Rotterdam, Netherlands - April 11 - The Team USA Women opened play at the 2023 World Aquatics World Cup qualifier with a 17-15 loss to Spain. Jordan Raney led the charge offensively for Team USA with three goals scored while five others added two scores each. A replay of the opener is accessible here. Team USA is back in action tomorrow against China at 10:00am et/7:00am pt. The game can be streamed live on the World Aquatics YouTube channel with live scoring available from World Aquatics by clicking here.
After Paula Rodriguez converted a power play chance to open play, Rachel Fattal and Rachel Gazzaniga went back-to-back for Team USA's first scores of the game. Spain got a late goal from Bea Ortiz to level the score at 2-2 after one. There were no goals scored for three plus minutes in the second quarter before Raney took advantage of a 6-on-5 opportunity to get on the board. Judith Forca answered for Spain before U.S. captain Maggie Steffens buried a go-ahead goal. Forca had another for Spain after Steffens' goal but Raney put home another chance on the power play. In the last minute of the half, Ortiz leveled for Spain before Julia Bonaguidi scored with three seconds left to give the United States a 6-5 halftime lead.
Ortiz and Maddie Musselman opened the third period with power play goals, immediately followed by Forca and Tara Prentice copying the duo. With the Americans back up by one, Paula Camus leveled for the Spainards. Pena Pili scored for Spain late as Musselman, Steffens, and Emily Ausmus registered goals to close the quarter up 11-10. The Spanish squad turned it up offensively in the fourth and had the first three goals of the period from Elena Ruiz, Rodriguez, and Ortiz to take the lead, 12-11. Down the stretch, Team USA was searching for a goal and Fattal found her second of the day with fifteen seconds remaining to send the opening game to a penalty shootout.
In the penalty shootout, Spain and the U.S. traded goals until Martina Terre got the critical save someone was looking for as the Spanish won the shootout 5-3 and the game 17-15.
Scoring - Stats via World Aquatics
USA 15 (2, 4, 5, 1, 3) J. Raney 3, M. Musselman 2, R. Fattal 2, J. Bonaguidi 2, M. Steffens 2, E. Ausmus 2, T. Prentice 1, R. Gazzaniga 1
ESP 17 (2, 3, 4, 3, 5) B. Ortiz 4, J. Forca 4, P. Rodriguez 3, E. Ruiz 2, P. Crespi 1, P. Pena 1, P. Camus 1, A. Leiton 1
Penalties - USA - 3/5 - ESP - 6/6
