To cap the medals, Kate Gynther (QLD), twice before the top scorer in this phase of the tournament, the Super Finals, was second best this time with 13 and was named the Most Valuable Player. Goalkeeper Victoria Brown (VIC) was heralded as the best goalkeeper.

Game 15: 19:00, Sunday, July 8
Play-off for 1st & 2nd
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 8 AUSTRALIA 4
Referees: Nikos VASILIOU (GRE), Jaime MOLINER (ESP)
Quarters: 3-1, 2-1, 2-1, 1-1
Teams:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Elizabeth ARMSTRONG, Heather PETRI (2), Erika FIGGE, Brenda VILLA (1), Lauren WENGER (2), Natalie GOLDA (1), Patricia CARDENAS (1), Jessica STEFFENS, Elsie WINDES, Alison GREGORKA, Moriah VAN NORMAN, Kameryn CRAIG (1), Jaime HIPP. Head Coach: Guy BAKER.
AUSTRALIA: Victoria BROWN, Fiona HAMMOND, Jemma DESSAUVAGIE, Jane MORAN, Suzie FRASER, Gemma HADLEY (1), Larissa WEBSTER, Kate GYNTHER (2), Erin DOUGLASS (1), Mia SANTOROMITO, Melissa RIPPON, Katie FINUCANE, Lea BARTA. Head Coach: Greg McFADDEN.
Match report:
The United States proved too strong and shooting like an arrow proved a huge boost, especially in the early stages. Australia’s extra-man attack was shut down by the USA as it strolled to victory with an advantage in each of the first three quarters.
Petri opened with Douglass replying on extra. Wenger from six metres and Golda from eight minutes had the game at 3-1 by 2:57. Australia’s shooting on extra man was not effective.
Gynther scored from deep left at 6:06 of the second period but Wenger had the USA 4-2 ahead after Webster at centre defence and then Moran for holding were sent in quick succession. Wenger came to the one-metre line to score as Webster was returning. Petri gained her second on extra from the top just as the defender started to come back into the play. Australia had a timeout but the shot was stopped.
Cardenas gave the USA a better advantage at 7:25 of the third period on extra. Gynther pealed paint off the crossbar and upright in scoring from the top at 3:23 but Craig played a commanding centre-forward role for 7-3 at 2:16.
USA went to a timeout at 6:14 of the fourth but nothing came of it. Both teams fought hard for goals and Australia looked to have one on counter but Hadley lobbed only for Hipp to grab. USA captain Villa finished the match with a goal on extra at 1:37.
COACHES’ COMMENTS:
Guy BAKER (USA): “I’m happy with the way we played as it was a good game. We got control of the game early and there were few turnovers. Jaime had a great game in goal. The field players shot-blocked and Jaime was there to save. We score five from 11 on extra and they scored one from nine. There’s the four goals difference. We did a good job on five on six. This was the first time we have had the full team playing since the World Championship final.”
Greg McFADDEN (AUS): “It was a fantastic week considering four girls have never repped Australia at any level… to come away with a silver medal. The girls never stopped trying. I think we played our final the day before against Canada. This was a good possibility to explore players and there should be quite a few players at home wondering where they stand in the national squad. Mel (Rippon) and Kate (Gynther) proved they are two of the best players in the world and they led the team fantastically by example and with encouragement and demanded the best from their team-mates. I’m very proud of the girls and this sets us up in a good position in 14 months time for the Olympics.”

 

Aussie Stingers sneak into World League gold-medal game
Montreal, Canada (July 7).—
Australia stamped its authority as one of the two best women’s water polo nations in the world when it surged into the FINA World League gold-medal final here tonight.
The Aussie Stingers will play their third consecutive world final in 10 months when they clash with World and World League champion United States of America tomorrow evening. They won the World Cup in China in August and took the silver medal from March’s FINA World Championships in Melbourne. USA won that match 6-5.
The Stingers needed two things to happen to make the final.
After a shock loss to Spain yesterday, Australia needed Greece to lose to the USA, which it did 5-4, and then to beat Canada in normal time to scrape into the final.
This Australia did 11-8 after a final five minutes of mayhem in which Canada dropped the ball when taking a penalty shot; Canadian superstar captain Krystina Alogbo being fouled out of the game and two Canadians being suspended for misconduct.
At the point of the fumbled penalty, Australia was only 8-7 ahead in what had been a tight, clean and exciting game.
A tied game and a penalty shootout win would not have been enough for Australia as only two points go to the winner and one to the loser.
While head coach Greg McFadden was excited by the qualification for the final, Kate Gynther and left-hander Suzie Fraser were savouring the four goals they each scored.
“I thought we were the better team but we didn’t convert enough extra-mans. It was a good driving game and our defence was solid, not giving up too many chances,” McFadden said.
“We should have been a couple of more goals up at that missed penalty. We lifted and they dropped.
“It was a fantastic effort. The girls were really focused — they did their job. The challenge is to do it tomorrow,” he said.
Canada and Greece will play for bronze while Spain and China, who played to a 14-7 result today, will do it again tomorrow for fifth place.
Results:
FINA World League Super Finals, women, Montreal, Canada, day 4:
Australia 11 (S Fraser, K Gynther 4, F Hammond, G Hadley, M Santoromito) Canada 8, USA 5 Greece 4, Spain 14 China 7.
Final points: USA 15, Australia 9, Canada 8, Greece 7, Spain 6, China 0.

Game 12: 19:00, Saturday, July 7
AUSTRALIA 11 CANADA 8
Referees: Bob CORB (USA), Jaime MOLINER (ESP)
Quarters: 1-2, 3-2, 3-2,4-2
Teams:
AUSTRALIA: Victoria BROWN, Fiona HAMMOND (1), Jemma DESSAUVAGIE, Jane MORAN, Suzie FRASER (4), Gemma HADLEY (1), Larissa WEBSTER, Kate GYNTHER (4), Erin DOUGLASS, Mia SANTOROMITO (1), Melissa RIPPON, Katie FINUCANE, Lea BARTA. Head Coach: Greg McFADDEN.
CANADA: Rachel RIDDELL, Krystina ALOGBO, Sandra LIZÉ, Emily CSIKOS (1), Joelle BEKHAZI, Rosanna TOMIUK, Cora CAMPBELL (1), Dominique PERRAULT, Alison BRADEN (1), Christine ROBINSON, Tara CAMPBELL (2), Marina RADU (3), Whynther LAMARRE, Jenna CROOK. Head Coach: Pat OATEN.
Match report:
Australia won through to the gold-medal game by outlasting Canada in the dying minutes. A fluffed penalty shot attempt by Canada was the turning point at 5:39 in the final quarter and Australia swam away with the game.
The large crowd was behind Canada in the do-or-die match, swamping the lone Australian mother of a player. The game was a battle of strength and super-tight defence. It wasn’t until 1:31 that the scoring gates opened when Tara Campbell scored on extra into the top right-hand corner. Australia had a chance on the next attack and gained an extra-man play. The first shot from Hadley was blocked by one of the three players in goal defence but she regained and flipped out to Gynther who bounced the ball in. Braden wound up at the top and just made the top right corner, creasing the wood at 0:35 for 2-1. Radu claimed the third Canadian goal on the first attack of the second quarter when low left. Australia gained an extra straight after and Santoromito was free on two metres, receiving a cross pass from Fraser to score easily. Gynther gained the ball on defence and swam the lenth of the pool behind her team, sat up and shot for 3-3 at 4:18. Fraser netted Australia’s fourth from deep left-hand catch for the lead. Alogbo gained her second major on a double exclusion, which was a big blow for Canada. On Canada’s next attempt, Radu lobbed from out left to level the game again. Riddell stopped a big Australian shot with 35 seconds left.
Fraser opened the third period from her favoured low position on the first Australian attack after Canada lost the ball. Radu levelled with another screamer from the top for 5-5. Gynther gained her 10th goal of the tournament on extra when she scored with a half-action shot from one metre. Csikos blasted from the top and Canada was back in the game again. Hammond claimed the advantage for Australia from top left with just 16 seconds left for 7-6. Santoromito was excluded on the hooter, leaving Australia one down for the erstart.
Canada won the ball thanks to two breaks by Fraser on the restart but the shot was saved by Brown. On the counter, Gynther was free on the left and she calmly passed to Fraser, on the far post, who scored for 8-6. Cora Campbell caught Brown unawares with an eight-metre shot off a free throw for 8-7 at 6:25. Canada gained a penalty, thanks to Cora Campbell but Radu fumbled the shot at 5:39. Fraser gained her fourth of the game And eighth of the tournament, with an identical pass from Gynther on extra at 4:08 for 9-7. A minute later Gynther hammered in her fourth from the top near the end of possession for 10-7. Canada went to a timeout after the restart. Radu shot high and immediately tangled with Rippon, eventually allegedly kicking her, gaining a suspension foul. Alogbo gained her third major in a double exclusion with Webster. Tomiuk was then excluded and Hadley converted for 11-7 at 1:49. Canada took a timeout on extra and Tara Campbell lifted Canada to 11-8. Cora Campbell was called for holding and then shot the ball well after. She then swore and gained a suspension foul. Canada sent in a replacement while Campbell was still in the pool but the game ended with Australia through to the final.
COACHES’ COMMENTS:
Greg McFADDEN (AUS): “I though we were the better team but we didn’t convert enough extra-mans. It was a good driving game and our defence was solid, not giving up too many chances. We should have been a couple of more goals up at that missed penalty. We lifted and they dropped. It was a fantastic effort. The girls were really focused — they did their job. The challenge is to do it tomorrow.”
Pat OATEN (CAN): “We had difficulty with the Australian press and at 8-7 we missed a five-metre (penalty shot attempt). That was the most kick-outs (19, in a game) in my whole coaching career but you can’t take it away from Australia. They came out to play. It was intense the whole game. When we missed that five-metre the whole team went down. We just lost our focus after that.”
Final points: USA 15, Australia 9, Canada 8, Greece 7, Spain 6, China 0.

Stingers' gold-medal chances in chaos
Montreal, Canada (July 6).—
Australia’s FINA World League women’s water polo aspirations were thrown into chaos when the Stingers unexpectedly lost 12-11 to Spain at Parc Jean Drapeau today.
As if by an act of God, the Stingers had three-goal leads in each of the first three quarters but thunder sounded and the game was abandoned for 15 minutes as athletes were forced from the water. Spain returned fired up while the Aussies lost their sting and succumbed. It means that Australia has the possibility of filling all of the six places but victory over Canada tomorrow and Greece’s expected loss to reigning champion United States of America would assure it of a final berth against USA.
The two clashed in the FINA World Championship final in Melbourne in March with the USA winning by a goal.
Against Spain, the three-goal lead at the break at 5:48 in the third quarter quickly became 10-9 by the end of the period.
Spain equalised at the start of the fourth but Fiona Hammond took Australia to 11-10 straight after. Spain, however, scored successive goals to secure the win.
A last-gasp play by the Stingers saw two errors and the final shot was blocked.
Australian assistant coach Greig Richardson said the thunder played a large part in the result.
“After the thunder break we lost momentum and focus. They had a chance to regroup and fix parts of their game where we dominated.
“There were some squandered opportunities but then again we created lots of chances. “The quality of our game dropped in the second half and this played into their hands. We should have played with our normal high-skill game,” Richardson said.
Buoyed by Australia’s loss, Canada beat Greece 12-11 in a penalty shootout after finishing tied at 7-all at full time.
Greece’s one point for losing in a shootout means it remains in contention for final spot while Canada just needs the win over Australia to play the USA on Sunday.
The USA claimed their berth with a 9-2 win over China.
Results:
FINA World League Super Finals, women, Montreal, Canada, day 3:
Spain 12 Australia 11 (E Douglass 3, F Hammond, K Gynther, K Finucane 2, S Fraser, M Rippon), USA 9 China 2, Canada 12 Greece 11 in penalty shootout (FT: 7-7).
Progress points: USA 12, Canada 8, Greece 7, Australia 6, Spain 3, China 0.

Game 7: 16:00, Friday, July 6
SPAIN 12 AUSTRALIA 11
Referees: Bob CORB (USA), WANG Ya Qi (CHN)
Quarters: 3-4, 3-4, 3-2, 3-1
Teams:
SPAIN: Patricia DEL SOTO, Blanca GIL (4), Cristina PARDO, Irene HAGEN, Miriam LOPEZ-ESCRIBANO (2), Jennifer PAREJA (1), Cristina LOPEZ (1), Anna PARDO (1), Pilar PENA (2), Samantha MIGUEL, Maria GARCIA (1), Laura LOPEZ, Elisabeth GAZULLA. Head Coach: Vicenc TARRES.
AUSTRALIA: Victoria BROWN, Fiona HAMMOND (2), Jemma DESSAUVAGIE, Jane MORAN, Suzie FRASER (1), Gemma HADLEY, Larissa WEBSTER, Kate GYNTHER (3), Erin DOUGLASS (3), Mia SANTOROMITO, Melissa RIPPON (1), Katie FINUCANE (2), Lisa CALLAHAN. Head Coach: Greg McFADDEN.
Match report:
Australia let one slip and sent the tournament into a spin when losing by a goal to Spain. Australia had three-goal advantages in each of the first three periods but a 15-minute stoppage for thunder and lightning saw Australia lose concentration and Spain lift its game to a victorious level.
Spanish bomber Gil blasted the opening goal from nine metres but it was Australia who pounced on Spanish errors to gain a 4-1 lead. Hammond sent one into the top right when unattended. Gynther sucked and scored a penalty goal. A steal in the back pool was sent up to Finucane who confidently scored and Douglass earned an exclusion and quickly received the cross pass to convert. Lopez had space and scored form four metres while Gil gained a second and narrowed the score to 4-3 on extra.
Douglass scored twice at the top of the second quarter from centre forward, once turning easily and the second with a cheeky sweeping lob. Pena replied on the deep right when unguarded. Rippon received a long cross pass on counter and bounced the ball past Del Soto for 7-4. Pareja charged in on counter into a big gap to grab one back. Gynther had a penalty shot but she sent the ball low left and Del Soto stopped. Garcia scored on the next attack, meaning a two-goal turnaround and only a goal behind. Fraser closed the quarter on extra.
Finucane received a gift goal at two metres early in the third period but the good work was undone when Lopez-Escribano converted extra. Gynther sent the margin to three again with a missile from the top. At 5:48, passing thunder forced the evacuation of the pool for 15 minutes. The break unsettled the Aussies and Gil scored an easy counter-attack goal. Three minutes later Lopez-Escribano converted extra for 10-9 in Australia’s favour. Neither team scored in the remaining two minutes.
Fraser missed an easy one-on-one after both teams passed to an opponent. She baulked and lobbed Del Soto who was well out of her cage but it was low and Del Soto tipped into the post. Gil immediately took the foul at 5m at the other end, shot and levelled at 10-all. Gil nearly damaged the crossbar with a shot and Santoromito lobbed off the bar but no rewards. Gil was excluded and Australia called timeout at 3:23 but Hadley’s resulting shot was blocked by Del Soto. Spain gained an extra play inside two minutes but a guarded Gil sent it left. Santoromito lobbed into the crossbar and Spain was on attack nearing 1:00 and Pardo hammered the ball into goal for a 12-11 lead. Australia pressed all over the pool and Spain finally called a timeout at 0:37. Australia broke and Fraser received the long ball and gained the exclusion on Pareja with McFadden calling a timeout at 0:14. Australia had two passes go astray and the final shot from Moran was blocked by the defence, gifting the win to an ecstatic Spain.
COACHES’ COMMENTS:
Vicenc TARRES (ESP): “I am very happy, more than the result, the attitude of the players. One girl was injured (Laura Lopez, arm) after the second game (she played but not to great effect) so the others were playing up . When the thunder break came we did not lose concentration. After the stoppage, the players were more concentrated. They were better than the Australians (for the rest of the game). Australia plays differently from us (when asked if Spain upset Australia in any particular way).”
Greig RICHARDSON (AUS, Assistant Coach): “After the thunder break we lost momentum and focus. They had a chance to regroup and fix parts of their game where we dominated. There were some squandered opportunities but then again we created lots of chances. The quality of our game dropped in the second half and this played into their hands. We should have played with our normal high-skill game.”

Stingers rattle USA cage before losing
Montreal, Canada (July 5).—
Australia rattled world champion United States of America’s cage for the second time in two months when they clashed in the women’s water polo FINA World League Super Finals here tonight. While the USA won 9-8, Australia led until early in the third period but gave away three goals in under two minutes before playing catch-up water polo, without gaining the necessary equalising goal to force a penalty shootout. The two teams were the only undefeated teams remaining in the competition and the clash promised much and produced a highly exciting, classy match. The USA continues its favouritism for a third World League crown to sit aside the FINA World Championship title it won over Australia in Melbourne last March.
Australia’s World Seven star Kate Gynther beat the drum for the Aussie Stingers with four goals, including the last two in a game where extra-man goals were hard to come by but tenacious defence kept them in the game.
USA was expected to win in a canter following two big wins in exhibition games in California last week but the Stingers stuck to a game plan, which included rattling the experienced and multi-medalled North Americans.
Australia, still well in a chance for a gold-medal shot if it can get past Spain tomorrow and Canada on Saturday, led 3-2 at the quarter and was tied 4-all at halftime. USA won the third period 5-3 with the final quarter a 1-all effort.
Head coach Greg McFadden said: “I’m very happy with the way the girls went. To take the best team in the world to one goal and either way it could have been a draw or a win. It was an amazing performance.
“The amazing thing was that we had our chances and we failed to capitalise one more time while they did. I’m very proud of them. To come off six and seven-goal hidings from them a week ago to this…”
He rated Gynther, Suzie Fraser, Katie Finucane and goalkeeper Victoria Brown as the standout players with Brown stopping a penalty shot when 7-6 down.
Canada came from 6-2 down in the second quarter to defeat Spain in another 9-8 thriller while Greece had little trouble beating China 12-7.
Results:
FINA World League Super Finals, Montreal, Canada, day 2:
USA 9 Australia 8 (K Gynther 4, E Douglass 2, J Moran, G Hadley), Greece 12 China 7, Canada 9 Spain 8.
Progress points: USA 9, Australia 6, Canada 6, Greece 6, Spain 0, China 0.

Game 4: 16:00, Thursday, July 5
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 9 AUSTRALIA 8
Referees: Vasiliou NIKOSS (GRE), Cristina TACCINI (ITA)
Quarters: 2-3, 2-1, 4-3, 1-1
Teams:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Elizabeth ARMSTRONG, Heather PETRI (1), Erika FIGGE (1), Brenda VILLA (1), Lauren WENGER (1), Natalie GOLDA, Patricia CARDENAS, Jessica STEFFENS, Elsie WINDES (2), Alison GREGORKA (2), Moriah VAN NORMAN (1), Kameryn CRAIG, Jaime HIPP. Head Coach: Guy BAKER.
AUSTRALIA: Victoria BROWN, Fiona HAMMOND, Jemma DESSAUVAGIE, Jane MORAN (1), Suzie FRASER, Gemma HADLEY (1), Larissa WEBSTER, Kate GYNTHER (4), Erin DOUGLASS (2), Mia SANTOROMITO, Melissa RIPPON, Katie FINUCANE, Lea BARTA, Lisa CALLAHAN. Head Coach: Greg McFADDEN.
Match report:
The two best teams in the world provided the best possible game. Australia controlled the first half and the USA the second with the possibility of a penalty shoot-out very real.
Australia took the early initiative through Moran with a lob but Windes soon drew the USA level from the top. Australia then had the better of the play with Gynther scoring twice on extra. Van Norman muscled a goal from two metres at 1:48 for a 3-2 quarter in Australia’s favour.
Figge scored on extra to open the second quarter when Santoromito was excluded. Douglass used her backhand to great effect from two metres for 4-3. Australia had a timeout but could not score on extra. Gregorka closed the period’s scoring with a centre-forward effort on extra at 4:21. Neither team could breach the defence until halftime.
Douglass scored again from centre forward with the backhand to open the third period and regain the lead at 5-4. USA went on to the offensive with Wenger starting the surge with an unguarded low shot into the bottom left. Windes drilled from the top and captain Villa converted extra to have the USA 7-5 ahead. Hadley replied with her second shot in succession, regaining the first. Figge went to the penalty line but Brown stopped with her left hand. More than three minutes later, Gregorka was allowed to march in and score unattended for 8-6. Gynther gained her third goal with an opportune lob at the end of possession just nine seconds from the buzzer for 8-7.
Veteran Petri plundered a goal at the top of the fourth to send USA 9-7 ahead but Gynther continued her class form here with a shot from outside at 5:17. A USA timeout yielded nothing but wood. Australia kept applying the pressure and defying the fact that the team has been changed drastically since Melbourne with eight new faces to the USA’s two. Rippon drove and Gregorka grabbed for the exclusion at 1:27. Australia took the timeout but Fraser’s shot was deflected by the defence. Villa turned over soon after, much to coach Baker’s disgust. Gynther’s shot was deflected into the rope by goalkeeper Hipp but the referee over-ruled the goal judge, confusing the Australians. Gynther stole the ball off Villa and the manner in which she did further incensed Baker. However, the regaining of the ball was too late for Australia to shoot on goal and USA had won a thrilling encounter.
COACHES’ COMMENTS:
Guy BAKER (USA): “It was our best game of the summer. Our games (against Australia) are always close games. Australia is still a very good team (referring to the large number of changes to the Australian side). Most of the time water polo games are close and tight. It’s always good to look to see how we respond. We gave up a penalty shot and missed a few others but it’s good coming up with the win. Both teams were strong.”
Greg McFADDEN (AUS): “I’m very happy with the way the girls went. To take the best team in the world to one goal and either way it could have been a draw or a win. It was an amazing performance. The amazing thing was that we had our chances and we failed to capitalise one more time while they di. I’m very proud of them. To come off six and seven-goal hidings from them a week ago to this…”

Aussie Stingers hold off Greece in first match at Super Finals
Montreal, Canada (July 4).—
Australia beat the best of Europe with a thrilling 9-8 victory over Greece in the opening round of the women’s water polo FINA World League Super Finals here tonight.
The Aussie Stingers had the better of the middle half of the game after being down 2-0 early but allowed European zone winner Greece to level the game an extraordinary three times in the final quarter.
In winning, head coach Greg McFadden said he was extremely pleased with the win.
“It was a great performance considering the inexperience of the team.
We started a bit shaky but in the second quarter we exploded away. Our defence was good in the third but we didn’t make the most of our attacks.
“In the fourth there a couple of critical errors and some luck went the way of the Greeks, allowing them to stay in touch.”
While Australia was 3-2 up at the quarter and 6-3 at halftime, the gap was narrowed to 6-4 by the final break.
Greece levelled at 6-all with two quick goals and two go-ahead goals were not enough to get away from Greece.
With the game heading to a penalty shootout, Suzie Fraser sent in a screamer from the top just 34 seconds from time to secure the win and gain her third goal.
Kate Gynther played a huge part in the final period with several crucial steals and a bouncing goal that sent the Stingers 8-7 ahead late in the game.
In other matches, reigning champion United States of America blitzed Spain 12-3 and Canada rumbled China 13-5.
A big pointer to a possible final could come in tomorrow’s opening game between Australia and the USA, who fought out the FINA World Championship gold-medal game in Melbourne two months ago. On that occasion USA won by a goal.
Results:
FINA World League Super Finals, Montreal, day 1:
Australia 9 (S Fraser 3, J Moran 2, G Hadley, K Gynther, M Santoromito, M Rippon) Greece 8, USA 12 Spain 3, Canada 13 China 5.
Progress points (with carry-over points from preliminary rounds): Australia 6, USA 6, Canada 3, Greece 3, China 0, Spain 0.

Game 1: 16:00, Wednesday, July 4
GREECE 8 AUSTRALIA 9
Referees: Marie-Claude DESLIERES (CAN), Jalma MOLINA (ESP)
Quarters: 2-3, 1-3,1-0, 4-3
Teams:
GREECE: Anthoula MYLONAKI, Alexandra ASIMAKI, Angeliki GEROLYMOU (2), Sofia IOSIFIDOU, Kyriaki LIOSI (1), Stavroula KOZOMPOLI (1), Aikaterini OIKONOMOPOULOU, Antigoni ROUMPESI (1), Evangelia MORAITIDOU (2), Nicoleta KOTSIDOU, Stavroula ANTONAKOU (1), Georgia LARA, Maria TSOURI. Head Coach: Kyriakos IOSIFIDIS.
AUSTRALIA: Victoria BROWN, Fiona HAMMOND, Lisa CALLAHAN, Jane MORAN (2), Suzie FRASER (3), Gemma HADLEY (1), Larissa WEBSTER, Kate GYNTHER (1), Erin DOUGLASS, Mia SANTOROMITO (1), Melissa RIPPON (1), Katie FINUCANE, Lea BARTA. Head Coach: Greg McFADDEN.
Match report:
Australia emerged the victor in a see-saw match, first controlled by Greece and then by Australia.
Australia had the advantage for some time but Greece struck back to level the game three times in the final quarter. A goal in the last 34 seconds sealed the game for the Aussies.
Greece took an early lead with two goals inside two and a half minutes, the first coming with a Kozompoli effort from centre forward when she gained the exclusion, received the ball, turned and lobbed Brown, followed by Liosi with a long, loping shot from outside.
The Australian game appeared for the first time with Moran on extra at 5:01, followed by Fraser on counter down the right nearly two minutes later.
Moran scored a second goal on extra after gaining the foul and turning at two metres for the 3-2 lead at 2:25.
Australia continued its scoring run with another three goals in the second period with captain Rippon on extra, Fraser with a counter-attack down the right and Hadley with a five-metre penalty goal drawn on Liosi. At 4:09, Australia had the game in the bag.
However, Antonakou found Brown off her line and lobbed for 6-3, the final goal of the third period.
Greece took a timeout when Moran was excluded and the experienced Moraitidou opened the fourth soon after the suspension period off the near-post position.
Roumpesi, on extra, had the game level at 5:35 and more urgency came to the game. Santoromito gave the Australians the lead with a blast from eight metres, hitting the cross bar, hitting the water and spinning into goal. Gerolymou responded 14 seconds later from the penalty line when Santoromito gained her third major.
With three minutes to go, Gynther, twice the highest scorer at the Super Finals, hammered a goal from the top with a bounce shot on extra but Greece was back in the game on the next attack through Moraitidou with a chance shot from nine metres.
It was more than two minutes later and the final hooter beckoning that Fraser confidently slotted the ball into the top right from five metres to win the game.
COACHES’ COMMENTS:
Kyriakis IOSIFIDIS (GRE): “My team made some personal mistakes. We played some good and some bad. We came back from three goals down, yes.”
Greg McFADDEN (AUS): “It was a great performance (by Australia) considering the inexperience of the team. We started a bit shaky but in the second quarter we exploded away.
Our defence was good in the third but we didn’t make the most of our attacks (Referring to the 15 minutes of play without a goal).
In the fourth there a couple of critical errors and some luck went the way of the Greeks, allowing them to stay in touch.”

Stingers to open World League Super Finals against Greece in Canada
Montreal, Canada (July 3).—
Olympic squad berths are up for grabs as Australia contests the women’s FINA World League  Water Polo Super Finals in Montreal from tomorrow.
The world No 2 Aussie Stingers, containing a vastly different team from that which claimed the silver medal at March’s FINA World Championships in Melbourne, will play Greece in the opening game of the Super Finals with new players out to impress.The World League is played each year and Australia won the Asia-Oceania division, carrying over its win against second-ranked China into the six-team event at Parc Jean Drapeau.Head coach Greg McFadden said: “The World League is a great opportunity for some new players to push for selection in the Olympic squad, which will be announced in late August.
“While we may have a few new players, they are still expected to perform at the level of the Australian teams in the past two years.”
There are eight players missing from the team that won the silver medal in Melbourne but McFadden is giving players a chance at the highest level in an effort to get the best possible line-up for the Beijing Olympics.
Heading the team are captain Mel Rippon and Kate Gynther, who were named in the World Seven in Melbourne with Gynther twice collecting the top goal-scoring award at the Super Finals.
Others medallists from Melbourne include Suzie Fraser, Gemma Hadley and Mia Santoromito.
Australia will play world champion United States of America on Thursday (local time), Spain on Friday and Canada on Saturday before the play-offs on Sunday.

Improved Stingers again outclassed by world champion USA
Los Alamitos, USA (July 1).—
The Aussie Stingers lost a second women’s water polo match to world champion United States of America here last night, going down 13-7.
Despite the margin, head coach Greg McFadden was pleased with the effort, saying: “We created good opportunities in the first quarter and we only allowed the USA to score one field goal compared to the other night when they scored three centre-forward and six normal goals.”USA collected its other goals from three penalty shots and a stunning nine from 10 extra-man situations.The match was a complete reversal from the previous night’s exhibition match with the team starting strongly.
“Through strong defence, which only allowed the opposition three extra-man opportunities that unfortunately were converted, we were right in the game (3-3) and probably should have been two to three goals ahead at the first break,” McFadden said.
“However, we could not maintain the intensity and failed to capitalise on our opportunities while the USA made the most of their chances.”
The third quarter was similar to the second while the fourth quarter saw the Stingers change tactics to allow them to bridge the gap “but unfortunately not all players were capable of implementing this and USA held on for a comfortable win”.
The second period went 3-0 in the USA’s favour, the third 4-2 and the fourth 3-2.
McFadden said the most disappointing factor was the poor extra-man conversion rate — about 40 percent compared with 90 percent for USA.
McFadden said Mel Rippon, Mia Santoromito, Kate Gynther and Gemma Hadley were the standout players with Gynther topping the scoring with three goals.
The series is being used as a warm-up to the FINA World League Super Finals in Montreal, Canada, starting on Wednesday, local time.
Result:
Exhibition women’s series, Los Alamitos, USA, day 2: USA 13 Australia 7 (K Gynther 3, G Hadley 2, M Santoromito, L Callahan).
 

USA outguns Aussies again in California friendly
Los Angeles, USA (June 30).— 
In the first rematch of the March FINA World Championships gold-medal final, the champion United States of America retained their dominance over Australia in a friendly women’s water polo international here yesterday.Playing at Golden West College, the world’s two best teams fought strongly in a lead-up to next week’s World League Super Finals in Montreal, Canada with the North Americans winning 16-10. The damage came in the opening quarter, which the USA won 5-0. Bad passes and turnovers meant the Aussie Stingers had only three shots in eight minutes. Head coach Greg McFadden said the women picked up in the second quarter.
“The women finally showed some pride and took on the USA to create some good scoring opportunities but unfortunately poor finishing meant that we were not rewarded on the scoreboard for this good work.
“However, further poor decisions in defence proved costly and allowed the USA to level the quarter 3-all.”
The third period was much better with the team slamming in three unanswered goals.
“However, a missed counter-attack, which would have put us within one goal, proved costly as the USA countered and scored. We then scored immediately to get back within two goals but two diabolical defensive errors allowed our opponents to skip out to a four-goal lead.”
This lead was reduced to three goals with 19 seconds of the end of the third quarter.
“But a total lack of commitment and responsibility allowed the USA to score another centre-forward goal for them to go to the last break 12-8 ahead,” McFadden said.
Goals were traded in the fourth quarter regularly and two late goals saw the USA run out a comfortable winner.
In the extra-player count, Australia gave up five from seven while converting four from eight and scoring once from the penalty line.
Australia’s best were five-goal hero Gemma Hadley, Kate Finucane and Mel Rippon.
Making their international debuts were goalkeeper Lea Barta (NSW) with half a game, Jemma Dessauvagie (WA) and Lisa Callahan (SA).
In Acireale, Italy, the Australian youth boys had mixed results on the opening two day of an international tournament, beating Russia 8-4 and losing to Greece 6-4.
The Aussies were too strong for the Russians in the first three quarters before drawing the last 2-all.
Australia scored three from six on extra and converted two penalty attempts while Russia was restricted to two goals from 10 power plays.
Against Greece, Australia was consistent in defence but poor execution in set attack and extra-man attack prevented a positive result.
Australia wasted a huge advantage on extra-man attacks, scoring just three goals from 12 attempts.
Results:
International women’s series, Los Angeles, USA: Day 1: USA 16 Australia 10 (G Hadley 5, K Finucane, S Fraser 2, L Webster).
International tournament, youth boys, Acireale, Italy: Day 1: Australia (C Dyson, C Eames, L Hollis 2, M Rapsey, M McCann) Russia 4, Italy 13 France 11, Greece beat Romania by default, Greece 6 Australia 4 (R O’Brien 2, C Dyson, A Roach), Italy 18 Russia 3, France 10 Romania 7.