Rare Loss for US Women’s Water Polo Team at Paris Olympics

SAINT-DENIS, France—The U.S. women’s water polo team suffered a rare defeat at the Paris Olympics on Monday, losing 13–11 to Spain in a rematch of the final at the Tokyo Games.

The United States is aiming for its fourth consecutive gold medal, a feat that has never been accomplished by any team—men or women—in Olympic water polo history.

This loss marks only the second defeat for the U.S. women’s water polo team at the Olympics since the 2008 final. Their previous record includes 5 wins and 1 draw in London, 6 straight victories in Rio de Janeiro, and a 6-1 record in Tokyo.

Head coach Adam Krikorian commented, “It’s a long tournament. We have to learn from this experience and hopefully show more composure if we are faced with a similar situation in the future.”

Following a 10–9 loss to Hungary in the group stage, the United States bounced back with four consecutive wins, outscoring their opponents 63–26. This spree included a dominant 14–5 triumph over Spain in the previous final.

This time, the match unfolded quite differently.

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Ortiz netted five goals on eight attempts for Spain, who had previously defeated France 15–6 in their Group B opener. Maica Garcia Godoy and Paula Leiton Arrones also found the back of the net, taking advantage of the United States’ inexperience at the center position.

Spain’s Anni Espar Llaquet remarked, “It feels great, but this is not our ultimate goal for the tournament. This was a crucial game, and our aim is to finish on top of the group standings, but ultimately this result does not define us.”

The U.S. team kicked off their Olympic campaign with a commanding 15–6 win over Greece, bringing their overall record to 18–2 before their upcoming match against Italy on Wednesday.

Rachel Fattal’s goal early in the third quarter narrowed the U.S. deficit to 7–6, but Spain’s Ortiz responded with four consecutive goals in a remarkable display.

Kaleigh Gilchrist, a U.S. attacker, stated, “We could have made adjustments sooner, and when we did, we gradually started to close the gap. If we had made some changes in the third quarter, who knows what could have happened? But that’s the nature of the game.”

Trailing 11–10, the U.S. managed to claw back with a goal from Gilchrist with 5:35 remaining. However, an untimely turnover squandered their chance to level the scores.

Llaquet scored a crucial goal for Spain with 4:10 left on the clock, and goalkeeper Martina Terre thwarted a penalty shot from U.S. star Maddie Musselman to secure the victory.

Reflecting on her performance, Terre expressed, “I enjoy saving penalties. Although they scored their first two attempts, the third one was my opportunity to finally make a stop. I’m grateful for the save, but I hold myself to a high standard and strive to make more saves in the future.”

Jordan Raney led the U.S. team with two goals, while goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson scored in the final seconds, making 13 saves on 26 shots in an inconsistent performance.

Head coach Krikorian concluded, “I’m incredibly proud of our comeback, but I was disappointed with how we found ourselves trailing in the first place. We deviated from our game plan, lost some trust in each other, and that’s how the gap widened.”