Community Corner

USA Water Polo in FINA World League Prelims This Weekend

The Olympic gold medal team has a Long Beach player on the U.S. women's team, which competes in Los Alamitos.

For the first time since winning the gold medal at the London Olympics, the U.S. women's national water polo team, with a Long Beach player, will compete Friday night against Canada to begin the FINA World League Prelims.

The competition will continue over the three-day Memorial Day weekend, with matches Saturday and Sunday at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos.

Lolo Silver of Long Beach, is the solo player on the women's team from the city. 

 The U.S. men's team will begin tournament play Saturday by facing Canada at 1 p.m. and Brazil at 7:20 p.m. It will also play twice on Monday, playing Canada at 8 a.m. and Brazil at 3 p.m.

Eight players return from the women's 2012 Olympic team, including three from Orange County -- goalkeeper Tumua Anae of Newport Beach; center Annika Dries of Laguna Beach; and attacker Courtney Mathewson of Anaheim Hills. 
The  15-player U.S. roster also includes three other Orange County players -- attackers Rachel Fattal of Seal Beach and Jillian Kraus of Santa Ana, and defender Danielle Warde of Newport Beach -- and two from Los Angeles County, attackers Silver of Long Beach and Monica Vavic of Palos Verdes. 

The first game is set to begin at 7:20 p.m. Friday.

The U.S. will also play Brazil at 3 p.m. Saturday, Canada at 7:20 p.m. Sunday and Brazil at noon Monday in the three-team tournament that will help determine seeding for the FINA World League Super Final, which will be played June 1-6 in Beijing. The U.S. team that plays in the prelims will also play in the super final. 

Canada is coached by Guy Baker, the U.S. coach in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Brazil is coached by Sandy Nitta, the U.S. coach in the 1980s and 1990s. 

--City News Service 


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