The U.S. women’s water polo team advanced to the gold medal match after a late surge gave them a 15-11 victory over the ROC.
The U.S. women’s water polo team rallied from a three-point deficit to trounce the Russian Olympic Committee in a 15-11 victory.
With that win, Team USA moves to the gold-medal match and will face either Spain or Hungary, who face each other in the second semifinal at 6:50 a.m. ET.
The U.S., gold medalists in London 2012 and Rio 2016, were on the verge of crashing out before the final until a late push helped them over the line. With just over five minutes left, Aria Fischer put the U.S. ahead 12-11. From there, Alys Williams and Madeline Musselman ensured the win with 3 points between them.
The win was partly thanks to three points from captain Maggie Steffens. Steffens is the all-time leading Olympic scorer in the sport.
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The US fell to Hungary in the preliminary rounds 10-9, ending an unbeaten run of 12 Olympic games.
