For the first time since the debut of Women’s Water Polo in the Olympics at the 2000 Sydney Games, Team USA has fallen short of the podium.
Dos Pueblos alum Ryann Neushul and Team USA dropped the bronze medal matchup on Saturday in Paris against the Netherlands in devastating fashion, losing 11-10 on a game-winner with less than a second on the clock.
Team USA led by a score of 9-6 in the final quarter, but the Netherlands’ attack caught fire and outscored USA down the stretch 5-1 to secure the country’s first medal in women’s water polo in 16 years.
Despite the loss, Neushul put together a strong performance in the final game of her debut Olympics.
After the two teams traded goals to begin the game, Neushul found the back of the net for a power play goal to give Team USA a 2-1 lead in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Neushul got on the board once again on a skip shot for her second goal of the day to extend the Team USA lead to 7-3.
However, the Netherlands slowly chipped away at the Team USA lead until their big run in the final minutes of the game.
The Netherlands’ Sabrina van der Sloot netted the last-second game-winner, capping off her stellar six-goal performance.
Neushul, 24, will have a chance to return to Team USA for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Until then, she will likely continue to compete across the world representing the United States in the pool.
