STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford’s Makenzie Fischer, Ashley Grossman ’15, Kiley Neushul ’15, Melissa Seidemann ’13 and Maggie Steffens led the USA Senior Women’s National Team to another tournament championship on Friday, this time claiming gold at the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia with a 5-4 victory over the Netherlands.
The Cardinal’s five representatives on the 13-player roster led the United States to a 22-1 mark in the months of June, July and August, including gold medals at the Kunshan Cup in China, the FINA World League Super Final in Shanghai, the Pan Am Games in Toronto and these FINA World Championships. It was Team USA’s fourth FINA World Championship crown, adding to titles in 2003, 2007 and 2009.
Stanford’s contingent in Kazan was responsible for 34 of the United States’ 72 goals at the tournament, led by Steffens’ 13. Neushul fired home eight scores, including one in the final, Fischer six, Grossman four and Seidemann three.
The United States cruised past Brazil to open the tournament on July 26, 13-2, behind a hat trick from Steffens and two goals each from Fischer and Neushul. Two days later, the USA suffered its first loss of 2015 in major competition, falling 10-9 to Italy, but it responded with a 17-2 drubbing of Japan on July 30 to finish group play 2-1. Ten of the team’s 17 goals against the Japanese were put home by Cardinal – four by Steffens, three by Grossman, two by Fischer and one by Neushul.
WORLD CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/eLLiG3NKVL
— USA Water Polo (@USAWP) August 7, 2015
Team USA cruised into the quarterfinals following a 12-7 win over Hungary on August 1 in which Steffens posted one of her three hat tricks of the tournament while Seidemann and Grossman contributed scores of their own.
In a rematch of the 2012 Olympic Games gold medal final and the quarterfinals of the 2013 FINA World Championships, the United States downed Spain, 8-5, on August 3 to punch a ticket into the semifinals. Neushul scored the U.S.’s opening goal and added another right before the half to give her team a 5-2 lead at intermission. Steffens converted a second-quarter penalty to aid the USA victory.
Wednesday’s 8-6, semifinal win against Australia featured a pair of scores from Steffens and one apiece from Seidemann and Fischer to set up Friday’s finale.
💛💛💛💛 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸.. Congrats ladies @USAWP First team to #4 ... @maggiesteffens @CLKMathewson @mseidemann @KamiCraigUSA
— brenda villa (@brenda4villa) August 7, 2015
Grossman and Neushul, who recently concluded their Stanford careers with a third national championship in early May, were joined on Team USA by junior and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Steffens, 2013 graduate and fellow 2012 Olympic gold medalist Seidemann and prep standout Fischer, who signed her National Letter of Intent with the Cardinal in mid-November.
The five weren’t the only Cardinal playing for their country abroad this summer. In early July, the remainder of Stanford’s current squad represented the United States at the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea and finished fifth. That crew went down to Southern California days after returning home and won gold at the 2015 US Open of Water Polo.
Stanford won 25 games for the ninth consecutive season in 2015 and made history on May 10 by becoming the first host institution to win the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship. The national crown was the fifth in program history and the Cardinal’s fourth in the past five seasons.