Water Polo Preliminary Round
GRE vs. ROM
Greece Picks Up First Win:
Six Greece players scored goals as the team defeated Romania 8-5 to win its first game of the water polo tournament at the Olympic Games. Anastasios PAPANASTASIOU and Konstantinos LOUDIS were the multiple goal scorers for Greece with two each. PAPANASTASIOU was responsible for tying the game at one with 5:54 in the first quarter after Romania's Dinel STEMATE put his team on the board just 50 seconds into the game.
LOUDIS' first goal at 5:03 in the first gave Greece a 2-1 lead and the team never looked back. He scored his second straight goal with 1:27 left in the first quarter.
A goal by Thomas CHATZIS with just over a minute remaining in the half put Greece up by three (5-2). Romania was able to cut the lead to two twice throughout the second half - trailing 5-3 and 6-4 as Liviu TOTALICI sandwiched goals around PAPANASTASIOU's second goal of the game.
In the closing seconds of the third quarter, Greece's Theodoros LORANTOS fired in a goal on a penalty shot to give Greece a 7-4 advantage entering the fourth.
Filippos KAIAFAS finished off the scoring for Greece, his fifth goal of the tournament, with 1:25 left.
Greece (1-2) will play Italy, currently undefeated entering the 18:20 game against Croatia, at 15:00 on Tuesday, 23 July. Romania (0-2-1) will play the United States at 22:00. The United States is 1-1 entering tonight's contest against the Ukraine. Final Score: Greece 8, Romania 5.
Hungary Remains Only Team Undefeated in Bracket A:
There was no need for any last second or minute heroics by Hungary's Tamas KASAS in today's Olympic Games water polo contest at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center. Hungary ended up the victors over the Netherlands by a 10-8 final margin. Hungary remains the only team undefeated in bracket A.
Zsolt VARGA and Tibor BENEDEK sparked Hungary's offense as the two fired in four goals each. Harry VAN DER MEER paced the Netherlands with four goals.
The two team alternated scoring goals in the first half but Hungary went into the intermission with a 5-4 lead as KASAS connected with his only goal of the game with 12.2 seconds remaining.
Gert DE GROOT answered with the fifth tying goal of the game in the opening minutes of the third quarter and VAN DER MEER gave the Netherlands' its final lead of the game just 1 minute later with his third goal at 4:44.
VARGA and BENEDEK began a 4-0 run that gave Hungary a 9-6 lead as the two each scored a pair of goals in a span that lasted nearly four minutes. Marco KUNZ scored his second goal of the game before VARGA (HUN) and VAN DER MEER each scored their respective final goal of the game.
The Netherlands (0-3) plays Russia (1-2) at 12:40 tomorrow and Hungary's next opponent is Spain (2-1) at 16:40. Final Score: HUN 10, NED 8.
CRO vs. ITA
Italy Remains Only Undefeated Team in Bracket B:
Gold medal favorite Italy topped Croatia, 10-8 in third round action preliminary water polo competition at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. Both teams entered the game undefeated with two wins. Italy, the defending Olympic Games champion is 3-0 in pool play, while Croatia dropped to 2-1.
Italy took a two goal lead (3-1) after the first period. The two goal advantage proved to be the final difference in the game. The two teams alternated goals from that point with the Italians boosting the lead. Once the score reached 7-6 Italy, the Italian team outscored Croatia, 3-2.
Italy received balanced scoring as three players contributed with two goals each, including Alberto ANGLINI, Roberto CALCATERRA and Carlo SILIPO.
Croatia also had three players with a pair including Dubravko SIMENC, Josko KREKOVIC and team captain Perica BUKIC.
Italy (3-0) will play Greece (1-2) on Tuesday, 23 July at 15:00 and Croatia (2-1) will take on the Ukraine (0-2-1) at 18:20. Final Score: Italy 10, Croatia 8.
United States Overpowers Ukraine:
Outstanding play by United States goalkeeper Chris DUPLANTY and Chris OEDING'S second goal of the game with 3:52 remaining in the contest lifted the host of the Centennial Olympic Games to a 10-8 water polo victory over the Ukraine.
The United States also received a pair of goals from Kyle KOPP and Chris HUMBERT in the third quarter. The Ukraine was led by Andriy KOVALENKO with three goals and Aleks POTULNYTSKY with two goals.
Gavin ARROYO put the United States on the board first at the 1:59 mark in the first quarter but the Ukraine's KOVALENKO tied up the game a minute later. Vadym KHALCHYTSKY put the Ukraine up by a point (2-1) with 2:33 remaining in the second quarter, and from that point on, the two teams traded scores.
HUMBERT'S second goal of the game came with 3:56 remaining in the third quarter. It was a no look, cross cage goal that tied the game up at five. KOVALENKO answered with his third goal of the game 42 seconds later to knot the game up at six. KOPP closed out the quarter for the United States with consecutive scores, the second one coming off a fast break.
POTULNYTSKY'S second goal of the game at 5:04 in the final quarter, tied up the game one last time.
OEDING gave the United States the lead for good when he scored with 3:52 remaining and HUMBERT'S third goal of the game put the icing on the cake.
The game had seven ties and two lead changes (Ukraine, 2-1 and the United States, 7-6).
The Ukraine (0-2-1) takes on Croatia (1-2) at 18:20 tomorrow and the United States (2-1) takes on winless Romania (0-2-1) at 22:00. Final Score: United States 9, Ukraine 7.
RUS vs. GER
>Russia Earns First Win of Tournament:
Russia's Serguei GARBOUZOV connected on a game-high four shots in his first goals of the tournament to lead his team to a 10-8 water polo victory over Germany to start the competition's third day. Both teams were playing for their first win in the preliminary round.
Four players led Germany with two goals each, including Raul DE LA PENA, Rene REIMAN, Davor ERJAVEC and Jorg DRESEL.
The Russian Federation jumped out to a three-goal lead in the second quarter when GARBOUZOV fired in scores from penalty shots, the second coming at 2:53 in the quarter. ERJAVEC and captain REIMAN chipped away at the Russian lead with single scores in the final 90 seconds of the quarter, cutting the margin to a one-goal deficit (6-5), while GARBOUZOV produced the offense for Russia in the third, scoring goals that were sandwiched around Germany's ERJAVEC'S second score.
Russia, which entered the final seven minutes with an 8-6 lead, maintained a two goal margin, thus the final difference.
Germany's (0-3) next opponent is Yugoslavia (2-0-1)
at 11:00 on Tuesday. The Russian Federation (1-1-1) will take
on the Netherlands, winless prior to Monday's 16:40 match against
Hungary, at 12:40. Final Score: RUS 10, GER 8.
YUG vs. ESP>
VUJASINOVIC and SUBOTIC Lead Yugoslavia to Victory:
Yugoslavia's Vladimir VUJASINOVIC and Vaso SUBOTIC each had two goals in the first half to lead Yugoslavia to a 9-7 victory over Spain during the third day of the water polo competition at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. The duo teamed up to score four of five goals for Yugoslavia in the first half as the team took a 5-2 lead at intermission.
Yugoslavia built up a four-goal margin in the third quarter when Aleksandar SAPIC tallied his team's seventh goal of the game with 1:42 left in the third.
Spain's Miguel OCA scored 33 seconds later, which started a three-goal streak by the Spanish team. Salvador GOMEZ and Jordi SANS began the final quarter with scores to cut Yugoslavia's lead to one, at 7-6 with 4:41 remaining.
Following a Dejan SAVIC (YUG) goal at 3:15, OCA scored his second goal of the game to bring Spain back to within one point before SAPIC (YUG) was able to score an insurance goal with 56 seconds remaining in the contest.
Spain's team captain and five-time Olympian, Manuel ESTIARTE, led his team with two goals, bringing his three day tournament total to six goals. He has been the leading scorer in the last four Olympic Games. The current overall leader in goals scored is JUJASINOVIC, who has seven goals after today's two-goal effort.
>Spain (2-1) will play Hungary, which has defeated opposition with a last-minute or second score in the last two games, at 16:40 on Tuesday, 23 July. Yugoslavia (2-0-1) will play winless Germany to begin the fourth day of competition at 11:00. Final Score: YUG 9, ESP 7.
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