If his team had not responded to the momentum shift, Adam Krikorian’s name might have been paired with Chris Webber in the history book of notorious sports mistakes.
After Australia missed a potential game-tying goal with one second remaining in the semifinal of the Olympic women’s water polo tournament, Team USA’s head coach called a timeout, thinking his goalkeeper had possession of the ball. She did not, and Australia’s Ash Southern connected on her awarded penalty shot to send the game to extra time.
“Everything happened so quickly, but it was a big mistake on my part and it could have cost us the game,” Krikorian told reporters after the match. “It went through my mind that I might have blown it.”
The mistake called to mind Webber’s late-game timeout that his team did not have, sealing Michigan basketball’s loss in the 1993 National Championship.
But the U.S. water polo team would not suffer the same fate, bouncing back from the gaffe and the cheers of the massive Australia contingent. Team USA scored two goals in the six minutes of extra time, shutting out Australia for a 11-9 win and a place in the Gold Medal Match.
“Sometimes the coach can let you down and the players need to pick you up,” Krikorian said. “Thankfully they did that today.”
Two players in particular deserve credit: goalkeeper Betsey Armstrong and center back Maggie Steffens. Armstrong and her defense kept Australia from scoring in extra time, and she became the first goalkeeper in the tournament to keep the Australian offense in the single digits.
On the other side of the pool, teenage phenom Maggie Steffens was torching the Australian defense. The tournament’s leading scorer led Team USA with four goals, including a near-side bouncing goal in extra time, putting the U.S. ahead after her coach’s error timeout.
“To be honest, I have no idea really what happened. I thought it was going to be our ball,” said the 19-year-old Steffens. “We have been through adversity before. We’ve been in situations where teams have the chance to beat us with one second.”
After silencing the loud Australian crowd, Team USA has a chance to win their first Olympic gold medal, against either Spain or Hungary in a preliminary-round rematch.
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