The lucky number for the U.S. on Sunday was 16.
Adrian Weinberg made 16 saves to lead Team USA to an 11-8 win over Hungary in the bronze medal match of the Paris men’s water polo tournament. With the win, the U.S. takes home its first men’s water polo medal in 16 years.
Weinberg came up especially big in the fourth quarter. The U.S. went into the final frame up, 6-5, but Hungary battled back to take an 8-6 lead with 3:22 remaining. It was the first time in the game either team led by multiple goals.
Alex Bowen and Hannes Daube both scored extra player goals to tie score again, and Weinberg made two saves in the final 90 seconds to force penalties.
In the shootout, Hungary’s first and third shots hit the post, and Weinberg saved the second. Daube, Max Irving, and Bowen all had makes in their penalty tries to seal the win for the U.S.
The last time the U.S. medaled in men’s water polo was in 2008 when it won silver.
Hungary came to Paris as the defending bronze medalists, and the country with the most water polo medals in Olympic history. They’ll now leave with a fourth place finish.
The game on Sunday went back-and-forth for three quarters. Johnny Hooper opened the scoring for the U.S., a welcome sight after Hooper missed most of the semifinal game against Serbia after getting sent off for a brutality foul early in the game.
Team USA led by one at the end of each of the first, second, and third quarters.
Hungary had a chance to tie the score on a long possession in the third, but Weinberg saved both shots they attempted. The Hungarians took the lead on the next possession on an extra player shot that skipped over Weinberg’s head.
Later in the third, Weinberg made his 10th save, and the next time down the pool Ben Hallock scored a backhand goal while being pushed under water that tied the score again at 5-5. Weinberg had another save on Hungary’s next possessions, and on the other end of the pool Irving made a skip shot to put Team USA back on top 6-5. Both were natural goals, not power plays, the only natural goals of the game for the U.S.
Six of the Americans goals came on extra player opportunities. Hallock led the U.S. with two goals. Six other players had one each.
Denes Varga and Krisztian Manhercz had two goals apiece for Hungary.
5th place game: Greece 15, Spain 13
Greece leaves Paris with a fifth place finish behind three goals each by Konstantino Genidounias, Alexandros Papanastasious, and Konstantinos Kakaris.
After going undefeated in pool play, Spain finishes the tournament in sixth place. Bernat Sanahuja and Alejandro Bustos each had a hat trick in the loss.
7th place game: Italy 10, Australia 6
Matteo Iocchi Gratta had a hat trick to lead Italy to a seventh place finish in Paris. Lorenzo Bruni and Edoardo Di Somma added two goals each.
Australia leaves Paris in eighth place. Milos Maksimovic had two goals to lead his team in the loss.
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