Men’s Water Polo: Team USA into semis at FINA Intercontinental Tournament

Alex Bowen scored a match-high five goals as the United States men’s senior national water polo team defeated Kazakhstan, 17-11, in a FINA Intercontinental Tournament quarterfinal game Thursday night at Corona del Mar High.

Tony Azevedo scored four goals and Bret Bonanni added three for Team USA, which never trailed.

Corona del Mar High alumnus John Mann had two goals for the American squad, and Newport Harbor product Luca Cupido had a goal and two assists.

With the win, Team USA has secured a top-four finish in the tournament and qualified for June’s FINA World League Super Final in Italy. The winner of the Super Final automatically qualifies for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Team USA will play Australia at 6:30 p.m. Friday at CdM in a FINA Intercontinental Tournament semifinal match. Brazil plays China in the second semifinal match, at 8 p.m.

China upset top-seeded Canada, 11-10, in another quarterfinal game Thursday.

The tournament championship match is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets for all matches at CdM are available at https://www.usawaterpolo.org.

— Matt Szabo