On what she is most proud of today:
“We didn’t give up, we (got) our heads back in the game, and finished the game. The first quarter was really bad, we (conceded) nine goals, we fixed our defence (after). We improved.”

Match 23, Group A, ITALY 32 SINGAPORE 5 (8-0, 8-1, 6-1, 10-3)

Italy used this match as a practice and to make sure it finished in second position in the group. The task was always going to be beyond the Singaporeans playing against professional players with far greater experience and weekly competition that Singapore could only hope for. However, Singapore was up for the challenge and worked hard for the first goal.

Italy whipped through the first two quarters with eight goals in each with only Sara Cordovani scoring a double, sending in a penalty shot immediately after her action goal. In the second quarter, Paolo di Maria added two more for three; Morena Leone scored a pair and Chiara Ranalli and captain Agnese Cocchiere added another to their first-quarter goals. At 13-1, Abielle Yeo converted extra much to the delight of the medium Singaporean crowd.

In the third period, Italy conserved some energy and rotated through the players with 10 players having at least one goal to their name. Ranalli scored a pair for three goals and Cocchiere went to three goals. Roberta Bianconi ended the period’s scoring at 22-2.The fourth was a continuation of the onslaught with Veronica Gant scoring at 25-3 being the last field player to score for Italy. Ranice Yap found herself along at the top left on a six-metre free throw. She tossed it in for 24-3, catching the Italian defence off guard. Yap had a penalty shot at 26-3 but it was rejected. Sofia Giustini dropped in a shot and Heather Lee scored from the top left for 27-4. Cocchiere scored from centre forward and on the next attack, Celeste Wan turned and lobbed from four metres on extra for 28-5, sending the crowd wild. Ranalli scored two more, Cocchiere made her total six and Cergol scored her third two seconds from time.

Match Heroes
Cocchiere with six goals and Ranalli with five were the leading Italian scorers. Bianconi netted four and triples went to di Maria, Cergol and Giustini. For Singapore there were four scorers with Heather Lee a double scorer, something she will remember for a long time. Rochelle Ong made eight saves in goal.

Turning Point
The very start of the match.

Stats Don’t Lie
The Settarosa converted their one extra-player foul and stopped two from four. Italy put away both penalty goals and Singapore missed its sole chance. Italy stole the ball 22 times to four and shot 49 times to 17, showing what a mis-match this was.

Bottom Line
Italy is a top-tier team and showed that tonight, gaining its second win while Singapore will look for a victory in the round 13-16.

What They Said

Roberta BIANCONI (ITA) — Four Goals

On bouncing back after the loss to Australia:
“It was important today to win because we needed to find our confidence again, and we also needed to find a good position in the rankings to have a good crossover. So, today was a nice day, the team played well enough, and we are already thinking of the next one.”

On controlling the match from start to finish:
“The key today was just to think about playing. Playing as a team, finding our teamwork, and nothing else. I think every one of us did their job, and this is the best thing that we could do.”

On their mindset heading into the next round:
“Of course, we are happy, but now we want to concentrate on starting the second part of the tournament, because it’s the most important part now, and we are just focused on the crossover against China from now.”

Heather LEE (SGP) — Two Goals

On the positives:
“I think it’s our never-give-up, fighting spirit, and everybody just tried their best to the end of the game, no matter how much we’re losing by. I think it’s just the team spirit that kept us all going.”

On her mindset going into this match:
“Coming into the World Championships, we knew that all our group stage matches would be a tough fight, because these are all world-class teams. Going into any match, our team is always looking to improve ourselves, and practise any tactics that we have been training for, and learning from the other teams that we play against.”

On how the group stage helped prepare the team:
“The higher intensity and pace of the game helps to prepare us in a way that we have to keep going at this intensity, and not play (according) to the other team’s pace. Just go at our own pace and keep the momentum going.”

On what she learnt from her stint training with Greek club ANC Glyfada for nearly eight months:
“It was a very good experience for me to improve on my individual skills. Because everyone there is bigger, faster and they’ve been playing this game for so much longer than many of us in Singapore have.
“The sport is way more developed there, so I think just learning from the daily training, all the friendly matches or even the Greek league tournament that I was playing in, helped me to be stronger, faster and just think more effectively in the game.”

Match 22, Group A, AUSTRALIA 15 NEW ZEALAND 6 (4-0, 3-2, 5-1, 3-3)

Australia won the battle of the Trans-Tasman neighbours, thanks to a 4-0 opening quarter. The Olympic silver medallist — 10 of whom are in Singapore — scored on the first attack but had to wait another three and a half minutes before the second shot went in. This was Alice Williams on penalty, followed by captain Bronte Halligan on penalty on the next attack. Sienna Hearn scored from the deep left for 4-0 at 1:31. Emily Nicholson opened the Kiwis’ account with a centre-forward backhander, which was repeated by Morgan McDowall at 6-2. In the meantime, Danijela Jackovich put away her two-metre shot and Williams scored from deep on extra. After McDowall’s shot, Hearn plugged a second from deep on extra for 7-2 at the long break.

The Aussie charge continued almost unabated as Hearn (top) and Charlize Andrews (extra) pushed the margin to seven inside the first minute. Emmerson Houghton broke the spell with a penalty strike. Jackovich scored her second off the right-post position on extra; Abby Andrews, who scored the opening goal on extra, went on counter for 11-3 and Jackovich turned at centre forward to send the match into the final quarter at 12-3. New Zealand controlled the next stage of the match with Houghton opening in the first minute of the fourth and Darcy Spark sending in a dribbler, just crossing the line. Charlize Andrews lobbed from the left side of the pool for 13-5 and Houghton cleaned up a penalty shot at the other end. Both teams took a timeout for no effect and Agatha Westom had her penalty attempt thwarted by Genevieve Longman in the Aussie cage. Williams lobbed from the top and Halligan shot from the top right at 0:09 while Kiwi head coach Angie Winstanley-Smith threw the challenge flag into the pool. The challenge was lost and Australia finished unbeaten at 15-6, earning the quarterfinal berth.

Match Heroes
Hearn, Williams and Jackovich scored three each for the Aussies. Houghton scored three for the Kiwis and goalkeeper Jessica Milicich saved nine balls.

Turning Point
The blistering start by the Aussie Stingers.

Stats Don’t Lie
Australia was perfect on extra at four from four and stopped all five Kiwi attempts. Australia scored both penalties and New Zealand missed one of three. The Kiwis made seven steals to one and the Stingers short 31-20.

Bottom Line
Australia is the Olympic silver medallist and while New Zealand is improving all the time, there is still a ditch between the nations.

What They Said

Sienna HEARN (AUS) — Player of the Match

On how she stayed focused:
“That is something we’ve been working on, staying in the game for four quarters. We did let it slip a little bit toward the end, but we kind of just took it play by play, and that is how we moved through the process.”

On the team’s next goal:
“It is really exciting that we finished top of the table and we’ll have a look at who our crossover is, and just do the prep that we need to do to hopefully give our best performance in that game as well.’

On what message she has for her supporters back home:
“Thank-you so much for checking in on us, it’s really exciting to have supporters at home. I mean, obviously everyone can’t be here, but we really appreciate (the support) from

Danijela JACKOVICH (AUS) — Three Goals

On expectations after topping Group A:
“We take everything game by game. We’re a new group, so we’re still working out our tactics, our values, our new style of play with this new group, and we’re taking it game by game. We’re super stoked on the top of the table finish and it just means that for the next three days, we get to hunker down, work on fixing some of the things that we are having issues with, working on our offence, working on our tactics and then we’re excited to play whoever we might encounter.”

On how they intend to spend the days off:
“Probably training and in meetings working on tactics.” 

Jessica MILICICH (NZL) — Goalkeeper-Captain

On facing a top-tier team like Australia:
“Australia is always a really tough opponent and we knew that they would come out hard. There were some really good things, but also lots for us to work on moving forward. It’s a good step forward for the rest of the tournament.”

On Australia’s level of play:
“Their shooting accuracy has been really good all tournament, so we knew that we had to put a lot of pressure on them. We had patches of that, but also something for us to work on, especially coming into our next few games.”

On how the team fought despite the scoreline:
“As Kiwis, we always want to keep fighting. We just went in with a different kind of intensity and wanted to prove that we can still compete with these teams at this level.”

Match 21, Group B, CHINA 7 NETHERLANDS 13 (2-3, 1-2, 2-4, 2-4)

Credentials from last year or the year before can mean nothing when it comes to new teams on the block. All teams in Singapore are probably vastly different from 2024. The Dutch won gold in Fukuoka two years ago and bronze at Paris 2024. USA did the damage, beating the Dutch 11-9 two days before, so this match was all about who would finish second in the group and get a better crossover in two days’ time. China was making it hard for the Dutch in the first half and continued the pressure in the second.

Dutch captain Sabrina van der Sloot took it on her shoulders to lift the team and make sure of victory, scoring the first three goals as the Dutch went to the second quarter 3-2 ahead. Yan Siya and Shao Yixin scored from outside and soon after the restart, Zhang Qishuo lobbed for 3-3. Kitty Joustra scored from centre forward but China challenged — unsuccessfully. This was at 5:30. At 1:11, Bente Rogge drilled from the top right for 5-3 at the long break.

Van der Sloot had her eye in and bounced the ball down the left line into the top left of the goal for 6-3 at 6:30 in the third period. A Dutch timeout earned a Simone van de Kraats goal on extra. Yan sent one in from the top and two Bente Rogge goals edged the Dutch to 9-4. Wang Shiyun pulled one back for 9-5 at the final break.

Fleurien Bosveld started the final quarter from dee right and Yan scored for her third and Vivian Sevenich responded for 11-6 at 4:43. The Dutch called a timeout and just before the buzzer, Joustra backhanded the shot into goal from two metres for 12-6. Maxine Schaap blasted from the left at 0:52 and Zhang Jingwen closed all scoring at 0:12 for 13-7.

Match Heroes
Van der Sloot with her four goals for the Dutch. Britt van den Dobbelsteen made 12 saves in goal. For China, Yan topped her team with three goals and goalkeeper Shen Yineng stopped nine shots.

Turning Point
Netherlands getting the four-goal differential late in the second quarter.

Stats Don’t Lie
Netherlands converted five from 10 on extra and denied China five from seven. Neither team gained a penalty foul; the Dutch led the steals 5-3 and China shot 30 to 29.

Bottom Line
Netherlands is the stronger team on paper and China should be commended for such a strong match.

What They Said

Evangelos DOUDESIS (NED) — Head Coach

On tactical changes:

“We had to be a bit more aggressive, because we faced a lot of problems against the USA. I think we had a bit more control in the game than two days ago, which is a good small step ahead.”

On not finishing top in the group:

“Disappointment? Not at all. It’s a world championship. We keep going.”

On what to improve on:

“I think that we always need to improve everything. We try to play in a simple way and we try to make the simple things perfect.”

Marit VAN DER WEIJDEN (NED) — Athlete

On the team’s performance:

“I’m really happy with the performance from the team. It’s a tough game against China; they played really well. We stick together to the plan, communicated really well, and we wanted to improve from last game, so yeah, I am quite happy.”

On what helped the team stay composed:
“I think the communication and we worked hard, we never gave up.”

On what she learnt from this group stage:

“The game is (only) over in the last second, at the final whistle. Only then is the game over. Never give up, stick to the plan and stick to the team.”

SHEN Yineng (CHN) — Captain

On the team’s performance:

“I didn’t perform particularly well today. I didn’t do especially well on either offence or defence. Especially during our five-on-six defence, we let them succeed way too often today. On the offensive end, we missed a lot of scoring opportunities that we should have capitalised on.”

On who was China’s top performer:
“Our youngest player actually did quite well today. But for the rest of us, I feel like we could’ve done better.”

On the match’s turning point:
“In the third quarter, there was a play during our five-on-six defence — I think we lost track of someone, and that completely disrupted our defence. From that point on, it felt like it was really hard to get our defence back together.”

Match 20, Group D, GREAT BRITAIN 7 SPAIN 16 (0-4, 1-3, 5-3, 1-5)

Spain cruised into the quarterfinals with a third victory over previously unbeaten Great Britain, who supplied some stiff resistance early on and again in the third period. In fact, after Elena Ruiz scored for Spain after a minute, the next goal did not come until 2:22 through Irene Rodriguez and the next two goals came in the final minute, via Nona Perez on extra and Paula Prats. Elena Ruiz started the second quarter, as well. Britain’s Katy Cutler bounced her penalty attempt wide left and Paula Camus found herself in the right position at the right time to snap in a rebound. Lucy Blenkinship found herself free to score from point blank for 6-1 at 2:07 and Paula Leiton, received a cross pass at two metres for 7-1 just before the halftime buzzer.

Britain put the Great back in the country’s name with a 5-3 period against the Olympic champion. Leiton made it 8-1 from the left side of the pool and then Britain went on the rampage with three goals — to Anya Clapperton, backhanding in a rebound; Blenkinship from right in front on extra and Izzy Howe from the top right. Prats responded and started a penalty trade-off with Lily Turner who scored from the five-metre line either side of Bea Ortiz for 10-6 at the final break. Spain stepped up a notch in the final quarter with Ortiz from the top right off a cross pass and Camus from two metres, also off a cross pass. Katie Brown was red-carded for a misdemeanour and Anni Espar converted the penalty for 13-6. Howe slipped in her second before Elena Ruiz, Carlota Penalver and Espar completed the victory and first place in the group.

Match Heroes
Elena Ruiz with three for Spain and doubles from Espar, Prats, Camus and Leiton. For Great Britain, Turner, Blenkinship and Howe all scored twice. The British goalkeepers did a half each and both made six saves.

Turning Point
The 5-0 start set the seal on Great Britain.

Stats Don’t Lie
Spain converted four from seven on extra and defended three from four. Spain converted both penalty fouls and stopped one of three for the opponent. On steals, Spain reigned with six from one and on total shots, Spain amassed 43 to 20.

Bottom Line
Spain. Olympic champion. That’s it. But well done to Great Britain for putting up such a fight.

What They Said

Paula PRATS (ESP) — Player of the Match

On being outscored in the third period: 
“We started off really good; our defence was really good at the beginning. But at the beginning of the third quarter, their goalie was doing an amazing job and it got a little complicated for us. We’re happy with the work that we’re doing, and we’re looking forward to the quarterfinals. 
“They were doing a good job on defence, especially their goalie; she was blocking really well. Offensively, we were also not really finding that spot in the cage. 

On a day off before quarterfinals: 
“We’re going to be practising so hard. Now it’s the hardest game and we need to get ready for it and work harder than ever.” 

On being seen as the ones to beat: 
“It’s motivation for us. Everyone’s eyes are on us, but it’s not pressure, at least not for me. We’re a pretty young team; we’re not the same team as last year. I would say we’re pretty motivated by being seen as the ones to beat. Everyone’s willing to do whatever it takes to win that medal.” 

Kathy ROGERS (GBR) — Captain

On playing against Spain:
“Coming in playing the Olympic champions is always going to be a big challenge but it’s also a really cool experience to play a team that strong. We’re developing as a nation, and our aim coming into big games like this is to always get closer and closer to the opposition. 
“Today, we really did ourselves proud. There were moments where we felt like we were actually keeping up with them and we were keeping strong. I’m really proud of the girls, I’m really proud (of) how we can get scored on a few times in a row, then hit a switch and focus and regain momentum.”

On outscoring Spain in the third period:
“I think when we come into big games you get a bit anxious and nervous. Spain are physically a strong team so you get this punch, almost. At halftime we realised, actually, we can compete with them. We had positive energy at halftime and then we put that into the third quarter.” 

Match 19, Group D, SOUTH AFRICA 6 FRANCE 13 (1-4, 2-3, 3-3, 0-3)

This was a battle for third place in the group and to stay in contention for the medals. France, as an Olympic team with a handful of changes since last year, was the obvious contender and showed that with a 4-1 opening quarter. It was the first win for France and the most important for this young team. Erica Hardy and a pair to Ema Vernoux gave the French a wonderful start with Jo Williams responding for South Africa. Myriam Ouchache converted extra from the deep right to close the period’s scoring. South Africa worked hard in the second period and Mia Loizides sent in a slider under plenty of defenders’ arms for 4-2. Lara Andres scored the first of two goals on extra and Valentine Heurtaux made it 6-2 from the top left. Chloe Meecham had her penalty attempt stopped, leaving Andres to lift the score to 7-2. Hannah Banks concluded nearly three minutes of no goal and a South African timeout at 0:27 failed to reap any benefits by the halftime buzzer.

It was a tied third period with Hardy and Heurtaux taking France to 9-4 with Lily Vernoux converting the penalty foul for 10-5 at 0:18. Meecham on penalty, Georgia Eccles with a wide lob and Banks with a halfway shot into the top right in the last three seconds kept South Africa in the frame. Goals were hard to come by in the fourth and a French timeout brought no joy. Inside the last five minutes, Hardy and Heurtaux scored their third goals to secure a top-three finish by 3:30. Camille Radosavljevic scored the last goal for France from two metres, despite South Africa having a timeout at 0:56.

Match Heroes
Hardy and Heurtaux scored three each for France and Banks scored twice for South Africa.

Turning Point
France starting with the first three goals.

Stats Don’t Lie
France scored three from seven on extra and defended six from seven. France scored its one penalty attempt and South Africa missed one of two. France stole the ball 11 times to six and shot 29 to 28.

Bottom Line
France was ninth at the Olympics and 13^th in Doha last year while South Africa was missing. South Africa will have no chance to replicate its 12^th place at Fukuoka 2023.

What They Said

Erica HARDY (FRA), Player of the Match

On getting a first win at Singapore 2025: 
“Our expectations for ourselves are pretty high. After the Olympics last year, France, as a country, progressed a lot. Sadly, we did lose a lot of the returning Olympians, which means we have a lot of young newcomers. But that means a lot of young girls can step up and take on responsibility and grow the level more in France. That’s really exciting.
“We definitely need to continue growing and not get caught up in the little details, but we feel good about the win and we’ll just try to stay optimistic and keep looking forward.” 

On her performance: 
“No one has a perfect game. There were a few opportunities that I missed, a few defences that I could’ve done better. Everybody can always get better.” 

Lara ANDRES (FRA) — Goal Scorer

On the result:

“I’m very happy because it’s our first win of the tournament. We are a completely new team with new staff, so I think it’s good to win for a lot of the girls. It was not our best game in the tournament, but we won, so it’s fine.
“I am young and the whole team is also very young. We are the new generation so we know we have to fight to improve a lot.”

On France’s team dynamics:
“We are really close. We are all around 20, 19, 18 years old, so we are really close and speak about all subjects together. We spend a lot of time together, so we are like a little family and it’s nice.”

Dean WHYTE (RSA) — Head Coach

On whether the team met expectations:
“I think we’ve exceeded our goals. We come as a very young squad, the average age (of the players) is 21. They challenged themselves against the world’s best playing games like our game with Spain, really difficult games with Great Britain and France.
“Would’ve been nicer to give a little bit more of a closer game (today). I think we could have been a little bit better on our attack. Other than that, we’ve come in and done our nation proud.” 

On the struggles of water polo in Africa:
“I think for us as a continent… we generally struggle to be exposed to a lot of international level water polo. We’re amateur water polo players. Continentally it’s quite difficult. South Africa sits at the southern tip of Africa and to get into places where we can compete against the world’s best, places like America and Europe, Spain, Hungary… It’s difficult because you don’t get exposed to that level of water polo inside and outside.”

On his team’s overall performance during the tournament:
“My players have done such a good job to close the gaps, build bridges, and really take steps forward into making ourselves more of a competitive nation. These young girls have shown absolute determination and fire to challenge themselves under pressure and do extremely well under them.”

Match 18, Group C, GREECE 25 JAPAN 15 (6-3, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5)

This was the battle for second place in the group and Greece came home with the result it needed. At times it looked like Japan was going to upset the apple cart. However, Greece had the quarter-time lead at 6-3 after coming from one down to 4-1 with two Maria Myriokefalitaki centre-forward strikes. Kako Kawaguchi scored on extra and penalty for Japan. In the second quarter, Myriokefalitaki started the mini-avalanche and scored the ninth goal, as well. Eruna Ura broke the spell on extra for 8-4 and Maho Kobayashi scored from the top right for 10-5. Ura drove at centre for 10-6 and Greece called a timeout. Captain Eleftheria Plevritou immediately scored and Dionysia Koureta backhanded a goal from two metres for 12-6 by halftime.

Japan scored three of the first five goals in the third period with Yumi Arima picking up her second and Kawaguchi a third, on penalty. Myriokefalitaki scored a triple and Foteini Tricha  collected her third. Arima scored the 15-10 goal to add to her impressive tally. Greece sent in the first five goals of the final quarter and then allowed Japan to flourish with five of the next six, Kawaguchi nabbing two. Athina Giannopoulou finished on counter for her second goal of the period.

Match Heroes
Myriokefalitaki with seven goals from nine attempts, Tricha with four and Santa with three. Ioanna Stamatopoulou made 11 saves in her three quarters. For Japan, Kawaguchi was in hot form with five goals and captain Arima grabbed three.

Turning Point
The 4-1 start was the springboard for success.

Stats Don’t Lie
It’s not often that the team with the best statistics loses the match. However, Japan scored three from nine on extra and defended one from two. It scored all three penalty shots to one; stole the ball 17 times to 15 and outshot Greece 34-33.

Bottom Line
Greece desperately wanted second place and Japan did not seem to have the urgency of previous matches, although it sprang into action in the final quarter, up to its normal self.

What They Said

Eleftheria PLEVRITOU (GRE) — Captain

On her team’s performance in the group stage:
“We came second; we are looking (forward) now for the opponent for the final eight in the championship. We’re happy with our performance today but we made a lot of mistakes. We’d like to continue the championship as good as we can and see who will be the next opponent and play as hard as we can to take a better place in the world championship.” 

On how the team adapted to Japan: 
“Japan has this really specific and unique way of playing, so you have to adapt to this kind of game. It’s fast and it’s totally different from the other teams. So that’s why we also didn’t play our game, we tried to react (to) their game because it’s actually unique. 
“None of the (other) teams play like that, only the men and women (of Japan). So, for us, we didn’t play our tactics, we try to adapt to this game because the good teams are doing this. And I think we played OK; we could (do) better.”

On adapting to new water polo rules: 
“They’re changing all the time; for us it’s difficult to adapt. We played in the first group of the Women’s World Cup in Greece, different rules. After (that) they changed in China, and then now they switched some of them again. 
“It’s kind of hard for the rules to change three times in one year. We try to adapt, of course, all the teams will make small mistakes, but it’s normal. We need time to take all these rules and adjust. But it’s OK, it’s not too hard, but I think all the teams make mistakes because rules are new.”

Maria MYRIOKEFALITAKI (GRE) — Player of the Match

On scoring seven goals: 
“It was a team effort, this result. My team-mates made these seven goals and I’m very glad that we had good communication and good connections. I’m very happy that we won this game and that we can proceed to the next level of the world championships. We’re focused on our next game and we have high hopes that if things go as we think, to step into the final four teams of the worlds.” 

On the pressure of being a World Cup winner: 
“Winning the World Cup in China made us believe in ourselves, to have a result that we wanted more. We wanted to prove to ourselves that our work has a result. But it’s also a fact that we also have more pressure. We think we have a good chance to do something very good in the world championships. We want to be focused to be as good as possible.” 

On the level of water polo rising in Asian teams like Japan: 
“I’m really happy for Japan. Some of the girls, we know them because they play in Greece. I’m happy that they have this opportunity to play professional water polo in Europe. Japan is a great team; they have great potential. They play very differently from European teams and this is an advantage. If they work on that, they’ll be at a great level in a couple of years. They have a great process and have made great improvements.” 

Yumi ARIMA (JPN)

On her team’s performance for the preliminary rounds:
“Much better than the match against Hungary. So, the next game, we will win.”

Eruna URA (JPN) — Goal Scorer

On her team’s performance for the preliminary rounds:
“We want to be among the top eight. So, next game, we have to win.”

On her experience playing in Greece previously:
“It was very nice. It is very high quality in Greece, so we practised very well and I think we did very good. We will also play in Greece next year. It did improve our playing.”

Match 17, Group B, ARGENTINA 3 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 26 (1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 0-5)

USA made it three from three and gains direct access to the quarterfinals on Saturday. In the clash of the Americas — North and South — the reigning world champion USA was untroubled throughout and rattled through the quarters with ease. USA shot out to 5-0 before Argentinian captain Maria Canda found a gap on extra. Five different players opened for USA with two coming from penalty shots. Rachel Gazzaniga scored her first goal at this level, five seconds from time to give USA the 6-1 quarter-time advantage. UDA head coach Adam Krikorian successfully challenged a non-penalty-foul call for Emily Ausmus to convert. It was much the same in the second quarter as USA shot out to 9-1 — Gazzaniga opening on extra off a cross pass — before Anahi Bacigalupo brought up Argentina’s second goal. Ava Stryker, who scored the fifth goal, netted three straight, including one from the penalty line, to make it 12-2. Ella Woodhead scored her first goal of the week for 13-2 before halftime.

USA pressed home the advantage in the third period with the first six goals with Jovana Sekulic scoring consecutive goals and Stryker adding to her tally. Julieta Auliel converted a penalty that was unsuccessfully challenged by Krikorian. Sekulic scored at centre forward and Julia Bonaguidi became the sixth USA player to convert a penalty foul, for 21-3, four seconds from the buzzer. In the fourth, the score mounted with Emma Lineback and Malia Allen becoming the seventh and eighth penalty scorers for USA. Argentinian head coach Guillermo Setti unsuccessfully challenged a penalty call as USA cruised to the victory.

Match Heroes
Stryker with those six goals, Sekulic with four and Prentice with three. Isabel Williams made 11 saves in goal, many of them in the first half.

Turning Point
There was none.

Stats Don’t Lie
USA converted six from 10 on extra to Argentina’s one from seven. On penalties, USA was supreme with eight from eight to Argentina’s one from one. USA made 12 steals to eight and threw 39 shots at goal compared to 24.

Bottom Line
USA is world champion and the best team in the Americas. Argentina has yet to win a match while USA will rest up for the quarterfinals.

What They Said

Adam KRIKORIAN (USA) — Head Coach

On his team’s performance in group matches: 
“Very satisfied with how we played these first three games. I think the goal for us was just to play the best we could. The cherry on top was finishing first in the group but now a new tournament starts. We’ll be excited to get that day off but we need to be ready to go for the quarterfinals.” 

On the team’s strategy calls during the match:
“We did some different things defensively, but most importantly it was an opportunity today to continue to work on the things we’ve been trying to emphasise in our training over the last six weeks.”

On the teams he’s worried about in the knockout stages: 
“I’m worried about all of them. But most importantly, I’m worried about ourselves and making sure we’re doing everything we can to play our best brand of water polo and preparing ourselves to play the most challenging teams coming up.” 

Ava STRYKER (USA) — Player of the Match

On scoring six goals: 
“I’m really proud of how our team played together. Our defence was really solid. We had a goal of not to give up four goals, and we held that so just really proud, offensively and defensively, of our togetherness and commitment to the plan.”

On USA’s approach against Argentina: 
“Argentina is a great team. Definitely can’t overlook anyone. We came into this game preparing for their best. We just can never overlook anyone and always just try to work on what we do and keep our focus on our execution and our precision. We’re focused on just ourselves.” 

On 26 goals from 11 scorers: 
“It speaks for itself. We have a lot of options, a lot of people who can put the ball where it needs to go, and shooting wise and passing wise, everyone’s connected and knows where, how and to set each other up, whether that be on the counter-attack or just drawing penalties. It’s special to have so many people who can score.” 

On not needing to go through crossovers: 
“It’s a day off, but it’s also not, because we’ve got to practise. But it’ll be nice to just have one or a couple practices where we can just work on what we need to get better at, and not have to prepare for another team. So, just locking in the things that we do well and then also preparing for our quarterfinal. Just having an extra day to prepare for that game will be really helpful. And then maybe we’ll get to do some fun things – we’ll see.” 

On what she feels good about after three games: 
“We’re kind of the underdogs in some ways. A lot of people have been talking about how we’ve lost so many people. But that Netherlands game proved to everyone that we’re here to compete, we’re here to play, and who cares if we’ve lost people or gained people. It’s a new year. We’re just happy and proud of ourselves and taking every game at a time and just having fun.” 

On the depth of the USA team: 
“It’s a special programme in the United States. I think the coaches have done a really good job of just developing people. I remember a first tournament back in 2021 in Peru, the preparation has been a long time coming. On preparation, and then just always taking every opportunity to get better, I think our programme does a really good job of that. Just seizing every opportunity.” 

Ella Woodhead (USA) — Two Goals 

On those first goals:
“I had my first goal of the tournament today. It was really exciting. It was only my third game at the World Championship that I played in. It was fun to put one on the board always. it’s always a honour anytime you get to put on this suit. I have been training with this team for a long time, but haven’t gotten a chance to play many games. So, being at my second world championships, and already playing in more games than in my first world championships is always such an honour.” 

On your team-mates:
“It’s an amazing experience to play with people who I have grown up with, and now at the highest level of  water polo is just amazing. We have all grown up in the programme together.”

On the opposition:
“I think every game has brought different challenges, coming in with the China game we didn’t really know who was going to be on their team so we didn’t have a ton of knowledge of their players. We watched film from their past games but we didn’t know who was going to be on their team. We were preparing as best we could, but we were ready to adapt as the game went on. That was a great result although I didn’t get a chance to play in the game, but our team played really well.

“In the Netherlands obviously they have so many big names on that team, people who have been on that team for a really long time, and we knew the players a bit better. It was about how we were going to counter their players and show what kind of team we are, especially being younger. Today’s game was more about what we can do to improve ourselves following the Netherlands game, even though we got a win. We just want to finish off the group play with a strong result, knowing that we are going to have a few more days off.”