Stingers ready for China showdown at World Champs

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers will be determined to bounce back with a win in today’s match against China [2.30pm 9Now] after recording a tough 9-5 loss to the USA in their second game at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.

Matching up against reigning Olympic and World Champions USA, both teams came out firing eager to earn the vital competition points on offer. Alice Williams opened up the goal scoring for Australia, responding to a quick goal by the US in the first two minutes of the game.

Tokyo Olympian Amy Ridge – a New South Wales Institute of Sport scholarship holder – followed, slotting one into the back of the net to give the Stingers a one goal lead. Fellow Tokyo Olympian and NSWIS athlete Bronte Halligan added her name to the goal scorers list, before the US responded and the first quarter ended 3-5 in the defending champions favour.

The Aussies defence stepped up in the second quarter, managing to keep the US at bay, with neither side scoring a goal.

The US got managed a four goal lead in the third quarter, before Williams rose to the occasion again, scoring to get her side back to within three goals.

Williams scored her third goal of the game in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to help her side to a win, the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers going down 5-9.

Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers Head Coach Paul Oberman rued a series of lost moments.

“It was probably a case of missed opportunities and missed chances today,” he said. “We tried to get ourselves back into the game in the last quarter, but unfortunately our shots hit either the woodwork, or inside wood and didn’t go in.

“We now play China . . .  it will be a very tough game.

“We’ll look at the footage from when we played them at the World Cup…they play a very unusual defence so we’ll look at how we need to attack against that.

“But also remembering that we need to still play defence as well, and can’t concede as many goals,” he said.

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers play China on Thursday 20 July at 2:30pm AEST. Watch live via 9Now.

AUSTRALIA: 1. PALM, Gabi; 2. SWADLING, Ruby; 3. ARMIT, Elle; 4. HALLIGAN, Bronte (1); 5. LEESON-SMITH, Bridget; 6. ANDREWS, Abby; 7. ANDREWS, Charlize; 8. RIDGE, Amy (1); 9. ARANCINI, Zoe; 10. WILLIAMS, Alice (3); 11. KEARNS, Tilly; 12. PONTRE, Sofie; 13. LONGMAN, Genevieve

Story Courtesy of Water Polo Australia