Led by four Bruins, Team USA finished second at the World Aquatics U20 World Championship, the highest finish ever for a USA Men's National Team in World Championship play at any age group (photo courtesy of World Aquatics).
Team USA Wins Historic Silver Medal, Ryder Dodd Named MVP
June 25, 2025 | Men's Water Polo
ZAGREB, Croatia -- Freshman Ryder Dodd was named the Best Player at the World Aquatics U20 World Championship after leading Team USA to a second-place finish, the highest finish ever for a USA Men's National Team in World Championship play at any age group.
The Americans lost to Spain, 14-11, in the gold medal match. Ryan Ohl scored three goals to lead Team USA in the finals, but the Bruins' four representatives scored seven of the 11 goals with Dodd scoring twice. UCLA freshman Bode Brinkema and sophomore Ben Liechty also scored a pair of goals in the finals while freshman Peter Castillo scored once.
Team USA battled back from an 0-2 start in Zagreb to reach the final, claiming wins over Montenegro, Iran, Serbia and Hungary. All matches were streamed live and are available on-demand on the World Aquatics YouTube. Live statistics were recorded for every match from MicroPlus Timing Services.
Spain jumped out to a 3-1 lead at the end of the first period. Dodd opened the scoring for the Americans to tie it at 1-1, but Spain answered with two consecutive goals to hold the edge going to the second. Spain looked to keep it rolling in the second quarter as they scored first for a 4-1 lead. That lit a fire under Team USA as their offense mounted a major charge. Castillo hit on a power play strike followed by an Ohl goal and a Dodd score for a tie game at 4-4 with 5:55 to go in the half. Spain stopped the run with a goal moments later but Team USA remain undaunted. They ripped off three more in a row for a six-goal explosion to build a 7-5 lead at the break, with Brinkema, Liechty and Ohl found the back of the net during the run.
Ohl scored in the opening two minutes of the third to extend the lead to three at 8-5, but then it was Spain turning the tables. Spain connected for three in a row and tied the game at 8-8 with play moving to the fourth quarter. The two teams traded goals back and forth in the early stages of the final period. Brinkema hit for a penalty to put Team USA back ahead early at 9-8, but Spain immediately responded to tie the game at 9-9 moments later. A similar scenario followed where Corbin Stanley gave the United States the lead on a power play only to see Spain tie the game at 10-10 with 6:29 to play. Liechty scored for Team USA on their next possession for an 11-10 advantage but unfortunately the offensive well ran dry the rest of the match. Spain scored the equalizer with 4:33 to play and then went ahead for good with 2:28 remaining. They would tack on two more goals as the United States tried to rally, securing the three-goal win.
For the tournament, Dodd led Team USA and finished second overall with 28 goals. He also contributed six assists, nine steals and two field blocks. Brinkema finished second on the team and 38th in the tournament field with 12 goals. He was tied for second overall with 16 sprints won (on 23 attempts) and added a team-high 14 assists to go with four steals and six field blocks. Liechty scored six goals and was second on the team with 11 assists to go with eight steals and one field block. Castillo finished with seven goals, two assists, two steals, and one field block.
Against Hungary in the semifinals, which Team USA won 18-16, the Bruins were at their best, combining to score 12 of the team's 18 goals, while also contributing eight assists, five field blocks, two steals, and Brinkema winning all four sprints. Dodd scored six goals in the win while Castillo completed his only hat trick of the tournament against the Hungarians. Dodd scored a tournament-high seven goals in the 19-18 shootout win over Serbia in the quarterfinals and he opened the shootout scoring the first goal for Team USA. Liechty and Brinkema followed with penalty conversions as well to keep the Americans in the game. Brinkema contributed his only hat trick (on three shots) in the 16-10 win over Montenegro in pool play while Liechty scored his high of two goals in the finals against Spain.
Redshirt freshman Harry Tucker finished fourth in scoring on Team Australia with 10 goals. He also added six assists, three steals, and a field block for Australia, which finished 10th.
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
CTR DEF
/ Men's Water PoloCinematic Recap - UCLA M. Water Polo Wins NCAA Championship (Dec. 7, 2025)
Friday, December 12
UCLA Men's Water Polo Ring Reveal
Wednesday, August 27
2024 UCLA Men's Water Polo NCAA Champions
Thursday, December 12
Highlights - UCLA M. Water Polo Celebrates NCAA Title
Sunday, December 08