The road to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for the USA Men’s National Water Polo Team makes a quick stop in Santa Barbara on Sunday as Team USA plays Serbia in the final game of their three-game exhibition series in Southern California.
The match-up is at 1 p.m. at the Elings Aquatic Center on the Dos Pueblos High campus. The game is sold out, but you can watch it live at YouTube.com/USAWP.
Sunday’s game will decide the series. Team USA won the opener against the defending Olympic champions on Wednesday in San Diego, 13-12. Serbia took the second game on Friday in Torrance, 16-11.
Friday’s loss ended a nine-game winning streak for Team USA.
The U.S. finished 10th behind Serbia at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016 and was ninth at the world championships this year.
“The Men’s National Team is excited to host one of the best teams in the world and use it as an opportunity to learn and grow in preparation for Tokyo,” said Jesse Smith, a four-time Olympian and Men’s National Team captain. “We love the support of our fans and it makes it really fun to play the game when you’ve got a big home crowd cheering you on.”
U.S. team member and 2016 Olympian Ben Hallock has local ties. His father, Tom, was a football star at Santa Ynez High and played at USC, and his uncle, Ben, a Santa Barbara High alum, coached football at Carpinteria, Santa Barbara High and Bishop Diego.
Team USA’s Ben Hallock scored four goals in the win over Serbia.
— Noozhawk Sports Editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.