STANFORD, Calif. – Kiley Neushul scored four times in the final, Maggie Steffens added one and was named tournament MVP and the USA Water Polo Women’s National Team won gold at the 2016 Kunshan Cup in China with a 7-5 victory against Australia over the weekend.
Neushul, a Stanford alumna, scored 11 total goals in the six-match event and Maggie Steffens, who has one year of collegiate eligibility remaining, added nine. The Kunshan Cup serves as a warm-up event for the FINA World League Super Final, which begins Tuesday in Shanghai. In additional to Neushul and Steffens, Stanford is represented in China by incoming freshman Makenzie Fischer and 2013 graduate Melissa Seidemann.
Seidemann was responsible for eight goals at the Kunshan Cup, while Fischer chipped in seven. Stanford’s quartet accounted for more than half of the United States’ 68 goals over the six days, which also featured victories over Brazil (18-3), Canada (11-5), Shanghai Club (12-2) and China (16-2). Team USA lost to Australia on May 31, 5-4, before rebounding to beat the Stingers in Saturday’s championship.
The upcoming FINA World League Super Final represents the final major international tournament before the Olympic Games start on August 9 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. USA Water Polo will announce the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women's Water Polo Team on June 16.
Steffens will captain a group into action that has won gold at the last two and six of the last seven FINA World League Super Finals. The roster includes the same 13 athletes that represented the United States at the FINA Women's Intercontinental Tournament in Texas in February and the Olympic Qualification Tournament in the Netherlands in March.