Four local water polo players helped the U.S. Women’s National Water Polo Team build momentum on its road to the L.A. Olympic Games.
Ryann Neushul (Dos Pueblos alumnus), Paige Hauschild (San Marcos), Ava Stryker (San Marcos) and Lucy Haaland-Ford (San Marcos) were part of the U.S. squad that booked a berth in the World Aquatics World Cup Final in the Division 1 Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Team USA went 5-1 in Rotterdam, with its only loss coming against Spain (17-15), in early group-play competition. The Americans won the rematch 7-5 en route to a first-place finish. They’ll play in the World Cup Final in Sydney, Australia in July.
In the win against Spain, Neushul scored on a power play in the fourth period to break a 5-5 tie. She finished with two goals.
Neushul scored four goals in a 12-10 win against host Netherlands and tallied one goal in Team USA’s 13-3 win against Italy in the tournament finale. Stryker added a goal in the victory.
