FINA WORLD LEAGUE INTERCONTINENTAL CUP - DAY 2
Published Wed 09 Mar 2022
The Aussie Sharks and Aussie Stingers continued their FINA World League Intercontinental Cup campaign in Peru today. A determined Aussie Stingers outfit remained strong from start to finish to claim another win, while the Aussie Sharks narrowly lost in a penalty shoot out.
WEDNESDAY 9 MARCH - WOMEN - AUSTRALIA 14 d CANADA 11
The Aussie Stingers continued their winning form in the second game of the FINA World League Intercontinental Cup in Peru, with a hard fought victory against Canada 14-11.
Having last played Canada at the Tokyo Olympic Games in July last year, the Aussie Stingers were looking to get another win on the board.
Tokyo Olympian Bronte Halligan again rose to the occasion, top scoring for the Stingers with six goals.
But it was the strong defensive game of Tokyo Olympian Abby Andrews (QLD) that earnt her the Player of the Match title, with one goal, one block and two steals.
Andrews said she was proud of the team effort that her side adapted from start to finish.
“We’re very happy with the 14-11 result against Canada,” Andrews said.
“It was a very physical game but we came out strong and everyone was moving well to break up their heavy press.
“In the end we got the job done and it was a great game from the girls,” she said.
The Aussie Stingers have two preliminary matches remaining, with Cuba the next opposition.
“We’re playing Cuba next, and none of us have ever played them before so we’re really looking forward to it,” Andrews said.
“It will be good to play against some new faces, and I’m excited to see how we go,” she said.
To watch the replay - click here
For full results - click here
The Aussie Stingers will play Cuba on Thursday 10 March at 3am AEDT.
WEDNESDAY 9 MARCH - MEN - AUSTRALIA 18 def by CANADA 19
The Aussie Sharks put up a tough fight in their second game of the FINA World League Intercontinental Cup, but were unable to hold off a determined Canada who claimed the win in penalty shoot out 18-19.
The Aussie Sharks started strong, with a three goal lead at the end of the first quarter, but it was in the second quarter that Canada made a comeback closing the gap to one.
Scores were level heading into the last quarter, both teams looking for a big eight minutes of water polo to claim the win.
Canada managed to get a few goals on the board early, putting them one goal ahead with one minute remaining.
A goal from Aussie Sharks co-captain Blake Edwards levelled the scores, and a turnover with 20 seconds remaining offered the Sharks the opportunity to edge ahead, but they were unable to convert sending the game into a penalty shoot out.
Unfortunately for the Aussies, Canada managed to convert all five of their penalty shots to claim victory.
Aussie Sharks Assistant Coach and Triple Olympian Rafael Sterk (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008) said that it’s a tough result for the team after a hard fought effort.
“It’s a disappointing loss given the position we were in at the start of the game, with a 3-0 lead straight off the bat,” Sterk said.
“To have the control of the game and then let it drop a little at the end of the game is a bit disappointing.
“But the boys will bounce back, and they know we’ll probably have to face Canada again at some stage during the finals.
“So we’ll be positive and we know we’ve got plenty left in the tank so we’ll give it our all next time,” he said.
The Aussie Sharks will play Brazil on Thursday 10 March at 11am AEDT.
“We’re expecting Brazil to take some outside shots, and try to test our goal keepers,” Sterk said.
“We’ve got to counter attack hard, just grind them out and stick to our game,” he said.
For full results - click here
To watch the replay - click here
