Spain Tops U.S. In Final of Men’s World Aquatics U20 Water Polo World Championships

Courtesy: USA Water Polo

Zagreb, Croatia – June 21 – The USA Men’s Junior National Team won silver earlier today at the World Aquatics U20 World Championship following a hard-fought final against Spain, where they lost 14-11. The second-place result marks the highest finish ever for a USA Men’s National Team in World Championship play at any age group. Ryan Ohl scored three goals to lead the USA offense with Charles Mills recording 11 saves in net. Team USA battled back from an 0-2 start in Zagreb to reach the final, claiming wins over Montenegro, Iran, Serbia and Hungary. All matches were streamed live and are available on-demand on the World Aquatics YouTube. Live statistics were recorded for every match from MicroPlus Timing Services.

Spain was the aggressor in the first quarter as they outscored Team USA 3-1. Spain opened up with a 1-0 lead before Ryder Dodd converted for a score to tie the match. Spain answered with two consecutive goals to hold the edge going to the second. Spain looked to keep it rolling in the second quarter as they scored first for a 4-1 lead. That lit a fire under Team USA as their offense mounted a major charge. Peter Castillo hit on a power play strike followed by an Ohl goal and a Dodd score for a tie game at 4-4 with 5:55 to go in the half. Spain stopped the run with a goal moments later but Team USA remain undaunted. They ripped off three more in a row for a six goal explosion to build a 7-5 lead at intermission. Bode Brinkema, Benjamin Liechty, and Ohl all found the cage to help turn things around before the break.

Ohl scored in the opening two minutes of the third to extend the lead to three at 8-5, but then it was Spain turning the tables. Spain connected for three in a row and tied the game at 8-8 with play moving to the fourth quarter. The two teams traded goals back and forth in the early stages of the final period. Brinkema hit for a penalty to put Team USA back ahead early at 9-8, but Spain immediately responded to tie the game at 9-9 moments later. A similar scenario followed where Corbin Stanley gave the United States the lead on a power play only to see Spain tie the game at 10-10 with 6:29 to play. Liechty scored for Team USA on their next possession for an 11-10 advantage but unfortunately, the offensive well ran dry the rest of the match. Spain scored the equalizer with 4:33 to play and then went ahead for good with 2:28 remaining. They would tack on two more goals as the United States tried to rally, securing the three-goal win.

Team USA went 2/13 on power plays and 3/4 on penalties while Spain went 5/12 on power plays and 3/4 on penalties.

Scoring – Stats
USA 11 (1, 6, 1, 3) R. Ohl 3, R. Dodd 2, B. Brinkema 2, B. Liechty 2, P. Castillo 1, C. Stanley 1
ESP 14 (3, 2, 3, 6) A. Sabadell 6, B. Gomila 2, U. Lema 1, O. Aguirre 1, M. Rodriguez 1, T. Perrone 1, E. Flaque 1, J. Villamayor 1
Saves – USA – C. Mills 11 – ESP – A. Pina 9, D. Garcia 1
6×5 – USA – 2/13 – ESP 5/12
Penalties – USA – 3/4 – ESP – 3/4