USA Women Roll Kazakhstan 14-4; Earn Bye Into Quarterfinals Of FINA World Championships
7/21/2011 12:00:00 AM
Shanghai, China - July 21- The USA Women's National Team won their group and earned a bye into the quarterfinals at the 2011 FINA World Championships with a commanding victory over Kazakhstan 14-4. Behind three goals apiece from Lauren Wenger (Long Beach, CA/USC/NYAC) and Annika Dries (Laguna Beach, CA/Stanford/SET) the team took a close first quarter and turned it into a rout by halftime. Goalies Betsey Armstrong (Ann Arbor, MI/Michigan/NYAC) and Tumua Anae (Newport Beach, CA/USC/Trojan) split time in cage combining for 13 saves. Team USA now awaits their opponent, the winner of a match between Russia and Cuba on Saturday.
In the victory over Kazakhstan the United States got off to the fast start when Elsie Windes (Portland, OR/California/Tulatin Hills) found the cage just thirty seconds into the match for a power play goal and a 1-0 lead. 90 seconds later Kazakhstan returned fire with a goal of their own to even the match at 1-1. Over the next few minutes the United States went about building a lead first getting a score from Kelly Rulon (San Diego, CA/UCLA/NYAC) on a penalty shot. Up 2-1 they went to Kami Craig, (Santa Barbara, CA/USC/Santa Barbara WPF) celebrating her birthday, with a score from inside and a 3-1 advantage. More work out of the center led to another score as Melissa Seidemann (Walnut Creek, CA/Stanford/Stanford) dished off a nice pass to her Stanford teammate Dries for the tally and a 4-1 lead. Kazakhstan looked to rally scoring two straight to close out the period and after one quarter the game was nearly even with the United States holding a 4-3 lead.
The second quarter was all Team USA as they got it started early at the 7:44 mark when Brenda Villa (Commerce, CA/Stanford/Olympic Club) hit from outside for a 5-3 game. That was followed by Wenger taking advantage of a power play to find the cage and a 6-3 lead. At the 3:46 mark Heather Petri (Orinda, CA/California/NYAC) lit the proverbial lamp from distance and the United States was in command 7-3. They closed out the half with another score from Wenger as she put one in from outside with just :31 remaining in the quarter for an 8-3 lead going to halftime.
Out of the halftime the United States kept up the intensity when on a player advantage Craig was submerged by her defender and then unloaded a shot while still underwater to beat the keeper and put her squad up 9-3. The beat rolled on when Wenger skipped home her third of the night for a 10-3 lead at the 5:54 mark. Fast forward to 1:35 left in the period and Maggie Steffens (Danville, CA/Monte Vista HS/Diablo) bounced home a shot from the near side for an 11-3 lead. Continuing to surge on offense the ball went back inside to Dries with just seven seconds remaining in the period and she was able to draw a five meter penalty. Maggie Steffens put the shot away and the United States went up 12-3 going to the fourth.
It was all over but the shouting in the final period as just a few more goals would be exchanged. Dries unloaded a turnaround shot at the 4:01 mark that was initally stopped by the keeper and then trickled in as the goalie tried to gather the ball putting the United States in front 13-3. After Kazakhstan got another goal back Petri dealt off to Dries who fired the ball from in close and the lead ballooned back out to 10 goals at 14-4 which is where the match would end. Team USA went 3/7 on power plays and 2/2 on penalty shots while Kazakhstan was 3/12 on power plays and did not attempt a penalty shot. Armstrong halted sixed saves while Anae posted seven, each goalie playing a half.
Scoring - Scoresheet
USA 14 (4, 4, 4, 2) A. Dries 3, L. Wenger 3, K. Craig 2, M. Steffens 2, H. Petri 1, K. Rulon 1, B. Villa 1, E. Windes 1
KAZ (3, 0, 0, 1)
Saves - USA - T. Anae 7, B. Armstrong 6
6x5 - USA - 3/7 - KAZ - 3/12
Penalties - USA - 2/2 - KAZ - 0/0
Quotes
"(We're) obviously happy, I think after the first game you just dont know things are going to go, I think we responded well after that first game. I dont know if it makes it any easier we're playing maybe the best team this summer; Russia. They won the Kirishi Cup, they lost only one game in the World League Super Final, a shootout in which they were leading the whole time. That is going to be extremely extremely difficult." - Adam Krikorian, USA Head Coach
"We're going to work hard, the next two days we need to try and get better. We can't stop, I feel like we built a little momentum here, the training needs to be difficult to get them the most prepared against a physial and very fast Russia team." - Adam Krikorian, USA Head CoachÂ
Women's National Team