W. WATER POLO: U.S. PULLED UNDER BY LATE AUSSIE GOAL AUSTRALIA 4, U.S. 3.Byline: Doug Krikorian Staff Writer SYDNEY, Australia - If you think the Australians broke Lisa Hernandez's heart the other day with that two-out, two-run homer that shattered a 25-strikeout performance, you should have seen what their women's water polo water polo, swimming game encompassing features of soccer, football, basketball, and hockey. The object of the game is to maneuver, by head, feet, or hand, a leather-covered ball 27 to 28 in. team did Saturday night to their United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. counterparts. In one of those implausible plays in which the participants involved will remember for a lifetime - and so will those who witnessed it in person - the Aussie ladies pulled a rabbit out of their caps with 1.3 seconds remaining to score a 4-3 win that will forever be tainted to some people on the American side. At least Lisa Hernandez and her softball team survived the nightmare loss to Australia and have qualified for the medal round and still have a chance at a gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize . But when Yvette Higgins Yvette Higgins (born January 5, 1978 in Sydney) is an Australian water polo player from the gold medal squad of the 2000 Summer Olympics. Higgins scored the winning goal during the gold medal game with 1.3 seconds left on the clock. fired in her unlikely game-winning goal for the Australians, the U.S. water polo team's golden dreams suddenly became quite silvery. And a dramatic goal by Brenda Villa Brenda Villa (born April 18, 1980 in Los Angeles, California) is a Mexican-American world-class water polo player for the US National and Olympic teams. Villa started swimming with a club team, Commerce Aquatics, at the age of six, and followed her brother into water polo at with a mere :13 remaining - that had tied matters at 3-3 and that seemed destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. to send the game into overtime - had become quite irrelevant. But should Higgins' goal have been disallowed? In a sport with all sorts of esoteric rules only water polo purists can figure out, a player who's fouled within seven meters of the goal must pass the ball before taking a shot when play is resumed. Clearly, the Americans thought Julie Swail Julie Swail (born December 27, 1972) is an American water polo player, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Swail is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego. , who had just been waved to the sidelines in those final 1.3 seconds for roughing up Higgins, had committed her foul within the seven meter range. Nobody came out to defend Higgins, who had a clear shot and fired the ball as soon as she received it from a teammate. ``I looked up and saw the referee pointing, and I thought he was pointing for Higgins to get back,'' Swail said. ``Obviously, he wasn't.'' Villa, the Bell Gardens whiz who scored two goals, said it wasn't even a legal shot. ``We didn't even set up to play defense on Higgins,'' Villa said. ``She'd have never got that shot off if we thought she could shoot it. That's what hurts the most. You don't mind losing. But you hate losing in this manner.'' But Gianni Lonzi, the chairman of the Technical Water Polo Committee, viewed the play at poolside and said through spokesman Russell McKinnon it was legal and the referees made the proper decision. ``Mr. Lonzi said Higgins took the shot from around nine meters, which would make it quite legal,'' McKinnon said. Higgins' shot was rifled past goalkeeper Bernice Orwig Bernice Jane Orwig (born November 24, 1976) is an American water polo player, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Orwig plays the position of goalie. On the college level, Orwig played for USC. in the left corner and inspired a raucous reaction from the Australian partisans at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre Sydney International Aquatic Centre is a swimming venue in Sydney, Australia. It hosted the swimming and diving events for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The stadium currently holds 10,000 people but had a boosted capacity of 17,500 during the 2000 Summer Olympics and was built in 1994. . American coach Guy Baker stomped around the sidelines momentarily after the game, and seemed to level a few choice words at one of the referees. But Baker had calmed down later and took a diplomatic pose. ``There was a little confusion at the end, but the referee said it was good and so that's what you have to accept,'' he said. ``The focus now should be on the game itself, which was a great one. Those final 13 seconds were absolutely incredible. You have to give Australia a
``I think the biggest winner in this game was women's water polo. Anyone who watched this game would have to come away impressed.'' The game was evenly contested throughout the entire 28 minutes, as the Americans jumped to a 1-0 edge on Villa's first goal, went ahead 2-1 on a score from Ericka Lorenz Ericka Denise Lorenz (born February 18, 1981 in San Diego, California) is an American water polo player, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She also won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. , fell behind 3-2 with 1:50 remaining, and then caught the Aussies on Villa's late goal. But then the Americans made two fatal mistakes during those final seconds, as Swail probably shouldn't have fouled Higgins with so little time left and the U.S. players definitely shouldn't have allowed Higgins to take such an open shot. ``We just kind of let down defensively at the end,'' assistant coach Ken Lindgren said. Still, these overachieving U.S. women can be proud, having advanced to the championship game when few observers around here thought they'd even make it to the medal round. All of them - Villa, Orwig, Lorenz, Swail, Coralie Simmons Coralie Denise Simmons (born March 1, 1977 in Hemet, California) is an American water polo player, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In 2001, she won the Peter J. Cutino Award, presented annually to the top American collegiate water polo player. , Heather Moody Heather Moody (born August 21, 1973 in Rexburg, Idaho) is an American water polo player, who won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She was team captain of the US Women's National Team that captured the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and the only , Robin Beauregard, Kathy Sheehy, Courtney Johnson, Ellen Estes and, of course, Maureen O'Toole - played admirably Saturday night and throughout the tournament. ``This was such a great game that it was a shame that one of the teams had to lose,'' said O'Toole. ``It's just too bad we were on the side that lost.'' --Bronze medal: Russia overcame a very slow start to defeat the Netherlands 4-3 and take the first Olympic bronze medal in women's water polo. The Russians had only one goal in the first half and trailed 3-2 midway through the final period. But Sofia Konoukh flashed open left of the Dutch goal and tied it up with 2:19 left. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Members of the Australian women's water polo team celebrate after defeating the U.S. for the Olympic gold medal in Sydney, Australia. Laurent Rebours/Associated Press |
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