Day 5, 6 & 7 at FINA Youth Worlds
Day 5: Spain
Following a narrow loss to Spain to close out bracket play, Team USA hopped back in the pool with a top 8 finish and a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. Standing in their path was perennial powerhouse Croatia, the #2 seed from Group D.
With senior co-captain Marco Stanchi starting at center, USA jumped out early and scored the game’s first goal. But Croatia scored the next two and Team USA ended the first quarter trailing 2-1. The second quarter proved to be decisive, as Croatia scored four goals to American’s two. Team USA battled back and outscored Croatia 3-2 in the second half, but it was not enough as USA fell 8-6.
Stanchi led USA with a game-high five ejections drawn, helping the USA go 5-for-11 on 6-on-5 opportunities. USC-bound Bryce Hoerman posted three goals, while Bennett Williams, David Kessler and UCLA-bound Kent Inoue scored one each. Alex Wolf turned back 11 shots.
Day 6: Australia
Having been relegated to play for 9th-12th place following its loss to Croatia, Team USA looked to rebound against Australia on Friday night.
Strong goalkeeping by Wolf resulted in a 1-1 first quarter tie. Team USA came out firing in the second quarter, scoring four goals to go up 5-4 at half. USA extended their lead to 7-5 after three quarters. But two unanswered fourth quarter goals by Australia tied the game at 7-7. With 30 seconds left, Team USA called timeout and drew up a final play. A series of drives left Cal-bound Nic Carniglia open on the 1-2 side with 15 seconds remaining in the game. Unfortunately, a questionable offensive foul was called, allowing Australia to counter and score the game-winner with just 0:04 left on the clock.
Stanchi once again led Team USA with a game-high three ejections drawn. Inoue led the US attack with three goals. Hoerman added two, while Matt Maier and UCLA-bound Warren Snyder chipped in one goal each.
Day 7: Japan
Team USA’s final game of the tournament paired them against Japan, a relatively new player on the international scene. In a battle for 11th place, Stanchi played one of his best games of the tournament, scoring two goals out of two-meters and drawing a game-high five ejections. Japan started strong, taking a 5-3 lead into half. But Team USA battled back in the second half, scoring two late goals to tie the game at 8-8 and send it into a shootout.
Shooting first, Japan converted their first two attempts. But Carniglia and Thomas Dunstan answered for Team USA. Japan’s third shooter missed, opening the door for the US to take the lead. Inoue obliged, putting the US up 3-2 with two shooters remaining. Japan converted their next shot, but Snyder answered. Needing a Japan miss or Hoerman conversion for the win, Japan’s fifth and final shooter was blocked by Wolf, giving Team USA the win and 11th place overall.
Inoue led Team USA with three goals. Nick Bisconti added two goals and Snyder scored one. With three more ejections drawn, Stanchi added to his total of 18 in the tournament’s final four games.
