The U.S. men’s water polo team has drawn the most exclusions of any team in Paris, but also has the lowest percentage of goals in extra player situations.
Power plays were the difference in Friday’s semifinal game against Serbia. The Serbians were 7-for-8 with an extra player, while the U.S. was just 5-for-14. Serbia went on to win 10-6 to advance to a third straight Olympic gold medal game.
The defensive plan for the U.S. was containing Serbia’s Dusan Mandic, the highest scoring player in Paris. Mandic was held scoreless on Friday, but the double-teams left his teammates open, and they made the Americans pay. Nikola Dedovic had four goals and Nikola Jaksic had three. Between the two they missed just two shots.
Jaksic scored a game-winning goal at the buzzer to lead Serbia over Greece in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
The two teams were tied, 2-2, at the end of the first quarter. Serbia took its first lead early in the second with a score right in front of the goal by Petar Jaksic, and extended the lead with another extra player goal by Nikola Jaksic on the next possession.
In the first half, Serbia was 4-for-4 on power plays, while the U.S. was 3-for-7. The Americans trailed, 6-4, at the break.
Dedovic scored another extra player goal less than a minute into the second to give Serbia its largest lead of the game to that point.
The U.S. had just one goal in the third quarter as Serbian goalkeeper Radoslav Filipovic made three saves.
Nikola Jaksic scored his final goal of the game on another power play with 3:20 remaining to give Serbia its final four goal lead.
Filipovic had 10 saves on the day. USA goalie Adrian Weinberg had 15 on 25 shots that came his way.
Marco Vavic led the U.S. with two goals.
The U.S. will now play in the bronze medal game looking for its first Olympic gold medal since 2008. It will take on the loser of Hungary and Croatia on Sunday at 4:35 a.m. ET.
Serbia is now guaranteed its fifth straight Olympic medal. It will play the winner of Hungary/Croatia in the gold medal game on Sunday at 8 a.m. ET.
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