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12/09/2009 - Wolfgang Philipps |
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Spirited Dutch gain tie a Newport Beach |
High school player Lauren Silver scored three goals tonight.
Foto: Wolfgang Philipps |
Another match of the X Holiday Cup in Newport Beach, USA ended with a tie. Despite missing a number of players, the Netherlands played a game full a spirit and achieved a 6-6 (1-2, 2-1, 2-1, 1-2) against home team USA, when the North American missed many chances in today´s third match here at Marian Bergeson Aquatics Center. Two very young athletes, Dutch Nienke van der Meer and Stanford Graduate Lauren Silver, scored three goals each in the rematch of the 2008 Olympic Games final game.
Dutch football players are often blamed for luckless performances in big events, but this could not be said about the Dutch women´s waterpolo team in tonight´s match. After some changes right after the Olympic gold medal Dutch head coach Mauro Maugeri is now missing so more players at the five-day-event in the heart of Orange County. One of them is even Iefke van Belkum, leading figure of the team and LEN waterpolo player of the years, who is playing an important match with their club Ethnikos Piraeus in the Greek national league. Two other Olympic champions, Biurakn Hakhverdian and Noeki Klein, are absent as well.
But the Dutch squad to show up here at Newport Beach tonight showed a spirited and successful game in their opening match. The US team had some good chances, but shots were often blocked by goalkeeper Ilse van der Meijden, who is now playing for Varesa Olona Nuoto in the Italian A1 League. The home team had already seized the Canada Cup trophy last weekend with a pretty young team and looked strong again in their home pool. The North Americans took a 3-1 lead in the second period, but were not able to swim away as the Dutch stayed close all the time.
Both teams were struggling with cold weather, but in the third period the Europeans even took the lead, when one of the young guns, Nienke Vermeer, scored her third goal in today´s match to bring the score to 5-4 to the Netherlands 44 seconds before end. After the last swim-up the narrow lead kept alive for almost three minute, but now Lauren Silver, a new face in the US team, levelled the result, 5-5. The situation did not change any more: Dutch shooter Mieke Cabout gave another lead to the Europeans, but the scored was levelled right in the countermove by Silver who scored her third goal.
The final result of 6-6 in the rematch of the Olympic gold medal game was a little surprise; even Dutch officials were surprised by the result. Finally, two of three matches of the opening day here at Newport Beach ended with a tie so that more exciting game can be expected here in Southern California. Action will go on Thursday afternoon with three more matches. The opener of day 2 will be the Commonwealth clash between Australia and Canada, starting at 5:20 pm local time.
Holiday Cup, Newport Beach, USA, day 1
USA vs. Netherlands 6-6 (2-1, 1-2, 1-2, 2-1)
USA: Armstrong, Silver 3/1, Figge, Villa, Wenger, Gandy, Rulon 1, J Steffens, Windes, Davies, Dries, Craig 1, Feher, Kraus, M Steffens, Neushul 1.
Head coach: Krikorian.
Netherlands: van der Meijden, Smit 2, M Cabout 1, Sevenich, S van der Sloot, Stomphorst, A van Belkum, Njhuis, J. Cabout, Vermeer 3, Klaassen, Remers, Westera.
Head coach: Maugeri.
Personal Fouls: 4/10
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