Dallas, TX - January 3 - The USA Men's National Team concluded play in North Texas with a 13-11 loss to Spain at the SMU Robson & Lindley Aquatic Center tonight.
Ben Hallock led Team USA with four goals on the night while
Adrian Weinberg recorded seven saves in the cage.
Team USA and Spain traded goals in the opening period of this one.
Johnny Hooper put the first goal of the match on the board just over two minutes in before Marc Larumbe answered for Spain.
Chase Dodd gave the United States the lead again with 3:20 left in the quarter but Bernat Sanahuja responded for the Spaniards to level the score at 2-2 after one. In the second period, Team USA got four goals from
Tyler Abramson, Hallock,
Marko Vavic, and Dodd opposite two scores from Álvaro Granados for Spain, giving the Americans a 6-4 advantage at the halftime break.
Hallock came out of the break ready to roll, scoring the first three goals of the period. The first came after he earned an exclusion to put Team USA on the 6-on-5, followed by a rocket into the top left corner of the cage. For his third of the quarter, Hallock leapt out of the water to catch a pass from
Thomas Dunstan with his left hand and redirect the ball to his right hand to finish the play. The third period highlights would end there for the United States however as Spain went on a 5-0 run to close the quarter. Blai Mallarach (2), Francisco Valera, Sanahuja, and Larumbe scored to turn the 9-4 deficit into a tie game headed into the final frame. In the fourth, Granados and Larumbe scored to put Spain in front by two before
Alex Bowen answered for the Americans to reduce the deficit to one (11-10). That was as close as Team USA would come as Sergi Cabanas and Granados tacked on two more for a 13-10 advantage. Dodd got a consolation goal late for the United States and Spain claimed the 13-11 win.
The United States went 7/9 on power plays with no penalties attempted while Spain went 4/10 on power plays and 1/1 on penalties.
Scoring -
Stats via 6-8 Sports
USA 11 (2, 4, 3, 2) B. Hallock 4, C. Dodd 3, J. Hooper 1, M. Vavic 1, T. Abramson 1, A. Bowen 1
ESP 13 (2, 2, 5, 4) A. Granados 4, M. Larumbe 3, B. Sanahuja 2, B. Mallarach 2, F. Valera 1, S. Cabanas 1
Saves - USA - A. Weinberg 7 - ESP - P. Motos 13
6x5 - USA - 7/9 - ESP - 4/10
Penalties - USA - 0/0 - ESP - 1/1
