Water Polo World Preview of Men's Olympic Teams Click Here
USA Men's National Water Polo Team Schedules/Results and News
Back row L-R - John Mann, Ryan Bailey, Layne Beaubien, Jeff Powers, Jesse Smith, Merrill Moses, Tim Hutten Peter Varellas, JW Krumpholz, Adam Wright. Front Row - L-R Chay Lapin, Tony Azevedo, Shea Buckner, and Peter Hudnut. (photo by Jonathan Moore)
2012 U.S. Olympic Men's Water Polo Team Training Roster (Hometown/College/Club)
Tony Azevedo &%* - Attacker (Long Beach, CA/Stanford ‘03/NYAC) #8
Ryan Bailey &%* - Center (Long Beach, CA/UC-Irvine ‘98/Newport WPF) #9
Layne Beaubien%* - Defender (Coronado, CA/Stanford ‘99/NYAC)#7
Shea Buckner - Attacker (Villa Park, CA/USC ‘10/NYAC)
Peter Hudnut * - Defender (Encino, CA/Stanford ‘03/NYAC) #3
Tim Hutten* - Defender (Seal Beach, CA/UC-Irvine ‘08/Newport WPF) #10
JW Krumpholz* - Center (Santa Ana, CA/USC ‘10/NYAC) #12
Chay Lapin - Goalkeeper (Long Beach, CA/UCLA '09/Shore Aquatics) #13
John Mann - Center (Newport Beach, CA/California ‘07/NYAC)
Merrill Moses* - Goalkeeper (Palos Verdes, CA/Pepperdine ‘00/NYAC) #1
Jeff Powers %* - Defender (San Luis Obispo, CA UC-Irvine ‘03/Newport WPF) #4
Jesse Smith %* - Utility (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine ‘05/NYAC) #11
Peter Varellas* - Attacker (Moraga, CA/Stanford ‘06/Olympic Club) #2
Adam Wright %* - Attacker (Seal Beach, CA/UCLA ‘01/NYAC) #5
&2000 Olympian
%2004 Olympian
*2008 Olympian
May 26 - May 28 - Hungary/Croatia Exhibition Series - Southern California
Recap of Second Hungary Game
May 31 - 
USA 9 vs. 
Hungary 5 7pm - UCLA - Los Angeles, CA
Westwood, CA - Less than a week after snapping a ten-year losing streak to Hungary, the USA Men's National Team did the job once more, with a 9-5 defeat of the Hungarians in front of a capacity crowd at UCLA's Spieker Aquatics Center. Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC) scored three goals, John Mann (Newport Beach, CA/California/NYAC) added two scores, and Merrill Moses (Palos Verdes, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC) did the job in net, stopping 10 shots.
Days after defeating the Hungarians 12-9 at Newport Harbor High School, the United States put together perhaps an even more complete effort in holding Hungary to just five goals. Azevedo got things started very early on with a power play strike just 48 seconds into the match for a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later Azevedo scored once more, again on a power play, for a 2-0 lead. With just :26 left in the period Brian Alexander (Santa Ana, CA/UCSB/Olympic Club) found the cage on a power play for a 3-0 lead after the first period.
The second period saw both sides ratchet up their defense a notch as neither team found the cage until 2:31 left in the period. It was Hungary breaking through first to get their first goal of the game, drawing to 3-1. With 1:17 left in the period the United States drew consecutive exclusions to create a six-on-four scenario, Mann did the rest, beating the keeper in close for a 4-1 lead at intermission.
Early in the third quarter the Hungarians cut the lead to two, with a power play goal, and it was 4-2 in favor of Team USA. Azevedo came back on the next Team USA possession shedding two defenders, including the goalie, to score putting the United States up 5-2. Hungary scored next on a power play with 2:34 left but that was immediately answered on a score inside by JW Krumpholz (Santa Ana, CA/USC/NYAC), playing his first match since suffering a concussion during the FINA World League Prelims earlier this month. Peter Varellas (Moraga, CA/Stanford/Olympic Club) would have the final word in the period, connecting for a score with just :35 left and Team USA built their lead to four with a 7-3 advantage going to the fourth.
In the opening minute of the fourth period Team USA took their largest lead of the game, when Mann scored inside for an 8-3 lead. Hungary scored on their next possession to get within 8-4, but then the goals went quiet for the next four minutes. Hungary came back with a score with 2:47 left to close within three at 8-5. They would get no closer as with 2:03 left in the match, Peter Hudnut (Encino, CA/Stanford/NYAC) delivered the final blow to put the United States back in front 9-5, sealing the match.
The United States went 5/8 on power plays while Hungary was 2/8. Team USA did not attempt a penalty and Hungary went 1/1 on their penalty attempts. Team USA will close out their pre-Olympic domestic competition schedule with a match against Croatia on Friday evening at Rose Bowl Aquatics at 6:30pm pst. The match is sold out but will be available via webcast at UniversalSports.com by clicking here.
Scoring
USA 9 (3, 1, 3, 2) T. Azevedo 3, J. Mann 2, B. Alexander 1, P. Varellas 1, J. Krumpholz 1, P. Hudnut 1
HUN 5 (0, 1, 2, 2) Madarash 2, De. Varga 1, G. Kiss 1, Da. Varga 1
Saves - USA - M. Moses 10 - HUN - V. Nagy 3, Bakas 5
6x5 - USA 5/8 - HUN 2/8
Penalties - USA 0/0 - HUN 1/1
Greg Mescall
Associate Director of Communications
USA Water Polo
Recap of Second Croatia Game
June 1 - 9 USA. vs. 
Croatia 5 7pm - Rose Bowl Aquatics Center - Pasadena, CA
Pasadena, CA - June 1- In front of a capacity crowd at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, the USA Men's National Team topped Croatia 9-5. The win marked the first victory over Croatia since the 2008 Olympic Games. Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC) scored two goals and Merrill Moses (Palos Verdes, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC) posted nine saves in the win. The match closes out the domestic competition slate for the team in the lead-up to the 2012 Olympic Games.
Team USA continued a trend of getting off to a hot start as they got a tally from Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC) two and a half minutes into the match, for a 1-0 lead. Croatia answered with a goal with 4:01 left in the period to tie the game at 1-1. The United States got on a roll from there, scoring three straight to close out the period. Azevedo took advantage of penalty shot, putting Team USA up 2-1, after a Croatian player failed to leave the pool following an exclusion. Croatia had a chance to return the favor when they drew a penalty, but Moses was up to the task, halting the penalty shot. That was followed by a Layne Beaubien (Coronado, CA/Stanford/NYAC) goal right as a power play was coming to a close for a 3-1 lead. Then with just :50 left in the period, JW Krumpholz (Santa Ana, CA/USC/NYAC) surged to the goal and beat the keeper for a 4-1 lead.
Croatia battled back in the second period as they scored three goals in a row to tie the match with 2:37 left in the first half. Team USA had a response when Brian Alexander (Santa Ana, CA/UCSB/Olympic Club) was the recipient of a timely pass from Beaubien, inside the two meter line, which he pushed into the cage for a 5-4 lead at halftime.
A little over two minutes into the third, Ryan Bailey (Long Beach, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) got free inside and banged home a shot off the bar for a 6-4 lead. At the 4:06 mark there was a moment of deja vu as again Croatia failed to exit the playing area following an exclusion. This led to a penalty which Azevedo converted, and the United States went up 7-4. Azevedo then got excluded with just two seconds left in the period and Croatia took advantage immediately scoring on a power play goal to draw within 7-5 going to the fourth.
The fourth quarter belonged to the United States as they kept the Croatian offense at bay, not allowing a single goal. Neither team scored until 2:45 left in the period when Tim Hutten (Seal Beach, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) beat the keeper for an 8-5 lead. The United States put a bow on the match when John Mann (Newport Beach, CA/California/NYAC) got ahead of the field for a goal with just :5 left to put Team USA up 9-5.
Team USA took advantage of power plays yet again going 6/13 while Croatia was 3-10. USA also went 2/2 on penalty shots while Croatia was 0/1. Team USA now prepares to name their U.S. Olympic Team on June 5. That will be followed by competition at the FINA World League Super Final in Kazakhstan later this month.
Scoring
USA 9 (4, 1, 2, 2) T. Azevedo 2, B. Alexander 1, L. Beaubien 1, R. Bailey 1, T. Hutten 1, J. Smith 1, J. Krumpholz 1, J. Mann 1
CRO 5 (1, 3, 1, 0) S. Barac 2, S. Sukno 2, F. Karac 1
Saves - USA - M. Moses 9 CRO - J. Pavic 3, F. Vican 3
6x5 - USA - 6/13 - CRO 3/10
Penalties - USA - 2/2 - CRO 0/1
Recap of First Crotia and Hungary Games
May 26 - 
USA 7 vs. 
CRO 8 6pm - Newport Harbor HS - Newport Beach, CA
Newport Beach, CA - May 26 - In front of a capacity crowd at Newport Harbor High School, Croatia edged the USA Men's National Team 8-7 to open an exhibition series that also involves Hungary. A final attempt by Team USA's Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC) was stopped at the buzzer and Croatia held off a furious rally from the United States. Azevedo and Adam Wright (Seal Beach, CA/UCLA/NYAC) led the United States' offense with two goals each, while Merrill Moses (Palos Verdes, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC) went the distance in net stopping 11 shots. The United States struggled on the power play, going just 1/13 while Croatia went 1/3 and converted two penalty shots.
The first quarter belonged to Croatia as they opened up a 3-0 lead, scoring once on a power play, and then following with consecutive penalty shot scores. The United States rebounded in the second quarter, getting on the board less than a minute into the period, when Ryan Bailey (Long Beach, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) drew a penalty which was converted by Azevedo. Wright followed with his first goal of the night as he powered his way to the cage to draw his team to within a goal, at 3-2. The initial comeback was complete when Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC) scored a minute later to even the match at 3-3. Croatia had an answer with two straight scores to go up 5-3 with 2:26 left in the period. Team USA would answer last in the half as Azevedo found the cage as a power play was concluding to cut the deficit to one going into halftime.
Defense was the focus to open the third quarter as neither team would score in the opening five minutes. With 2:56 left, Bailey got free inside on a well placed pass from Tim Hutten (Seal Beach, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) to beat the keeper for a 5-5 game. Croatia came right back, scoring less than a minute later to go up 6-5 after three quarters. In the fourth, Croatia looked to put the game away delivering a skip shot, bar down, to go up 7-5 with 5:20 left. The United States did not quit, Wright took a pass from Azevedo and buried it as the United States cashed in on a momentary 6-on-5 advantage. As was the trend throughout the game, Croatia had a rebuttal, delivering a score on the next possession to go up 8-6 with 3:37 left. With just 1:13 remaining in the match, Team USA got out on the counter attack and Wright found Shea Buckner (Villa Park, CA/USC/NYAC) for the score and an 8-7 match. Team USA would have two chances down the stretch but the final try by Azevedo was denied by Croatia.
Team USA is back in action tomorrow afternoon when they host Hungary at 3pm est/12pm pst. The match will be televised live on the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus). The match will replay on Universal Sports on Monday, May 28 at 3pm est/12pm pst. Hungary will meet Croatia at 8pm est/5pm pst on Monday. All of the matches will be at Newport Harbor High School.
Scoring
USA 7 (0, 4, 1, 2) T. Azevedo 2, A. Wright 2, R. Bailey 1, J. Smith 1, S. Buckner 1
Saves - USA - M. Moses 11 - CRO - J. Pavic 5, F. Vican 5
6x5 - USA - 1/13 - CRO 1/3
Penalties - USA - 1/1 - CRO 2/2
Greg Mescall
Associate Director of Communications
USA Water Polo
May 27 - USA 12 vs. 9 HUN 12pm - Newport Harbor HS - Newport Beach, CA (On NBC Sports)
Newport Beach, CA - May 27 - Behind a game-high six goals from Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC), and a strong defensive effort, the USA Men's National Team defeated Hungary 12-9, at a jam packed Newport Harbor HS. Team USA never trailed in their first win over Hungary in 10 years, a victory that witnessed 12 saves from Merrill Moses (Palso Verdes, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC) and five different goal scorers. A day after going just 2/13 on player advantages, the United States was stellar, posting a 10/16 conversion rate on power plays.
Less than 24 hours after falling to Croatia by a goal on Saturday evening, Team USA came out hitting on all cylinders as they took a 1-0 lead a little under two minutes into the match, when Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) followed a missed shot and buried the ball for a score. Hungary answered on the next possession, but that only seemed to ignite the USA offense. Azevedo scored his first of the day on the next USA possession to put his team back in front, 2-1. 90 seconds later, Tim Hutten (Seal Beach, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) got inside two meters for a power play goal and the United States was up 3-1. At the 2:28 mark, Azevedo scored again, on a power play, and the red, white, and blue were in front 4-1. Hungary came back with a power play goal on their next chance, but Powers was there to respond as he whipped a shot past the keeper following an ordinary foul to build a 5-2 lead with :33 left in the period. A shot by Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC) on a breakaway, as the quarter wound to close, barred out, but the United States remained in command 5-2.
The second quarter belonged to the United States on both ends of the pool. Team USA kept the high scoring Hungarians off the scoreboard for the entire period while adding two goals of their own. Twice Peter Varellas (Moraga, CA/Stanford/Olympic Club) found the cage on power plays and the United States surged to their biggest lead of the match, 7-2, going into halftime. Hungary came out refocused to start the third period, scoring two of the first three goals of the quarter, sandwiched around another Azevedo score, to close within 8-4, with 2:45 left in the third. Layne Beaubien (Coronado, CA/Stanford/NYAC) had a response with a power play score and it was 9-4 in favor of Team USA with 1:04 to go. Hungary scored again moments later to get back within four, but with just four seconds left in the period, it was Azevedo once more hitting on a power play score for a 10-5 USA lead after three.
Hungary looked to mount one final rally and it came early in the fourth period. The Hungarians scored twice to open the quarter, closing the gap to 10-7, with 6:23 remaining. That would be as close as they would get, the USA defense would keep Hungary off the board for the next four minutes. Azevedo continued his offensive onslaught with a power play goal with 5:36 to go in the game. He put the match away with his final goal of the day, another power play score with just 1:44 left, building a 12-7 lead. Hungary would score two late goals, but they did not factor in the decision.
Notes: Hungary went just 4/12 on power plays while Team USA converted 10/16. Neither team attempted a penalty shot. Newport Harbor High School was at capacity with an estimated 1700 fans on hand. The match was a rematch of the Gold Medal final from the 2008 Olympics, a 14-10 win by Hungary. In the last four years the two teams only met in one major championship, the 2011 FINA World Championships, a match won by Hungary, 9-8. The win over Hungary was the first since a victory in FINA World League play in a match held at the SODA Aquatics Center on July 26, 2002 in Moraga, CA.
The match was aired live on NBC Sports Network and will replay tomorrow (Monday) on Universal Sports at 3pm est/12pm pst. Hungary will take on Croatia tomorrow (Monday) at Newport Harbor High School at 8pm est/5pm pst. The three team series continues later this week. Team USA will meet Hungary on Thursday, May 31 at 10pm est/7pm pst at UCLA and then the action concludes with USA and Croatia on Friday, June 1 at 10pm est/7pm pst at Rose Bowl Aquatics. The USA match on June 1 will be webcast live on UniversalSports.com.
Scoring
USA 12 (5, 2, 3, 2) T. Azevedo 6, J. Powers 2, P. Varellas 2, L. Beaubien 1, T. Hutten 1
HUN 9 (2, 0, 3, 4) M. Vamos 2, T. Varga 2, P. Biros 2, G. Kiss 2, T. Kasas 1
Saves - USA - M. Moses 12 - HUN - L. Bakas 2, V. Nagy 4
6x5 - USA - 10/16 - HUN - 4/12
Penalties - USA 0/0 - HUN 0/0
Greg Mescall
Associate Director of Communications
USA Water Polo
May 28 - CRO 10 vs. HUN 10 5pm - Newport Harbor HS - Newport Beach, CA
Newport Beach, CA - May 28 - A weekend of international water polo action concluded at Newport Harbor High School on Monday evening when Croatia and Hungary played to a 10-10 draw. The back and forth match saw two of the powers in the world of men's water polo stay close the entire game. Denes Varga scored five goals to lead the Hungarian attack while Niksa Dobud tallied three scores for Croatia. Josip Pavic posted four saves in the cage for Croatia and Viktor Nagy along with Laszlo Baksa combined for nine saves in the cage for Hungary.
It was a 1-1 game after the first period, in the second Hungary went ahead 3-2 at the half. Croatia immediately tied the match early in the third on a score from Miho Boskovic to even things a 3-3. Hungary quickly rebuilt a two goal lead at 5-3 with 5:01 remaining in the third. They would extend to a 6-4 lead with 4:12 left before Croatia mounted a rally the match tied at 6-6 and then again at 7-7 at the end of the third period. In the fourth Hungary went ahead less than 30 seconds into the period with a score from Tamas Varga. Croatia had an answer with 5:10 left on a score from Maro Jokovic. Hungary went ahead moments later, only to see Croatia again find the equalizer.
The match was tied at 9-9 when Hungary broke through with a score from Denes Varga with :54 left. Croatia would have the final word coming back with a power play score with just :28 left as Dobud came up clutch. A final chance for Hungary would prove fruitless and the match ended in a draw. The two teams will be back in action later this week. Hungary will take on Team USA on Thursday at UCLA at 7pm pst while Croatia will also battle Team USA, on Friday at Rose Bowl Aquatics at 6:30pm pst. Tickets for both matches are on sale by clicking here.
Scoring
HUN 10 (1, 2, 4, 3) De. Varga 5, N. Madaras 3, B. Harai 1, T. Varga 1
CRO 10 (1, 1, 5, 3) N. Dobud 3, M. Boskovic 2, S. Sukno 2, I, Buljubasic 2, M. Jokovic 1
Saves - HUN - V. Nagy 7, L. Baksa 2 - CRO - J. Pavic 4
Greg Mescall
Associate Director of Communications
USA Water Polo
May 19-20 - Fisher Cup - UC-San Diego - San Diego, CA
May 10-13 - FINA World League Prelims - Foothill High School - Tustin, CA
May 10 - USA 14 vs. 
Brazil 1
Tustin, CA - May 10 - The USA Men's National Team opened the FINA World League Prelims with a convincing 14-1 win over Brazil at Foothill High School. Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC), Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC), and Brian Alexander (Santa Ana, CA/UCSB/Olympic Club) scored three goals each to pace the offense. Andy Stevens (Villa Park, CA/LMU/NYAC) went the distance in net turning aside 10 shots.
The match was dominated by the United States early and often as Smith started the scoring a little over two minutes into the period for a 1-0 lead. Peter Varellas (Moraga, CA/Stanford/Olympic Club) and Layne Beaubien (Coronado, CA/Stanford/NYAC) added goals to build a 3-0 lead after the first. In the second it was more of the same as Smith, Beaubien, and Azevedo all found the cage for a 6-0 lead at halftime.
In the third, Team USA blew the match open, posting six unanswered goals to take a 12-0 lead after three periods. Azevedo scored twice along with goals from Smith, Alexander, Adam Wright (Seal Beach, CA/UCLA/NYAC) and Foothill graduate JW Krumpholz (Santa Ana, CA/USC/NYAC). The fourth was more of the same with two Alexander goals to open the period giving the United States a 14-0 lead with 3:47 left. Brazil got on the board with less than two minutes remaining, but the goal would not factor in the decision.
Team USA went 5/9 on power plays and 2/2 on penalty shots while Brazil was 0-6 on power plays and did not attempt a penalty. The United States is back in action tomorrow evening when they take on Canada at 6pm pst.
Scoring
USA 14 (3, 3, 6, 2) T. Azevedo 3, B. Alexander 3, J. Smith 3, L. Beaubien 2, P. Varellas 1, A. Wright 1, J. Krumpholz 1
BRA 1 (0, 0, 0, 1)
Saves - USA - A. Stevens 10
6x5 - USA - 5/9 - BRA 0-6
Penalties - USA 2/2 - BRA 0/0
Greg Mescall
Associate Director of Communications
USA Water Polo
May 11 - Canada 6 vs. Brazil 13
May 11 - Brazil 10 vs. USA Junior National Team 7
May 11 - USA 11 vs. 
Canada 2
Tustin, CA - May 11 - The USA Men's National Team picked up their second straight win at the FINA World League Prelims with an 11-2 win over Canada at Foothill High School. Foothill alum JW Krumpholz (Santa Ana, CA/USC/NYAC) led the way with four goals while Chay Lapin (Long Beach, CA/UCLA/Shore) anchored the net with six saves.
Canada got off to the solid start striking first, just two minutes into the match for a 1-0 lead. Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC) answered on the next possession to tie the game at 1-1. Canada had a response to that, moments later, when they buried an outside shot to go back in front 2-1. That would be all the control Canada would have in this match as the USA offense and defense took over. Brian Alexander (Santa Ana, CA/UCSB/Olympic Club) and Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) followed with scores, and Team USA was in front 3-2 headed to the second period.
The second period belonged to Krumpholz as he delivered two inside goals to put the United States in front 5-2 at halftime. In the third quarter Team USA blew things open with three unanswered goals to grab an 8-2 advantage by the end of the period. John Mann (Newport Beach,CA/California/NYAC) started the scoring with a tally inside with 3:55 left in the period. Less than 90 seconds later Krumpholz would draw a penalty, with the conversion coming from Alexander. Alexander added a power play goal with :34 left in the period and the United States was in command.
In the fourth the red, white, and blue put the match away with three more goals to take an 11-2 lead. Layne Beaubien (Coronado, CA/Stanford/NYAC) started it off with a power play goal to go up 9-2. Krumpholz finished things with two straight, including a lob shot into an empty goal and a backhand tally.
Team USA went 4/9 on power plays and 1/1 on penalty shots while Canada was 1/3 on power plays and did not attempt a penalty shot. Earlier in the day Brazil topped Canada 13-6 and then the Brazilians went on to defeat the USA Men's Junior National Team 10-7. Action resumes on Saturday with Brazil taking on Canada at 10:30am followed by the USA Men's National Team battling Brazil at 6pm. Prior to the USA-Brazil the USA Men's Junior National Team will take part in another exhibition match against the Bruin club.
Scoring
USA 11 (3, 2, 3, 3) J. Krumpholz 4, B. Alexander 3, T. Azevedo 1, J. Powers 1, L. Beaubien 1, J. Mann 1
CAN 2 (2, 0, 0, 0)
Saves - USA - C. Lapin 6
6x5 - USA - 4/9 - CAN - 1/3
Penalties - USA - 1/1 - CAN - 0/0
Greg Mescall
Associate Director of Communications
USA Water Polo
May 12 - Canada 5 vs. Brazil 8
May 12 - USA 14 vs. Brazil 2
Tustin, CA - May 12 - The USA Men's National Team continued to roll along at the FINA World League Prelims with a 14-2 win over Brazil at Foothill High School. Behind three first period goals from Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC) and eight saves from Chay Lapin (Long Beach, CA/UCLA/Shore), Team USA got out to an early lead and never looked back.
Azevedo fired in back to back goals to put Team USA up 2-0 with 5:17 to go in the opening period. Brazil answered with a power play goal a little over a minute later to get on the board, trailing 2-1. The United States added two more goals, both on power plays, one from Azevedo and the other from Peter Hudnut, (Encino, CA/Stanford/NYAC) to grab a 4-1 lead. Brazil found the cage once more with just :57 left in the period, they drew to within 4-2, but that goal marked their last score of the match.
From there it was all Team USA as the red, white, and blue ran off 10 unanswered goals spanning the second, third, and fourth periods. In the second, Brian Alexander (Santa Ana, CA/UCSB/Olympic Club) started the scoring with a power play goal. Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC) followed with back to back scores, and Team USA was up 7-2 at halftime.
In the third period it was more of the same for the United States. John Mann (Newport Beach, CA/California/NYAC) got things started with a counter attack goal to take an 8-2 lead. Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) followed with two straight goals to make the advantage 10-2 in favor of Team USA. Shea Buckner (Villa Park, CA/USC/NYAC) closed things out with a score with just two seconds left in the period to take an 11-2 lead going to the fourth.
Not much changed in the final period. While the USA defense continued to keep Brazil out of the scoring column, the USA offense had three more goals to offer. Mann, Tim Hutten (Seal Beach, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF), and Hudnut all found the cage and the United States went up 14-2, which would be the final score. Team USA went 6/8 on power plays and 0/1 on penalty shots while Brazil was 1/8 on power plays and did not attempt a penalty.
The United States closes out play at the FINA World League Prelims with a match against Canada at 11am on Sunday. Earlier in the day Brazil defeated Canada 8-5. In an exhibition match Bruin topped the USA Men's Junior National Team 12-8.
Scoring
USA 14 (4, 4, 3, 3) T. Azevedo 3, P. Hudnut 2, J. Powers 2, J. Mann 2, J. Smith 2, B. Alexander 1, S. Buckner 1, T. Hutten 1
BRA 2 (2, 0, 0, 0)
Saves - USA - C. Lapin 8
6x5 - USA - 6/8 - BRA - 1/8
Penalties - USA - 0/1 - BRA -0/0
Greg Mescall
Associate Director of Communications
USA Water Polo
May 13 - USA 17 vs. Canada 6
Tustin, CA - May 13 - The USA Men's National Team closed out the FINA World League Prelims with a perfect 4-0 record, following a defeat of Canada, 17-6, at Foothill High School. John Mann (Newport Beach, CA/California/NYAC) scored three goals and Andy Stevens (Villa Park, CA/LMU/NYAC) stopped nine shots in a balanced team effort.
Team USA got on the board almost immediately when Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) scored a power play goal less than a minute into the match for a 1-0 lead. Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC) followed with a score a minute later and the United States went up 2-0. Canada answered with a score at the 2:29 mark of the first period but their momentum was short lived as the United States answered with consecutive goals to go up 4-1 after eight minutes.
Mann opened the scoring in the second period with a goal inside to take a 5-1 lead. Canada looked to rally with two straight goals to get back in the match, trailing 5-3, with 4:34 left. That would be as close as Canada would get as Team USA then ran off six straight goals to close out the first half leading 11-3. Peter Varellas (Moraga, CA/Stanford/Olympic Club) would score twice in that run, along with tallies from Powers, Peter Hudnut (Encino, CA/Stanford/NYAC), Shea Buckner (Villa Park, CA/USC/NYAC), and Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC).
Canada opened the third period with a score to draw within 11-4. Powers and Mann followed with goals to build a 13-4 lead with 2:25 left in the third. Canada would score two of the next three goals to close within 14-6 going into the fourth. Team USA put the match away in the fourth with three more goals from Hudnut, Mann, and Brian Alexander (Santa Ana, CA/UCSB/Olympic Club). Every field player for Team USA scored at least once as they went on to the 17-6 win.
The United States went 7/9 on power plays and 1/1 on penalties while Canada was 1/6 on power plays and did not attempt a penalty. Next up for Team USA will be a series with Croatia and Hungary starting on May 26 at Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, CA.
Scoring
USA 17 (4, 7, 3, 3) J. Mann 3, P. Varellas 2, B. Alexander 2, S. Buckner 2, J. Powers 2, P. Hudnut 2, J. Smith 1, T. Azevedo 1, A Wright 1, T. Hutten 1
CAN 6 (1, 2, 3, 0)
Saves - USA - A. Stevens 9
6x5 - USA - 7/9 - CAN - 1/6
Penalties - USA - 1/1 - CAN - 0/0
Greg Mescall
Associate Director of Communications
USA Water Polo
2012 Summer Olympic Men's Teams – London (July 27–August 12, 2012)
