Goleta, CA – November 27 – The USA Women’s National Team wrapped up a three game series with Australia in front of a standing room only crowd at Dos Pueblos High School, winning 8-7. Rachel Fattal (Seal Beach, CA/UCLA/SOCAL) scored the game winner on a shot from the perimeter with just eight seconds left to give Team USA the series 2-1. Dos Pueblos graduate Kiley Neushul (Goleta, CA/Stanford/Santa Barbara) paced the offense with three goals while her high school teammate Sami Hill (Santa Barbara, CA/UCLA/Santa Barbara) earned the win in net posting 11 saves. To watch a full replay of the match, click here. To watch any match from the USA-Australia series, click here.
Team USA got off to a hot start vs Australia going up 4-0 with 3:24 left in the first half. Maggie Steffens (Danville, CA/Stanford/NYAC) opened up the scoring with a power play strike and Neushul followed with three straight to build the advantage. Australia rallied with four straight goals of their own spanning the rest of the second quarter and all of the third to even the match at 4-4 going to the fourth.
Makenzie Fischer (Laguna Beach, CA/Laguna Beach HS/SET) and Courtney Mathewson(Anaheim Hills, CA/UCLA/NYAC) opened the fourth with a goal each to give the United States the lead back at 6-4. Bronwen Knox and Rowie Webster responded for Australia to even the score at 6-6 with 2:29 left. Maddie Musselman (Newport Beach, CA/Corona del Mar HS/CdM Aquatics) countered with a lob shot score for a 7-6 lead with 55 seconds left. Gemma Beadsworth brought the Aussies back with a score with :29 to make it 7-7. That set the stage for Fattal’s heroics in the final moments.
Team USA went 3/12 on power plays while Australia was 4/11 on the player advantage with neither team attempting a penalty shot.
All three games in the series were decided by a final score of 8-7 with Team USA winning two of three. The match featured three Dos Pueblos High School graduates in Neushul, Hill, and Kodi Hill (Santa Barbara, CA/UCLA/Santa Barbara 805). The match was also a homecoming for Kami Craig (Santa Barbara, CA/USC/Santa Barbara) who attended Santa Barbara High School. Next up for Team USA is an exhibition with the Netherlands on December 13 at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, CA followed by the four team Holiday Cup December 15-20 at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, CA. To purchase tickets for either event, click here.
Scoring – Scoresheet
USA 8 (2, 2, 0, 4) K. Neushul 3, M. Fischer 1, R. Fattal 1, C. Mathewson 1, M. Steffens 1, M. Musselman 1
AUS 7 (0, 1, 3, 3) H. Buckling 2, B. Knox 2, G. Beadsworth 1, R. Webster 1, Z. Arancini 1
Saves – USA – S. Hill – 11 – AUS – K. Wakefield – 7
6×5 – USA – 3/12 – AUS – 4/11
Penalties – USA – 0/0 – AUS – 0/0
Swimming news courtesy of USA Water Polo.