Stanchi leads USA to Gold at UANA Pan Am Championships

On Tuesday, senior co-captain Marco Stanchi led the US Youth National Team to a Gold medal at the UANA Pan American Championships. Team USA defeated Brazil 10-9 in the championship game behind Stanchi’s dominant play in set.

The United States wrapped up group play with a near-perfect 6-0-1 record. Victories over Puerto Rico (15-8), Trinadad & Tobago (18-2), Peru (23-5), Canada (13-5), Mexico (15-6), Argentina (18-6) and a tie with Brazil (7-7) helped the US earn the top seed heading into the semifinals. Stanchi scored four goals against Peru, two goals against Argentina, and two goals against Peru, but missed games due to illness. When healthy, Stanchi was Team USA’s starting center.

In the semis, Stanchi scored two as the US topped Argentina 11-6. In the championship game, Stanchi played his best game of the tournament, scoring once and earning several ejections as the US beat Brazil 10-9. The US trailed by three goals in the third quarter, but Stanchi’s goal early in the fourth quarter put the US up for good. The win avenged last year’s loss to Brazil in the same tournament.

Stanchi and Team USA now head to Sicily for a two-week training trip in preparation for the FINA Youth World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey on August 2-10.