PARIS – The United States Olympic Men's Water Polo Team, along with UC San Diego head coach Matt Ustaszewski, defeated Hungary in a shootout Sunday to win a Bronze medal in Paris.

Ustaszewski is serving as an assistant coach with the U.S. squad.

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Story courtesy of USA Water Polo
The U.S. Men's Olympic Team won their first medal since 2008, claiming Bronze in a thrilling shootout win over Hungary, 11-8.

Down two in the fourth quarter, the United States battled back to for a tie in regulation, sending the match to a shootout. In the shootout the United States dominated. Hannes Daube, Max Irving and Alex Bowen all hit their shots to start for Team USA. Meanwhile, Hungary went off the bar in two of their shots and saw Adrian Weinberg block a third, part of a massive day for Weinberg that witnessed the Olympic rookie pile up 16 saves. Ben Hallock scored two goals to lead a balanced attack on offense.

The win marks the fourth bronze medal in program history, joining 1924 (Paris), 1932 (Los Angeles), and 1972 (Munich).  Click here for more on USA Water Polo at the Paris Olympic Games. 

Johnny Hooper, back from a one-game suspension, made an immediate impact in this one scoring to open the festivities giving Team USA a 1-0 lead on the power play goal. Hungary answered moments later on a power play of their own for a 1-1 match. With 4:32 left Chase Dodd got free inside and had his shot blocked, he battled for the ball and was able to bury a second chance try for a 2-1 lead. Hungary tied the match with :36 left in the period but Hallock had the final word, snagging a pass to the post and hammering the ball for a 3-2 lead after one. 

Both offenses were quiet in the first half of the second quarter until Luca Cupido drilled a power play goal for a 4-2 lead with 4:41 left. Hungary got one back a few minutes later and it was a 4-3 match going into halftime. Hungary made a surge in the third quarter, tying the game in the opening thirty seconds and then going in front at 5-4 with 5:02 to play in the period. Team USA answered right back with Hallock hitting his second goal followed by a Max Irving score and it was quickly a 6-5 lead for the United States with 2:45 to play in the third. That would also be the margin as play moved to the fourth quarter. 

Hungary made one final push in the fourth quarter as they took control scoring three straight goals in the opening 5:38 to tie the match and then go ahead 8-6. Once again, Team USA showed their resolve and began to chip away. With 2:59 to play Alex Bowen converted on a power play and then exactly a minute later it was Hannes Daube with the equalizer for an 8-8 match. Each team had chances over the final two minutes to go in front but time expired with the score knotted and the match moved to a shootout. 

Hungary went bar out on their first and third shots while Weinberg denied the second. Bowen's goal in the third round of the shootout put the pressure on Hungary. After the miss, Team USA erupted in celebration.

The United States went 6/18 on power plays while Hungary went 6/12. Team USA didn't attempt a penalty in regulation and Hungary went 0/1.

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Notes 
• Serbia defeated Croatia 13-11 to claim Gold.
• It was the first meeting between the U.S. and Hungary at these Olympics.
• The United States went 5-3 in Paris with wins over Romania, Montenegro, Croatia, Australia, and Hungary. Losses came against Italy, Greece, and Serbia.
• Hungary finished with a 4-4 record with wins vs. France, Japan, Serbia, and Italy, and losses to Spain, Australia, Croatia, and the United States.
• The last time the USA and Hungary had met was July 25 of 2023 in a quarterfinal at the World Championships in Japan. Hungary eked out a 13-12 win and went on to win its fourth title at the event.
• The United States has won seven Olympic medals over 24 appearances - three Silver (2008 Beijing, 1988 Seoul, 1984 Los Angeles) and four Bronze (2024 Paris, 1972 Munich, 1932 Los Angeles, 1924 Paris).
• In 25 Olympic appearances, Hungary has won 16 medals - nine Gold, three Silver, and four Bronze. Hungary's most recent Gold came in 2008 in Beijng, its third-consecutive Olympic title.
• The United States placed sixth while Hungary won Bronze at Tokyo 2020.
• It was Ustaszewski's second Olympics with Team USA as he was a video coach at Tokyo 2020.
• Ustaszewski enters his third season as head coach of the NCAA Division I UC San Diego Tritons in 2024.

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TEAM USA MEN'S WATER POLO 2024 OLYMPIC RESULTS

Day	Date	Time (PDT)	Opponent	Round	Result	Recap	Stats
Sunday	7/28	6:00 AM	Italy	Prelim	L, 8-12	Recap	Stats
Tuesday	7/30	7:35 AM	Romania	Prelim	W 14-8	Recap	Stats
Thursday	8/1	1:30 AM	Greece	Prelim	L 11-13	Recap	Stats
Saturday	8/3	7:35 AM	Montenegro	Prelim	W 12-7	Recap	Stats
Monday	8/5	9:30 AM	Croatia	Prelim	W 14-11	Recap	Stats
Wednesday	8/7	10:00 AM	Australia	Quarterfinal	W 11-10	Recap	Stats
Friday	8/9	5:35 AM	Serbia	Semifinal	L 6-10	Recap	Stats
Sunday	8/11	1:35 AM	Hungary	Bronze Medal	W 11-8	Recap	Stats

 

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2024 Olympic Water Polo Standings
Gold: Serbia
Silver: Croatia
Bronze: United States
4. Hungary
5. Greece
6. Spain
7. Italy
8. Australia
9. Montenegro
10. France
11. Japan
12. Romania

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.