Despite leading 2-0 with two minutes left in the second quarter, Australia spent the entire game playing catch-up water polo, levelling at the end of the third period and again eight seconds from time before levelling extra time and needing the shootout for victory.

The scintillating game kept the large Aussie spectator group on the edge of its seats as the Stingers trailed by three goals before Bronwen Knox, who was named to the Media All Star team, scored a penalty goal for 5-3 just before halftime.

Suzie Fraser netted twice in the third period and Kate Gynther scored just after extra for 6-6 to close the period.

Hungary took the lead at the start of the fourth and no goal came until Rebecca Rippon scored after the timeout to level the game with only eight seconds left in the game. Luck had fallen on Australia’s side in this game.

This forced extra time with Bronwen Knox scoring her second and Hungary Agnes Valkai, her third with a lob. A Stingers timeout concocted a Mel Rippon goal on double extra 11 seconds from the horn for 9-8.

It looked like an Aussie win was imminent but Dora Kisteleki scored on extra with 17 seconds left to force the game into a penalty shootout, which Mel Rippon said after the match “made the game interesting”.

This is where Emma Knox made a name for herself, remembering what it was like losing a bronze-medal game in Athens 2004.

Nikita Cuffe had her shot blocked and Anett Gyore hit the left post to open the shootout.
Gemma Beadsworth threw her shot low left into Patricia Horvath’s right arm. Kisteleki scored for 10-9 up.

Bronwen Knox made no mistake for 10-10 and Mercedes Stieber sent hers within range of Knox’s arms.

Kate Gynther netted, as did Aniko Pelle for 11-11.

Mia Santoromito took Australia to 12-11 while Rita Dravucz, so solid all tournament bounced her shot, which Knox deflected over the bar to give Australia the victory and send Greg McFadden diving into the pool.

Danielle De Bruin scored seven goals as the Netherlands defeated the United States of America 9-8 in the gold-medal final.

Kate Gynther was second highest scorer to De Bruijn (17) with 13 goals and Bronwen Knox was equal third with 12. Gemma Beadsworth was 10th equal with nine.

Results:
Olympic Games, Beijing, day 6:
Bronze medal: Australia 12 (K Gynther 3, R Rippon 2, M Rippon, G Beadsworth, B Knox) Hungary 11 in penalty shootout (FT: 7-7. ET: 9-9. Pens: 3-2). Gold medal: Netherlands 9 USA 8.

Detailed game results

Gold-medal hopes dashed
Beijing, China (August 19).—
The Aussie Stingers Olympic Games gold-medal hopes were dashed  by world champion United States of America at the Yingdong Natatorium today.

Australia came back from three goals down in the third period to tie the game at 8-all with 2:27 remaining but a last-minute extra-man goal by the USA saw the game finish 9-8 with theUSA advancing to the gold-medal final and Australia to play for bronze for the second successive Olympics.

It was a sad ending to a fine match played by an Australian team firing on nearly all their cylinders except on extra man.

Head coach Greg McFadden bemoaned the team’s poor shooting on extra, which proved the team’s downfall.

The two teams should have been in the final but for a late draw with Hungary in round play that saw the Stingers not win the group and gain direct entry to the semifinals.

The Rippon sisters started Australia’s scoring with Rebecca and Melissa giving Australia a 2-1 lead but the USA struck back before quarter time.

The USA went 4-2 up in the second period before Kate Gynther from the top and Bec Rippon with a goal off a cross pass levelled.

Three goals in three minutes in the third took the USA to 7-4 until Bronwen Knox scored just after the extra-man period had expired. The USA scored on extra at 1:04 for 8-5 to close the period.

Gemma Beadsworth snapped in a shot off a five-metre foul and then the USA’s Nat Golda had her penalty shot blocked by Alicia McCormack, who was having another fine match. On the counter off the block, Gynther scored her second for 8-7.

Beadsworth pulled her third major and left the game Three minutes later Gynther scored after the extra-man time.

McCormack blocked a one-on-one situation but half a minute later USA captain Brenda Villa scored her third for 9-8 on extra.

Gynther missed connecting with Taniele Gofers on a chancy long pass to the two metres that could have saved the day. Both teams went to a timeout with Australia’s last-gasp attempt poorly executed, leaving USA with the win.

In the other semifinal, the youthful Netherlands went the extra kilometre and beat Hungary 8-7 after leading 4-3 at halftime and 7-6 at the final break.

In the play-off for fifth and sixth, China grabbed a valuable world ranking with a 10-7 decision over outgoing champion Italy.

The medal finals are on Friday evening.

Results:
Olympic Games, Beijing, day 5:
Play-off for 5th and 6th: China 10 Italy 7. Semifinals: USA 9 Australia 8 (K Gynther 3, R Rippon 2, M Rippon, G Beadsworth, B Knox), Netherlands 8 Hungary 7.

Beijing, China (August 19).— Netherlands d Hungary 8-7, USA d Australia (Gynther 3, R Rippon 2, Beadsworth, M Rippon, B Knox 1) 9-8, China d Italy 10-7

Detailed game results

Stingers through to semifinals
Beijing, China (August 17).—
The Aussie Stingers are through to the semifinals of the Olympic Games women’s water polo competition following a nail-biting 12-11 quarterfinal victory over China at the Yingdong Natatorium here today.

World Cup champion Australia will now play world champion United States of America in Tuesday’s semifinals while Hungary will face the Netherlands in the other.

Australia started strong with a three-goal burst but that was eliminated by the quarter hooter with China levelling nine seconds from time.

Australia had the lead with the hooter about to sound when Ma Huanhuan sent in a long shot for 6-6.

China led early in the third quarter but Australia held sway with 10-8 at the final break with Kate Gynther closing the scoring with a penalty goal.

Bronwen Knox, having a tremendous Olympics, missed a penalty shot at the start of the fourth period and China reduced the margin by one.

Gynther sent in her fourth goal from well outside but it caught the referee unawares and he disallowed what the action replay showed was a goal.

Gao Ao struck back immediately and the game was level at 10-10.

Gynther stepped up for the next penalty and converted at 3:03. On the next Aussie attack she countered, received a Mel Rippon pass and Australia was suddenly two ahead.

China converted extra man with a lob shot at 0”28 but a smart Aussie ploy retained the ball for the remainder of the game to advance to the semifinals.

Australia is still far from playing consistent top-flight water polo so head coach Greg McFadden, tired from appealing to the referees so much, especially with the costume pulling of the Chinese, needs to get the team in top form for the medal round.

The Netherlands needed a penalty shootout to defeat Olympic champion Italy, finishing 8-8 with no goals in extra time. The Dutch shot first and claimed all five goals while Italy missed its first and had no need for the final shooter.

Results:
Day 4:
Play-off for 7th & 8th: Russia 12 Greece 6. Quarterfinals: Australia 12 (K Gynther 5, N Cuffe 2, M Rippon, B Knox, M Santoromito, R Rippon, G Beadsworth) China 11, Netherlands 13 Italy 11 in penalty shootout (FT: 8-8. ET: 0-0. Pens 5-3).
 Beijing, China (August 17).— Netherlands d Italy 13-11, Australia (Gynther 5, Cuffe, M Rippon 2, Beadsworth, B Knox, M Santomorito 1) d China 12-11, Russia d Greece 12-6

Detailed game results

Australia misses direct semifinal berth
Beijing, China (August 15).—
Australia failed in its bid for direct entry to the semifinals of the women’s Olympic Games water polo competition in Beijing today.

Needing to beat the Netherlands by three goals, the Aussie Stingers were leading by two goals with a minute left when head coach Greg McFadden called a timeout with one of his charges seemingly in possession of the ball.

A Dutch player stole the ball and scored a goal for 10-9 but it was disallowed under protest by McFadden.

The Dutch appealed, the FINA Delegate weighed in and a penalty throw was awarded for an illegal timeout. It was converted for 10-9.

Australia scrambled to the victory and had to wait until two games later to see Hungary beat Greece 10-4 and grasp the group victory with Australia second, the Dutch third and Greece fourth.

Hungary had beaten the Netherlands by two, one better than Australia.

The Dutch drew at one, two, three and eight but at the latter Australia struck back with two goals in 17 seconds for 10-8 at 1:47.

The team looked nervous and there were only glimpses of its fast, flowing play but Bronwen Knox stepped up to the mark with four goals to be the team’s highest scorer after three matches.

In the other group, the USA thrashed Russia 12-7 while in the last match Italy needed a two-goal advantage over China to advance to the semifinals.

Italy could only manage a 10-9 margin despite there being no goal scored in nearly five minutes from full time.

It went to the third tiebreaker with USA’s five-goal margin over Russia better than Italy’s one.
Australia now plays China on Sunday for the right to go to Tuesday’s semifinals. Italy will play the Netherlands.

Results:
Group A: USA 12 Russia 7, Italy 10 China 9. Final points: USA 5, Italy 5, China 2, Russia 0.
Group B: Australia 10 (B Knox 4, G Beadsworth, K Gynther 2, R Rippon, T Gofers) Netherlands 9, Hungary 10 Greece 4. Final points: Hungary 5, Australia 5, Netherlands 2, Greece 0.

Beijing, China (August 15) - Italy d China 10-9, Hungary d Greece 10-4, USA d Russia  12-7, Australia (B Knox 4, G Beadsworth, Gynther 2, R Rippon, Gofers 1) d Netherlands 10-9

Detailed game results

Controversy reigns in Beijing pool
Beijing, China (August 13).—
A controversial call late in the game cost Australia victory in the women’s water polo encounter with Hungary at the Olympic Games in Beijing today.  The match was squared 7-all and left head coach Greg McFadden furious.

It was a super day at the Yingdong Natatorium with this result a draw between the top two in Group A while the top two in Group B also drew, their match.

United States of America were held to a 9-all draw by Italy in the same manner as the first game while China dismissed European and World League champion Russia to the 7th and 8th play-off with a crushing 13-11 decision. The Netherlands beat Greece 9-6.

The two draws mean that the group winners will not be decided until Friday.

The Aussie Stingers blew a two-goal advantage twice in their match with the 2005 world champion.

The first was when 4-2 up in the second quarter after two Mel Rippon goals and then when 7-5 ahead thanks to two Bronwen Knox goals in the final period.

At 3:26 left it looked like a win was on the cards but Aniko Pelle struck on extra at 2:44.

Taniele Gofers went for her third major foul, which meant two centre forwards had left the game following a poke in the eye for Nikita Cuffe in the first quarter. Gemma Beadsworth also collected her second major foul in the second quarter.

With 23 seconds remaining on the clock Hungary called a timeout and went to work on a kickout. The call came but from the trailing referee calling over the world’s best referee and many a spectator thought the call was soft.

With just four seconds left, Pelle converted the extra-man situation with a goal for the draw.

Australia took a timeout but the backhand shot on time was blocked.

It was a sad finish to a great game.

Australia now needs a three-goal win over the Netherlands to assure a top-place finish and direct entry to the semifinals.

The only thing decided today was that Russia will play Greece for the last two spots on Sunday.

Results:
Group A: USA 9 Italy 9, China 13 Russia 11. Progress points: USA 3, ITA 3, CHN 2, RUS 0.
Group B: Australia 7 (M Rippon, R Rippon, B Knox 2, N Cuffe) Hungary 7, Netherlands 9 Greece 6. Progress points: AUS 3, HUN 3, NED 2, GRE 0.

 Beijing, China (August 13) - China d Russia 13-11, USA dr Italy 9-9, Netherlands d Greece 9-6, Australia (M Rippon, R Rippon, B Knox 2, N Cuffe 1) dr Hungary 7-7 (1:1, 1:1, 1:2, 4:3 )

Detailed game results

Stingers beat Greece
Beijing, China (August 11) -
The Aussie Stingers beat Greece 12-8 in their opening game of the Olympic Games in Beijing

Gemma Beadsworth struck three times in the opening quarter to give the Stingers a 3-0 lead.

The game shot to 5-2 by the end of the period and 7-3 for the Stingers before Greece returned a goal later for a 7-4 halftime score.

Jenna Santoromito scored on extra for 8-4 soon after the restart but there Australia's scoring died as Greece put up the shutters.

It was 8-5 by the last break and Australia never looked in threat of losing, even when Antigoni Roumpesi struck for Greece with a penalty goal inside the first half minute of the final quarter.

Neither side could score and the Stingers were comfortably through to the next game with a clean record.

Taniele Gofers scored twice while Beadsworth added a fourth goal before halftime.

The Stingers took 28 shots for a 28.6% average and converted both extra-man chances comapred to Greece's 26 and 23.1% and three from eight on extra.

Alicia McCormack made seven saves in goal.

Results:

Day 1: USA d China 12-11, Australia (Beadsworth 4, Gofers 2, Knox, J Santomorito) d Greece 8-6 (5-2,2-2,1-1,0-1), Italy d Russia 9-8, Hungary d Netherlands 11-9 Detailed game results