Kitty Lynn Joustra, Netherlands Lose in Women’s Water Polo Semifinal

Former Cal star Joustra helps Netherlands rally, but Spain wins in a penalty shootout

Kitty Lynn Joustra / © Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Former Cal standout Kitty Lynn Joustra scored two goals, including a critical goal in the fourth period, for the Netherlands, but it was not enough. The Dutch team lost to Spain in a 5-4 penalty shootout in a women’s water polo semifinal match on Thursday at the Olympics in Paris.

The Netherlands will play in the bronze medal match on Saturday against the United States, which lost to Australia in the other semifinal.

The 26-year-old Joustra, who was a three-time All-America selection while at Cal from 2018 through 2021, took just two shots, but scored on both of them.  She helped Netherlands rally from an early 6-1 deficit, and her first goal with 3:30 left in the second period closed the gap to 7-4.

Netherlands continued its comeback and Joustra’s second goal, with 2:59 remaining in the fourth period, put her team ahead 13-12. Spain scored the next two goals to take a 14-13 lead, but Brigitte Sleeking scored for Netherlands with seven seconds left to tie the score and send the match to a penalty shootout.

Despite being tied for the second-most goals scored by the Netherlands in regulation time in this match, Joustra was not part of the penalty shootout. 

Each team scored a goal on its first four penalty shootout attempts, but Sleeking’s shot was saved on the fifth Dutch shot. Maica Garcia Godoy scored on Spain’s final penalty shootout shot to put the Spaniards into Saturday’s gold medal game.

Kindred Paul and Emma Wright, Canada: Wright and Paul each scored goal in their match on Thursday, but Canada lost to Italy 10-5 in a fifth-through-eighth classification game. The Canadians will play one more game on Saturday against Greece to determine whether they will place seventh or eighth in the final standings.

The 28-year-old Paul was a 2018 graduate of Cal, while Wright, 27, played for Cal from 2017 to 2019.  Both are participating in their second Olympics.

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