Australian Cadet Women's Team FINA World Championships campaign

BRONZE MEDAL MATCH: AUSTRALIA 5 def by SPAIN 11

The Australian Cadet Women have finished fourth at the inaugural FINA Cadet Women's World Championships in Greece, after a tough bronze medal match against Spain.

The Aussies left it all in the pool in their final match of the tournament, going down by six goals to an experienced Spain outfit in the bronze medal match.

Captain Sienna Owen was the top goal scorer for the Aussies in the game, with two goals of her own. Tilly Hughes, Chelsea Isaac and Ebony Nash scored one each.

Olivia Muir said she couldn't be prouder of her team for the effort and determination they showed for the whole tournament.

"I thought that was a good game, it wasn't as close as I'd hoped it would be but it was still a good effort by everyone," Muir said.

"We've all improved together over the whole tournament, improved every game and I couldn't be more proud," she said.

Rewatch the match: https://youtu.be/1T3DrxYBeMA

SEMI FINAL: AUSTRALIA 7 def by GREECE 9

The Australian Cadet Women will play for bronze at the FINA Cadet Women's World Championships, after falling just short against host nation Greece in the semi finals.

In a hotly contested game, in front of a passionate home crowd, the Aussie women were faced with a tough task of upsetting Greece to earn a spot in the gold medal match.

After a slow start saw the Aussies down 2-6 aafter the first two quarters, Head Coach Georgina Kovacs-Muller filled her team with confidence and motivation at half time.

A determined, young Australian outfit came out firing in the third quarter, out scoring the Greeks 4-2. But it wasn't enough to hold the Greeks at bay, the end score 7-9.

Queenslander Tilly Hughes said her team were disappointed with the loss, but are looking forward to playing for bronze.

"A 7-9 loss, that was quite disappointing for our team, especially since we really fought for the whole game," Hughes said.

"But it's a real testament to all of the girls, because we never gave up, we had high spirits throughout the whole game.

"We worked together as a team and we should all be really proud of ourselves. We're looking forward to bringing it tomorrow in the bronze medal match," she said.

Rewatch the match: https://youtu.be/3nN4tOtW1uo

QUARTERFINAL: AUSTRALIA 10 d ITALY 5

The Australian Cadet women have booked their semi finals spot, after a 10-5 victory over Italy in the quarterfinals of the 2022 FINA Cadet Women's World Championships.

The teams were neck and neck in the first quarter, before the Australians ran away with it in the second quarter, extending their lead in the fourth quarter to claim a 5-goal win.

Australian captain Sienna Owen said she could not be more proud of her team for their performance in the pool today.

"It feels so good, this really is a dream come true for us and it's such a good experience," Owen said.

"It was an intense and stressful game, we felt all the emotions honestly.

"We're so happy to come away with the win - all of us played so well together and we're looking forward to our semi final," she said.

The Australian women will now play host nation Greece in the semi finals, on Saturday 27 August 4am AEST.

Rewatch the match: https://youtu.be/p-Bg-LC_3Ic

GAME 4: AUSTRALIA 10 draw USA 10

The Australian Cadet Women have drawn their final cross over game against the USA at the FINA Cadet World Championships in Greece.

The Aussie Women started strong, with scores even 4-4 after the first quarter of play. The US women fired back in the second quarter before the Australian women claimed the upper hand in the second half.

Both sides were unable to be separated after four quarters of play, with the end score 10-10.

After finishing second in the cross over pool, the Australian women are through to the quarterfinals, and will play Italy on Thursday 25 August at 4pm AEST.

GAME 3: AUSTRALIA 2 def by HUNGARY 9

The Australian Cadet Women have gone down fighting to a formidable Hungary at the FINA Cadet Women's World Championships overnight.

The Hungarians were unstoppable in the first half, before a third quarter resurgence by the Aussies saw them score two goals to draw the third quarter.

But it wasn't enough to hold off the Hungarians, who claimed a 2-9 win.

Goal keeper Isla Mulligan said it was great to see some improvements from the training games against Hungary leading in.

"We've trained with Hungary for a week before we came here, and that was one of our smallest goal differences that we've had.

"It was a really physical game and I think we handled it pretty well.

"We just kept pushing on and I'm proud of the girls for doing that," she said.

The Aussie Women will now play the USA on Wednesday 24 August at 4PM AEST.

Rewatch the match: https://youtu.be/Fmwhe6GEaj8

GAME 2: AUSTRALIA 32 d SWITZERLAND 2

The Australian Cadet Women have stamped their authority on the second day of competition at the FINA Cadet Women's World Championships, with a dominant 32-2 win over Switzerland.

The Aussie Women came out firing, outscoring the Swisse 6-0 in the first quarter, going on to score another nine goals in the second quarter and managing to keep their opponents to nil.

West Australian Bridget Cranley was the top goal scorer for the Aussies, with a mind blowing eight goals of her own. Queenslander Olivia Muir scored five goals, and New South Wales representative Ebony Nash scored four.

After her eight goal haul, Cranley said it was great for the team to have a solid hit out.

"It was great to practice our systems, and put things into play that we've been working on," Cranley said.

"It was a good game all round and a real team effort. It was nice to be able to play our own game, and get back in the water after a tough game against Greece," she said.

The win places the Aussie Cadet women second in the pool, where they will now face Hungary in the cross overs on Tuesday 23 August at 4PM AEST.

Rewatch the match: https://youtu.be/_BKtMelVPRs

GAME 1: AUSTRALIA 5 def by GREECE 8

The Australian Cadet Women have gone down fighting in their first game of the inaugural FINA Cadet World Championships in Larisa-Volos, Greece.

Matching up against host nation Greece, in front of a passionate home crowd - the Aussie women were tasked with a tough first match.

But their Australian grit and determination shone through, managing to push the Greeks right up until the end of the four quarters.

In the end, the Greeks claimed a 3-goal win (5-8) but it has left the Aussies hungry for more.

Australian Centre Back Matilda Waugh said that despite the scoreline, she was proud of how her team played their first ever game of international water polo.

"That was a really good game, really physical and good to get out there for our first international game," Waugh said.

"We definitely came together as a team, helping each other out right across the pool.

"Our communication was really good, and we were able to cheer each other up when it got tough.

"We're looking forward to getting back into the pool against Switzerland, and showing them who Australia really is," she said.

The Aussie Cadet women will be back in the pool against Switzerland on Monday 22 August at 6.30pm AEST.

Rewatch the match: https://youtu.be/TXLWZMUFRQI