University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
USA Men Claim Pan American Games Gold With 11-9 Win Over Brazil
July 16, 2015 | Men's Water Polo
TORONTO, Canada -- The U.S. Pan American Men's Water Polo Team won its sixth straight Pan Am Games crown topping Brazil 11-9 earlier tonight. Team USA had already earned a 2016 Olympic Games berth with its semifinal win over Canada, and capped an undefeated run in Toronto with the win over Brazil.
Josh Samuels (Villa Park, CA/UCLA/NYAC) and Luca Cupido (Newport Beach, CA/California/Newport) each scored three goals in the win while Merrill Moses (Palos Verdes, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC) tallied 17 saves in the victory. Team USA finished the tournament undefeated with wins over Ecuador, Cuba, Argentina, Canada, and Brazil.
A relatively high scoring match, the pace started off slow with a first quarter that featured just one goal. Cupido delivered on a strike right as a power play ended with 6:36 to play in the first and Team USA would carry a 1-0 lead in the second period.
In the second quarter the scoring picked up in a major way with 11 combined goals scored. Samuels started it off in the opening minute with a power play goal for a 2-0 lead. Brazil responded immediately with goals from Bernardo Gomes and Paulo Salemi to even the game at 2-2 with 6:32 to play in the first half. Team USA responded with a power play goal from Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC) on the next possession for a 3-2 lead. Alex Bowen (Santee, CA/Stanford/NYAC) made it 4-2 with a power play goal at the 5:08 mark, followed by a Cupido power play strike for a 5-2 game with less than four minutes to play. Adrian Delgado returned fire for Brazil closing the gap to 5-3 with 2:09 left. Brazil then scored two of the next three goals and closed to within a goal at 6-5 with 38 seconds to go in the half. Bret Bonanni (Huntington Beach, CA/Stanford/Stanford) ended the period strong for the United States with a goal with just 22 seconds to play leaving Team USA up 7-5 at intermission.
Nikola Vavic (Palos Verdes, CA/USC/Trojan) started the third off with a skip shot score from a tough angle for an 8-5 lead. Brazil continued to battle back as their captain Felipe Perrone found the cage cutting the deficit to two. Perrone looked poised to make it a one goal game after drawing a penalty but Moses stopped Delgado's attempt leaving the difference at two. Cupido connected on a power play goal moments later and after Alex Obert (Loomis, CA/Pacific/Sac Polo) drew a penalty, Bonanni seemed to have put Team USA up four only to have his goal waived off after a false start. It was a two goal swing for Brazil as they delivered on the next possession with a Perrone lob shot for a 9-7 game.
The high scoring pace continued shortly thereafter when Bonanni scored a power play goal with 1:21 to go in the period for a 10-7 lead. Brazil kept up the comeback as Salemi lofted a lob shot into the net with 31 seconds to go in the period for a 10-8 game going to the fourth.
Samuels came through with his third goal of the night early in the fourth, building an 11-8 lead with a power play goal. On Brazil's next possession Gomes scored, cutting the deficit to 11-9. Team USA had a chance to go back in front by three around the four minute mark but Azevedo was stopped on a penalty shot. The USA defense held the rest of the way not allowing another goal from Brazil and the 11-9 score stood as Team USA earned another Pan American Games crown.
The United States went 9-for-14 on power plays and 1-for-3 on penalty shots while Brazil went 2-for-12 on power plays and 1-for-2 on penalty shots.
USA vs. Brazil (Pan Am Games Gold Medal Match)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| USA | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| Brazil | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
Scoring - Scoresheet
6x5 - USA - 9/14 - BRA - 2/12
Penalties - USA - 1/3 - BRA - 1/2
USA Goals: J. Samuels 3, L. Cupido 3, B. Bonanni 2, N. Vavic 1, T. Azevedo 1, A. Bowen 1
USA Saves: M. Moses 17
Brazil Goals: B. Gomes 3, F. Perrone 3, P. Salemi 2, A. Delgado 1
Brazil Saves: V. Antonelli 7
