Zagreb, Croatia - March 14 - The Team
USA Men wrapped up play at the 2023 World Aquatics World Cup qualifier earlier
today, falling to Italy 16-10. Ben Hallock led Team USA with three goals, Tyler
Abramson put home two scores, and Adrian Weinberg recorded ten saves. Team USA
finished play in Croatia with a 3-2 record to take second place overall and
joined Italy and Croatia in securing spots for the World Aquatics World Cup
coming up this June in Los Angeles. Team USA picked up wins over Japan, France
and Hungary while dropping matches to Croatia and Italy.
Team USA started aggressively on
offense, earning a penalty shot on the opening possession that was successfully
converted by Hannes Daube. Six minutes later, Italy knotted things up via a
redirect goal from Edoardo Di Somma. With thirty seconds to play, the Italians
earned a penalty shot but were sent away by Adrian Weinberg to keep the score level
at 1-1.
The United States got a quick goal to
start the second quarter when Luca Cupido fired one past Marco Del Lungo for a
score. Just about midway through the period, Vicenzo Renzuto Iodice found the
back of the net to tie things up at 2-2. Di Somma followed that up with a power
play goal to give Italy its first lead of the day. The next trip up the pool,
team captain Ben Hallock put a beautiful lob pass from Cupido into the cage
before Gonzalo Echenique went cross cage on a counter attack to regain a
one-goal lead for the Italians. Renzuto Iodice added another score before the
break to give Italy a 5-3 advantage at halftime.
Di Somma opened the third period with
his third and fourth goals of the contest for Italy. After three minutes
without another score, Vincenzo Dolce converted a man-up advantage to earn an
8-3 lead for Italy. Team USA got on the board in the period from a penalty shot
goal by Ben Stevenson. The Italians picked up another penalty attempt late and
Francesco Di Fulvio sent it in for a 9-4 lead after three.
Filippo Ferrero began the final frame
with the tenth score for Italy and Lorenzo Bruni followed that up with the
eleventh to increase the margin to seven. Hallock had an answer for the United
States with his second score but Luca Marziali joined the scorebook with
another for Italy on the very next chance. Halfway through the period, Jake
Ehrhardt and Tyler Abramson got in on the action for the Americans to make the
score 12-7. Late in the fourth, Chase Dodd skipped one home before Marziali
added another. Hallock recorded a hat trick down the stretch and then Di Somma
and Ferrero added two more. Abramson scored once more before Nicholas
Presciutti set the final score, 16-10 in favor of Italy.
Scoring - Stats via World Aquatics
USA 10 (1, 2, 1, 6) B. Hallock 3, T.
Abramson 2, L. Cupido 1, H. Daube 1, C. Dodd 1, J. Ehrhardt 1, B. Stevenson 1
ITA 16 (1, 4, 4, 7) E. Di Somma 5, V.
Renzuto Iodice 2, F. Ferrero 2, L. Marziali 2, G. Echenique 1, V. Dolce 1, F.
Di Fulvio 1, L. Bruni 1, N. Presciutti 1
Penalties: USA 2/4, ITA 2/3
6-on-5: USA 4/12, ITA 5/8
Saves: USA 10 (Weinberg 10), ITA 9
(Del Lungo 9)
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