The Australian men’s water polo team has withstood a third quarter fade-out to hold on for a 10-9 victory over the USA in their second group stage game of the FINA World League Super Finals campaign in Bergamo, Italy.
The one goal win follows yesterday’s hard fought 7-5 loss to Italy where the Australians squandered a 3-1 halftime lead via five unanswered goals in the third term.
Croatian-based Western Australian Institute of Sport athlete Aaron Younger was the star for Australia today with five goals but it was a second consecutive mid-game stutter that will have Sharks coach Elvis Fatovic working overtime ahead of their third game.
That match is their final group stage clash and will be no easy task against two-time defending world league super final champions Serbia, at 10pm Perth time tonight.
Australia began well, scoring first midway through the opening term with a well executed extra man strike from the right by Aidan Roach, before fellow London Olympian Younger scored on man-up 90 seconds later.
Set to go into the first break up by two goals the Australians let the foot off the peddle for a moment and with a mere two seconds on the clock, the USA scored on a bomb from downtown to make it 2-1 to the Sharks.
Jarrod Gilchrist nailed a long-range opportunity to get the scoring underway midway through the second quarter before a further goal to Johnno Cotterill and a clean sheet on the defensive end ensured the Australians led 4-1 at halftime.
Then came déj√† vu, with the Americans converting an early penalty early in the third before scoring two more to tie the scores and begin another nightmare third quarter for the Aussie Sharks.
Younger stemmed the flow a little with his second extra man goal and Cotterill got his double, only to see the Americans drill home their second penalty of the quarter for the Sharks to go into the final period up by just one, 6-5.
Less than 90 seconds into the fourth quarter the USA had levelled things up before another extra man goal to Younger and a third penalty for the Americans put the pressure right back on the Australian side.
After some up and back play, centre forward Joel Swift (WAIS) earned Australia a penalty of their own, which Younger dually converted. Younger scored his fifth with a magic individual spin and shoot move on the two metre line with 90 seconds to go but the USA got one back to set up a grandstand finish.
With a second straight loss staring them in the face, Australia scored next via Nathan Power from the post in extra man and was able to hang on despite one more for the Americans at the end.
Younger, who was as solid in defence as he was lethal in attack, believes if the Sharks find consistency they can take their game to a whole new level.
“If we start putting four quarters together we should be able to run with any team around,” Younger said.
“We were prepared and started the game as we wanted with a key focus on defence.
“After a great start we again let our lead slip in the third and allowed America back in the game.
“Our consistency through out the game is something we definitely need to work on but besides that the boys had a great game especially in defence and showed what kind of great team we can be under pressure.”
Australian head coach Elvis Fatovic said it was good to get a way with the win against a familiar foe but implored his troops to step up and take their chancesagainst the Serbs.
“This game was always going to be tough, physical affair as we have played the USA four times this year already,” Fatovic said.
“We know them well and they us – so really there is not too many secrets.
“Again we started with a good defensive effort and were able to build our attack from this. We maintained good pressure for the first half but fell asleep a little again at the beginning of the third.
“We didn’t take our opportunities early to close the game down, we must learn to take these chances.”
One pleasing statistic for the Australians was the improvement in their extra man attack – which brought five goals from nine chances – and defence – where they kept all eight US chances out of the net.
Aaron Younger and Joel Swift were joined in action for the Sharks by fellow WAIS athlete George Ford.
The world league super finals are 2015’s main prelude to the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia that begin next month. The winner of this tournament will earn automatic qualification for next year’s Rio Olympic Games.
-WaterPoloAus
