Stingers seal quarter-final spot with Canada win
Australia are guaranteed a women’s water polo quarter-final berth after the Stingers stormed to the top of their Olympic group with a dominant 10-7 win over Canada.
Hunting their first Olympic medal since 2008, the Australians remain unbeaten from three games and with one match to play, against Hungary on Sunday, can’t finish worse than second in their pool.
Bronte Halligan was again one of the stars of the show in their Friday match, bagging a hat-trick while she caused the Canadians headaches in defence.
Alice Williams also found her range with three goals while Gabi Palm was rock solid in front of goal.
The first quarter was a level affair, ending 1-1 thanks to some superb saves by Canada keeper Jessica Gaudreault.
The Stingers started to flex their muscles in the second quarter but really took control of the match in the third quarter, pushing a 4-2 halftime lead out to a commanding 9-4 margin.
Halligan was target with two penalty shots while Williams also contributed two in the period with a penalty strike before unleashing her lethal right arm for her third of the match.
The Canadians rallied in the final quarter, with back-to-back goals but the Australians remained composed to secure the win.
They moved one point clear of the Netherlands, however the 2023 world champions could again go ahead with their final match against Canada, also on Sunday.
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