University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Bruins Help Lead Team USA at World University Games
July 16, 2019 | Men's Water Polo, Women's Water Polo
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NAPLES, Italy -- The USA Men's National Team earned silver at the 2019 World University Games following an 18-7 loss to Italy in the championship match. The loss halted Team USA's undefeated run in Italy after going 6-0 in previous action. UCLA's Jake Cavano, Tyler Abramson, and Quinn Woodhead all scored two goals in the final match which featured Team USA's best finish since winning gold in 1993. It also marked a return to the podium for the first time since 2015 when UCLA (playing as Team USA) earned bronze.
Italy opened up with a 4-1 lead after the first period. But Team USA battled back in the second quarter as Bruin incoming freshmanย Tommy Gruwell made it 4-3 midway through the period. Team USA would get no closer as Italy went in front 7-3 by halftime. In the second half they poured on the offense with three goals in the third quarter and then eight goals in the fourth quarter. Team USA couldn't get back in range to attempt a rally and Italy went on to take the 18-7 victory.
Team USA opened the tournament with a 30-3 win over the Republic of Korea with Cavano scoring four times, Brozyna-Vilimย adding two scores and Gruwell netting one goal. Krutonog picked up three saves in the cage. The Americans then posted a 17-3 win over the United Kingdom with Cavanoย posting a game-high five goals. Brozyna-Vilim again chipped in two goals with Gruwell and Rosenfeld adding one apiece. Team USA then narrowly defeated France, 10-8, with Cavano and Gruwell netting one goal each. The Americans concluded pool play with a 13-8 victory over Russia as Cavano and Rosenfeldย scored two goals apiece. After posting a 12-11 win over Croatia in the quarterfinals, Team USA defeated Hungary, 12-9, in the semifinals with Cavano tying for team-high honors with a hat trick.
Cavano was one of seven Bruins with Team USA on the men's side. He was second on the team in scoring with 17 goals, which ranked 11th among allย competitors. He scored 12 goals in pool play and another five in the final rounds. Eight of his goals came on power plays, which ranked fourth in the tournament. Gruwell finished with four total goals as did junior Felix Brozyna-Vilim, while junior Evan Rosenfeld chipped in three. Incoming transfer Sam Krutonog (USC) made two appearances in goal for Team USA, stopping three of the five shots he faced. Two other Bruins were on the coaching staff for Team USA, which included Brian Flacks (head coach) and Bret Lathrope (assistant coach).
In the women's water polo competition, the United States Women's National Team finished in eighth place after falling 10-9 to China in the seventh-place game. Team USA opened with a 4-2 loss to Russia with Hill and Ayala each scoring one goal. Hosts Italy then defeated the U.S., 8-6, with Ayala netting one more goal. The Americans got into the win column with a 14-11 victory over China as Ayala tied for game-high honors with four goals while Hill netted one. Team USA closed out pool play with a 1-3 record after an 11-9 setback to Australia. Johnson, Hill and Wheaton each scored one goal against the Aussies. Team USA turned in a dominant performance in the round of 16 with a 25-5 win over the Czech Republic with Johnson completing a hat trick. Wheaton added two scores while Hill chipped in one goal. That win was followed up by three losses, all by a score of 10-9. Canada defeated the Americans in the quarterfinals with a penalty shootout win (5:4). Hill led Team USA with two goals while Johnson and Ayala added one score apiece. Japan then edged the U.S. in the 5-8 semifinals with Hill scoring a game-high five goals and Johnson adding two. In the final game against China, Hill and Ayala each contributed one goal.
Incoming freshman Abbi Hill was one of five Bruins with Team USA on the women's side. She was second on the team in scoring with 15 goals, which ranked 12th among all participants. She scored six goals in pool play and another nine in the final rounds. Six of her goals came on power plays, which ranked tied for second in the tournament. Sophomore Val Ayala scored eight goals and sophomore Ava Johnson added seven scores while junior Roxy Wheaton contributed four goals. One other Bruin, Molly Cahill (assistant coach), was on the Team USA coaching staff.
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