Bruin-Backed Team USA Has Summer Success
July 10, 2018 | Women's Water Polo
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands โ The USA Water Polo Women's Senior National Team carried its red-hot play into the summer months, collecting titles abroad at the Vodafone Cup and Dutch Trophy behind a UCLA trio. Team USA has now won 17 straight international contests.
Vodafone Cup games were played June 27-29 in Budapest, Hungary, while Dutch Trophy contests took place July 4-6 in Rotterdam.
Bruin rising junior Maddie Musselman notched three hat tricks in six games, while alumnae Rachel Fattal and Alys Williams also turned in standout performances. UCLA Athletics Hall of Famer Adam Krikorian led the Americans. A video replay of Team USA's Dutch Trophy-clinching victory over host Netherlands is available on YOUTUBE.
Musselman came out firing in Vodafone Cup play, scoring a team-high-tying three goals in USA's 14-4 win over Australia. Fattal and Williams each scored once for the Americans, who capitalized on four of seven six-on-five opportunities to bury the Stingers. A day later, Williams accounted for three goals in an 18-6 Team USA win over Japan that also saw Fattal find the back of the net.
Host Hungary presented the final obstacle for a USA team looking for its second straight Vodafone Cup title. Musselman and Williams again came up big, scoring three and two goals, respectively, for a Stars and Stripes team that rolled to a 12-3 victory. Musselman completed the opening leg of the trip with a team-high six goals, while Williams was second with five.
The Fourth of July Dutch Trophy opener proved to be the closest call for the Americans, who were still able to secure a 10-4 win over Italy. Team USA jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first quarter and a 5-1 advantage at the half, never looking back. The only American to score more than once in the win was Fattal, who poured in four goals to single-handedly match the Italians.
That set up a rematch of the Vodafone Cup final, which was played less than a week earlier. Musselman again proved a thorn in the side of Hungary, matching the team high with another three-goal showing in Team USA's 17-9 win. The high-scoring affair was tight early on, with each side scoring three first-quarter goals. The Americans established a three-goal cushion at the half and were able to keep Hungary at a comfortable distance the rest of the way. Fattal also scored twice in the win.
Team USA completed the trip against another host nation in the Netherlands, but no distance would prove too far for the red, white and blue-clad team. The Americans led 4-0 after one and responded to a brief scoring flurry by the Dutch in the second half. USA scored six fourth-quarter goals to finish an 18-8 win. Fattal, Musselman and Williams each scored once, with Fattal's counting as her team-high seventh of the three games.
Fattal and Williams also took part in Team USA's gold-medal runs at the FINA Intercontinental Tournament in Auckland, New Zealand (April 2-7) and the FINA World League Super Final in Kunshan, China (May 28-June 2).
