U.S. women’s water polo team to play for gold at FINA Worlds

For the first time since 2009 the USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team, which features Kaleigh Gilchrist (Newport Harbor High) and Maddie Musselman (Corona del Mar) will play for gold at the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia.

Team USA topped Australia, 8-6, in the semifinals on Wednesday. Musselman scored one goal.

The U.S. team will face the Netherlands in the gold-medal match on Friday at noon PST. The match will stream live on UniversalSports.com and air on delay on Universal Sports at 5 p.m. PST.

Mussleman’s goal tied the game at 2-2 in the first quarter.

The U.S. women’s team will vie to win their fourth FINA World Championship on Friday. The U.S. women have previously won gold in 2003 (Barcelona), 2007 (Melbourne), and 2009 (Rome). The last time Team USA medaled at the FINA World Championship outside of winning gold was in 2005 in Montreal when they earned silver.

The U.S. men’s national team, which includes John Mann (Corona del Mar) and Luca Cupido (Newport Harbor), will face Hungary in a fifth-place semifinal at the FINA World Championships on Thursday at 7 a.m. in Kazan, Russia. The Americans lost to Serbia, 12-7, in a quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Cupido scored one goal.

— From staff reports