Olympic Men’s Water Polo: U.S. Falls Short of Serbia in Semi, Will Play for Bronze

Nikola Jaksic of Serbia shoots over Australia's Marcus Berehulak during a group stage game at the Olympics; Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Olympic Men’s Water Polo: U.S. Falls Short of Serbia in Semi, Will Play for Bronze

The United States couldn’t keep up with Serbia on Friday in the semifinals of the Olympic men’s water polo tournament, dropping a 10-6 decision at the Paris La Defense Arena.

Serbia will battle for its third straight gold medal on Sunday against Croatia, a 9-8 winner over Hungary in the later semifinal. The U.S. will take on Hungary for bronze, hoping for a first medal since silver in Beijing in 2008.

Serbia’s win guarantees the country a medal at its sixth straight Olympics. Before consecutive golds, Serbia won bronze in 2012 and 2008, silver (as Serbia and Montenegro) in 2004 and bronze (as part of Yugoslavia) in 2000.

Defensively, the U.S. executed the No. 1 item on its scouting report, keeping down Dusan Mandic. He entered with 25 goals in the tournament but was held to 0-for-6 shooting by the Americans, though he dished two assists.

Others stepped up in his stead. Nikola Dedovic scored four goals on five shots, and Nikola Jaksic shot 3-for-4. That duo was behind the second-quarter momentum-turning that ultimately made the difference.

Marko Vavic led the U.S. with two goals and an assist. Adrian Weinberg was excellent in goal with 14 saves. But the U.S. couldn’t weather a bagel from its main scorer at this tournament, Hannes Daube, who was held to 0-for-5 shooting. Ten turnover and just 1-for-15 on action shots (seven percent) didn’t help the American cause.

The game was tied after one quarter before Jaksic and Dedovic put the foot down. Jaksic scored twice on the power play inside of 37 seconds to make a 2-2 game 4-2. Luca Cupido answered for the U.S., but two goals by Dedovic sandwiching a Ben Hallock power-play tally made it 6-4 Serbia.

Dedovic scored on the man advantage 50 seconds into the third quarter to bump the Serbia lead to three goals. The U.S. would get within two goals on two occasions in the third, the last when Alex Bowen took a Daube feed on the power play with 4:42 left. But it squandered five chances to get within one over the remainder of a tight quarter, and Dedovic’s goal with 6:30 left in regulation restored a three-goal bump and took the sting out of the American fightback.

Radoslav Filipovic made two of his nine saves in that stretch, then the Serbians kept a zero in the fourth quarter to swim to the gold-medal game.

Loren Fatovic powered Croatia, shooting 5-for-5 for the game and adding an assist. Marko Bijac made nine saves in goal for Croatia, including three in a fourth quarter where Croatia didn’t score to keep a tense one-goal lead.

Croatia, the 2012 gold medalist, secures its first medal since silver in Rio in 2016. Hungary won bronze in Tokyo.

Croatia withstood two of its top scorers, Jerko Marinic Kragic and Konstantin Kharkov, being held scoreless. Kragic, who had two assists, was 0-for-7 shooting, while Kharkov and Fatovic were disqualified for the game with three exclusion fouls committed each. Luka Bukic scored twice for Croatia.

Hungary led 4-3 early in the second quarter before Fatovic score three times late in the frame, the last on a power play with nine seconds left before halftime to build a 7-5 lead that Croatia would never relinquish. Marko Zuvela also scored in that run.

Hungary got within one twice in the third quarter, but Bukic answered with goals on the ensuring position both times, and Bijac kept the door closed in the fourth quarter.

Marton Vamos led Hungary with two goals and two assists. Szilard Jansik also scored twice. Soma Vogel made nine saves.

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