Team USA Men Victorious Over France At 2023 World Aquatics World Cup Qualifier

Team USA attacker Hannes Daube was named Player of the Game against France

Zagreb, Croatia - March 10 - The Team USA Men continued play at the 2023 World Aquatics World Cup qualifier with a 12-9 victory over France. Hannes Daube was named Player of the Game with four goals scored while team captain Ben Hallock put in three. Team USA returns to action versus Hungary on Monday at 1:30pm et/10:30am pt. The game can be streamed live on the World Aquatics YouTube channel with live stats available via World Aquatics.

The beginning of this contest was a defensive masterclass as neither team scored for four minutes. Ben Hallock eventually ended the scoring drought midway through the opening quarter. With 1:30 to go in the first, Ugo Crousillat got one to go for France and the score remained tied 1-1 after one.

Early in the second period, France earned a penalty and Crousillat converted on the free chance. Hannes Daube had an answer for the United States as he skipped one in from outside to level the score. Later in the quarter, Crousillat found the back of the cage again before Thomas Vernoux joined the party to give the French a 4-2 lead. After exclusions both ways, Chase Dodd and Mehdi Marzouki scored on power play opportunities for each side. With time winding down in the half, Marko Vavic slammed one home from inside to pull the Americans within one at the break (5-4).

Charles Canonne scored on a man-up advantage and Marzouki converted a penalty shot for France to begin the third period. Team USA got a response from Hallock as he redirected a pass from Max Irving into the net for his second score. Late in the period, Daube drilled a penalty shot to cut the deficit in half for the United States. After two goals apiece, France led 7-6 headed into the final frame.

The Americans began the fourth quarter with a counter attack goal from Ben Stevenson to tie the score. The French retook the lead with a power play goal from Canonne and a penalty shot by Alexandre Bouet. In response, Hallock and Daube earned hat tricks to level the score at 9-9. With just over three minutes to go, Daube pushed Team USA ahead for the first time since the game's opening goal. Chase Dodd and Stevenson followed suit, increasing the final margin to three (12-9).