Canada
settles for tie against USA
Globe and Mail
Ryde, Australia — Canada's women's water polo team
let a win slip away in the final seconds as the United States scored three straight
fourth-quarter goals to salvage an 8-8 tie Sunday.
Robin Beauregard, whose goal with 1:50 left had made it
8-6, converted a pass from Maureen O'Toole to tie things with only four seconds left.
"It was disappointing," said Canadian goalie
Josee Marsolais. "As a goalie I know how it feels to be disappointed for the last
mistake," said Marsolais, who knew she was in trouble when O'Toole and Beauregard
streaked toward Canada's net in the final moments.
Marsolais tried to direct teammate Waneek Horn-Miller of
Kahnawake, Que., to take either Beauregard or O'Toole and the goalie would play the other.
"There was too much happening too fast," Marsolais said.
O'Toole lobbed a pass to Beauregard, who was expecting
it.
"I was thinking, ‘Please don't drop it, don't
drop the ball,"' she said.
Beauregard didn't and the U.S. hopes are still strong.
Horn-Miller had three goals and Calgary's Cora Campbell
added two as the Canadians looked ready for their first win after tying Russia in their
opener. For 26 minutes, the Canadians staged a party, with their loud fans waving Maple
Leaf flags.
Canada did everything right.
It scored three times in the opening quarter, and
Horn-Miller had lots of space around her for her second goal, which put the Canadians up
4-3. Campbell followed with her first and a 5-3 lead. After O'Toole converted her only
goal on a sweet pass from Beauregard, Horn-Miller restored the two-goal lead.
Campbell and Calgary's Jana Salat added third-quarter
goals for an 8-5 lead.
"This isn't a loss," Horn-Miller said.
When it was pointed out that some Canadians felt like
their two-goal rally to tie Russia in the opener was a moral victory, Horn-Miller grew
frustrated for the second time in 30 minutes.
"There's a long way to go," she said.
"We're not looking at it as a moral loss or a moral failure."
Reprinted with permission
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