, Allegra LAPI, Marta COLAIOCCO, Roberta BIANCONI (1), Giulia EMMOLO (1), Francesca POMERI, Aleksandra COTTI, Teresa FRASSINETTI, Laura TEANI, Elisa QUEIROLO (1), Medea VERDE. Head Coach: Fabio CONTI.

Greece had a marvellous start and by halftime controlled the game with a five-goal buffer. Angeliki GEROLYMOU and captain Kyriaki LIOSI gave the best start with the second goal an excellent short pass to the near post on extra-man attack. Roberta BIANCONI typified Italy’s game in the first half with a penalty shot stopped by Eleni KOUVDOU. Livewire centre forward Alexandra ASIMAKI made it 3-0 before Simona ABBATE scored Italy’s first at 0:39. It was all Greece in the second quarter with LIOSI on a lob shot, ASIMAKI from centre forward and ASIMAKI again, this time with an awkward receival at two metres, a huge twist and her third goal just eight seconds from time. Italy shot well but the Greek defence was too good. Italy looked better prepared for the second half and gained the first goal on extra when Elisa QUEIROLO sat up and powered in a long shot for 6-2. LIOSI was caught for a big kickoff when one of her shots went high and Italy called a timeout. BIANCONI followed the script and converted extra just as the Greek player returned. Christina TSOUKALA gained her third major foul but Italian could not convert the extra. At the other end of the pool, Triantafyllia MANOLIOUDAKI made it 7-3 on extra. Italy’s attempts to score before the final break were fruitless despite being one player up. After the restart, Italian head coach Fabio CONTI called a timeout on winning the swim. The ball shifted around smoothly and found Giulia EMMOLO on left-hand catch and she scored with ease for 7-4. Greece had a timeout chance at 3:21 but GEROLYMOU’s shot was wide of the goal. Antigoni ROUMPESI put the game beyond doubt with a goal at 2:19 for 8-4. KOUVDOU continued her excellent tournament with two great saves in the dying moments. In the end it was the experience of the Greeks that proved decisive, despite the huge extra-man count against.

MATCH 7, 17:40, GROUP B, AUSTRALIA 10 CANADA 8
Quarters: 2-1, 2-1, 6-4, 0-2

AUSTRALIA: Kelsey WAKEFIELD, Gemma BEADSWORTH (2), Sophie SMITH, Rebecca RIPPON (1), Jane MORAN, Bronwen KNOX (1), Rowena WEBSTER, Kate GYNTHER (1), Glencora RALPH (1), Holly LINCOLN-SMITH, Zoe ARANCINI, Nicola ZAGAME (3), Keesja GOFERS (1). Head Coach: Greg McFADDEN.

CANADA: Rachel RIDDELL, Krystina ALOGBO, Katrina MONTON, Emily CSIKOS (1), Joelle BEKHAZI (3), Whitney GENOWAY, Rosanna TOMIUK (2), Sophie BARON LA SALLE, Monika EGGENS, Hanna YELIZAROVA, Tara CAMPBELL, Marina RADU, Stephanie VALIN (2). Head Coach: Pat OATEN.

Australia came up trumps with a two-goal margin over Canada but in doing so dropped two four-goal leads. The first half see-sawed with Australia scoring twice, then Canada twice and again Australia with a late pair for a 4-2 halftime margin. This was a true battle of regular protagonists and goals had to slip through rather be hammered in. The first goal came when Canada was caught stranded on a counter and Nicola ZAGAME had the freedom and luxury of taunting Canadian goalkeeper Rachel RIDDELL before popping the ball over her head. Glencora RALPH made it 2-0 down the left. Rosanna TOMIUK then had a great couple of minutes play, scoring when the Aussie Stingers had a couple binned with just seven seconds left in the quarter. Australia had an extra man at the break but could not get a goal and TOMIUK nailed her second after an extra-man play as the Aussies failed to shuffle fast enough.  Five minutes later, Gemma BEADSWORTH broke the impasse with a sliding backhand goal from two metres. Keesja GOFERS, whose sister Teniele won a gold medal in Tianjin at the FINA World Cup five years ago, scored at 1:06. Australia took little time in making it 5-2, scoring half a minute into the second half, through veteran Rebecca Rippon at deep right on extra. Stephanie VALIN pulled one back when two Aussies were binned but BEADSWORTH shot and scored from the top at the end of extra-man advantage on the next attack. Australia blew two chances with RIDDELL stopping a one-one-one chance from Zoe ARANCINI and Bronwen KNOX had her rebound shot tipped over by a defender. Emily CSIKOS scored immediately after from the top for 6-4. The reprieve was short-lived as KNOX made amends from the deep left for 7-4.  Australia went to a timeout when Krystina ALOGBO gained a major foul and several passes later, ZAGAME scored with a sweep-arm shot from deep left for 8-4. Joelle BEKHAZI replied from the top on the next attack. At 1:46 in the quarter, Canada took a timeout on extra but the ploy to pass across the goal line to VALINS cam unstuck as it hit the back line. On the counter, Kate GYNTHER gifted the ball to ZAGAME for 9-5. BEKHAZI was again in the thick of it, stealing the ball from under the nose of goalkeeper Kelsey WAKEFIELD and the close attentions of GYNTHER to score from a metre out. BEADSWORTH jumped on a loose ball just before the buzzer and RIDDELL came out and was adjudged to push the ball under as the buzzer sounded. GYNTHER swam up and scored the penalty goal for 10-6 at the final break with a 6-4 period in which BEKHAZI was outstanding. Canada wasn’t beaten yet. VALIN sent in a goal on right-hand-catch position at 6:37 and Joelle BEKHAZI added another on extra at 5:04 for 10-8. The game was on. Both teams used poor options in the next four minutes and it came down to the final minute when Canada used a timeout but ALOGBO’s shot was tipped over by WAKEFIELD.  Canada had another chance but GYNTHER stole the ball and passed to a countering Rebecca RIPPON who had her shot stopped by RIDDELL, possibly the standout player of the match.

MATCH 8, 19:00, GROUP A, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 8 CHINA 5

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Tumuaialii ANAE, Heather PETRI (1), Melissa SEIDEMANN, Brenda VILLA (1), Lauren WENGER (1), Anne BELDEN (2), JESSICA STEFFENS (1), LAUREN SILVER (1), Elsie WINDES (1), Kelly RULON, Annika DRIES, Kameryn CRAIG, Margaret STEFFENS. HEAD COACH: Adam KRIKORIAN.

CHINA: YANG Jun, TENG Fei, (2) LIU Ping, SUN Yujun, HE Jin, SUN Yating (2), SONG Donglun, CHEN Yuan, WANG Yi, MA Huanhuan (1), SUN Huizi, ZHANG Lei, WANG Ying. Head Coach: Juan JANE GIRALT.

The USA looked like a team more willing to compete at the highest level. This ranked the world No 1 and world No 3 teams but it didn’t look like it. China was too tentative and, whereas it would take quick shots in the past, hesitation was the byword and the USA took advantage. The USA looked as good as its credentials but China could still impress in the days ahead. It was 1-1 for nearly six minutes of the first half after Lauren WENGER and SUN Yating scored goals, the latter with a smart backhand, crisply taken. Elsie WINDES scored in a goalmouth melee just before the buzzer for a 2-1 USA lead. Anne BELDEN on the right and Jessica STEFFENS with a bounce shot on extra, had the game at 4-1. China took an immediate timeout to slow the onslaught, which it did with no goal coming for four minutes. TENG Fei scored on extra 84 seconds from halftime. The old-stagers, Brenda VILLA (captain tonight) and Heather PETRI (captain last night) each scored — something they did frequently at the 2000 Olympic Games for the first time.. BELDEN swam on counter to score and Lauren SILVER drilled another for 8-3 a minute before the final break. China stepped up a shade in the final quarter and MA Huanhuan struck first on extra but at 4:15 when the game was fast slipping away. When China hesitated on another shot, USA head coach Adam KRIKORIAN called a timeout at 2:30 but nothing eventuated. YANG Jun stopped a ripper from SILVER and China used its second timeout at 0:42, in the hope of pulling at least one goal back. TENG supplied the goal with a long lob 14 seconds from time for 8-5.