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The USA women's water polo team has once again inscribed their names in history. Overcoming a spirited fightback from the Netherlands in the final, the USA prevailed by a narrow margin of 12-11 to clinch their fourth consecutive World Cup title.
Racheal Fattal's decisive goal and Amanda Longan's outstanding goalkeeping helped the USA win despite an intense game that featured ejections and a tied score. Contributions from players like Maggie Steffens, Kaleigh Gilchrist and Madeline Musselman helped maintain their recent dominance in women's water polo.
The final was a closely-contested one, with the USA leading 8-3 at one point before a late Netherlands rally saw the scores tied at 11 each. Fattal's late winner saw the USA clinch their fifth World Cup title and go joint-second on the all-time medals tally with Australia, with both nations having 11 each. The Netherlands, meanwhile, have 13 medals, including eight World Cup titles.
Reflecting on their dominance in the sport, Maggie Steffens, captain of the USA women's water polo team, said:
"One thing we talk about as a team is maintaining a gold standard, regardless of how the match is going. That attitude and culture are what made us so successful today, especially in the younger women who played big roles and steeped up in our win today, despite having limited experience at this stage."
Steffens, who was also adjudged as the player of the match in the final against the Netherlands, was then asked to explain what was said in the pool during the second half to halt the Dutch comeback.
"Today was the tale of two halves," Steffens said. "We definitely lost some concentration going into that third quarter. In the first half, we were very focused on our team's defence, and as the second half began, we started to let up there."
She added:
"You can't do that against the Netherlands because they have some of the best players and shooters in the world who will capitalise on your mistakes, as they did today. For us, it was about refocusing our mentality and effort back to our team defence during the fourth quarter, which ultimately gave us the win today."
USA women's water polo triumph: Maggie Steffens drinks in historic success
After the historic win over the Netherlands in the World Cup final, Maggie Steffens took to social media to celebrate the USA women's water polo team's achievement. She scored a hat trick and provided two assists in the 12-11 win in the final.
"Raise your hands if you’re still feeling GOLDEN," Steffens captioned her post on Instagram.
The defeat to Australia at the 2000 Olympics served as the necessary spark for the development of women's water polo in the USA. Coach Adam Krikorian has been instrumental in their success since, beginning with their first World Cup title in London. He has instilled a winning mentality within the team.
The USA women's water polo team's gold medals at the London, Rio, and Tokyo Olympics are a testament to their consistency and dedication. Coach Krikorian, who guided them to victory in London, has been a driving force behind their winning mentality.
Steffens also recently set off on a trip down memory lane in honour of Olympic and Paralympic Day. She shared a picture from her childhood on Instagram, where she can be seen holding an Olympic torch.
Meanwhile, both the United States and the Netherlands have automatically qualified for the 2024 World Championship in Doha, setting the stage for their continued rivalry.
