U.S. Women’s Water Polo’s Decade-Long Dominance Comes to an End in Paris

After its hopes of an Olympic four-peat were dashed by Australia, Team USA now finds itself playing for an unfamiliar title: a bronze medal.

Team USA had won the last three Olympic gold medals in women's water polo coming into the Paris Games. / Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

NANTERRE, France — After three straight Olympic gold medals, perhaps the most stunning run of dominance by a dynasty in sports, the U.S. women’s water polo team will do something that might be even harder: try to win bronze. 

Thursday’s 14–13 semifinal loss to Australia in penalty shots left the Americans grappling with a challenge this group has rarely faced. They will have to regroup after a defeat. 

“I always think a bronze medal is super difficult, because you don't come for a bronze medal,” said captain and attacker Maggie Steffens. “You come for the gold.”

For most of her career, she has achieved it. Steffens, 31, is the only player who remains from the London, Rio and Tokyo squads. This team is younger and less experienced than the previous three and, as coach Adam Krikorian has admitted, not as talented as the earlier juggernauts. It has tried to emphasize that it is not a continuation of what came before. It wanted to appreciate the program’s legacy without letting expectations burden it. The players are a new group with new goals. They were not caught up in trying to extend a streak. “This team was just trying to win their first one,” said Krikorian. 

They are also managing challenges much more serious than any they will face in the pool. Steffens is mourning the death of her husband’s sister, Lulu Conner, who died of what Steffens has called a “medical emergency” after traveling to Paris for the Olympics. Attacker Maddie Musselman is supporting her husband, former UCLA water polo player Patrick Woepse, as he undergoes treatment for Stage IV lung cancer. 

“Unfortunately, there's been a lot of adversity outside of water polo that we’ve faced,” Steffens said. “We’ve been through a lot and done a great job of being there for one another and now we get another chance to do that.”

Not everyone was entirely clear as to how to go about that. 

“I’ll let you know when I know,” said defender Jordan Raney.

Once the shock wears off—Steffens said they will give themselves the rest of the night to stew—they will begin analyzing what went wrong Thursday. Aside from a pool-play loss to Spain, this team had largely found clutch performances when it needed them. In the semifinals, though, the Americans led 6–2 at halftime but failed to shut the door defensively. And the attack, often so devastating, played tight, a condition Krikorian attributed to nerves. 

“I feel like our offense was a little bit stagnant,” said attacker Jewel Roemer. “And we didn’t really convert on a lot of our six-on-five opportunities, which we take advantage of most other games.”

Australia tied the game at eight with 2:54 left in the fourth period, and goalie Ashleigh Johnson managed to keep it there as the clock expired. The Aussies and the Americans traded successful penalty shots until, on the U.S.’s sixth attempt, Australia goalie Gabriella Palm got a hand on Musselman’s shot. The Australians went nuts. The Americans looked unsure what to do. 

“This is the first time we’ve had to feel this feeling in some time,” said Krikorian.  He added, “This is the reality of life. You don't sit on top of the podium every single time. We’ve made it look easy at times, but it’s never been easy.”

This Olympic push has been among the hardest. After the exhaustion of a COVID-19 Olympics in Tokyo, many of the veterans considered retiring; legendary centers Aria Fischer and Melissa Seidemann did, leaving the team without much experience up the middle. A condensed, three-year cycle combined with a young team has meant accelerating a lot of learning. 

Now they will try to learn how to rebound from a loss and end the Olympics on Sunday with a win—and bronze—against the Netherlands.

“We’ve always talked about wanting to have the finished product on August 10,” Steffens said. “Unfortunately, you want that in the gold medal game. But now we get another opportunity to try to show the world who we are.”