The lucky number for the U.S. on Sunday was 16.
Adrian Weinberg made 16 saves to lead Team USA to an 11-8 shootout win over Hungary in the bronze medal match of the Paris men's water polo tournament. With the win, the U.S. takes home its first men’s water polo medal in 16 years.
Weinberg came up especially big in the fourth quarter. The U.S. went into the final frame up 6-5, but Hungary battled back to take an 8-6 lead with 3:22 remaining. It was the first time in the game either team led by multiple goals.
Alex Bowen and Hannes Daube both scored extra player goals to tie the score again and Weinberg made two saves in the final 90 seconds to force penalties.
"I feel like that's my motto in life to be honest. ... There's a lot of ups and downs in life but just trying to stay present through it all, not get too excited, not get too sad, whatever the case may be," Weinberg said. "Just staying focused and do whatever the task is at hand. That’s what I was trying to do."
Weinberg met with U.S. track gold medalist Noah Lyles, who gave the goalie advice on how to react in big moments.
"I asked him, 'Right before you go up to sprint, what are you thinking about when you’re nervous or anxious? He just told me he thinks about that God made me for this moment. Definitely I was thinking about that too that God made me for this moment and I’m very happy to just have honored him in the way I played."
In the shootout, Hungary’s first and third shots hit the post, and Weinberg saved the second. Daube, Max Irving, and Bowen all had makes in their penalty tries to seal the win for the U.S.
"To have a clean penalty sheet like that… once I finished my job I knew we were there," Bowen said.
The last time the U.S. won a medal in men’s water polo was silver in 2008.
This is what we’ve been working for for years and years,” Bowen said. “The grit, the determination to forget the semifinal and to come back and to win a bronze medal is one the most defining points of my life and of this year. It speaks volumes about who we are.”
Hungary came to Paris as the defending bronze medalists, and the country with the most water polo medals in Olympic history. In Paris, they'll leave with a fourth place finish.
The game on Sunday went back-and-forth for three quarters. Johnny Hooper opened the scoring for the U.S., a welcome sight since Hooper missed most of the semifinal game against Serbia after he was sent off for a brutality foul early in the game.
Team USA led by one at the end of each of the first, second, and third quarters.
Hungary had a chance to tie the score on a long possession in the third, but Weinberg saved both attempted shots. The Hungarians took the lead on the next possession on an extra player shot that skipped over Weinberg’s head.
Later in the third, Weinberg made his 10th save, and the next time down the pool, Ben Hallock scored a backhand goal while being pushed under water that tied the score again at 5-5. Weinberg had saves in store on Hungary’s next possessions, and on the other end of the pool Irving made a skip shot to put Team USA back on top 6-5. Both were natural goals, not power plays, the only natural goals of the game for the U.S.
Six of the Americans goals came on extra player opportunities. Hallock led the U.S. with two goals. Six other players had one each.
"I’ve said this like a million times over the last two weeks, but we weren't dead yet… we’ve still got fight in us, there’s still time, and we used it," Bowen said.
Denes Varga and Krisztian Manhercz had two goals apiece for Hungary.
5th place game: Greece 15, Spain 13
Greece leaves Paris with a fifth place finish behind three goals each by Konstantino Genidounias, Alexandros Papanastasious, and Konstantinos Kakaris.
After going undefeated in pool play, Spain finishes the tournament in sixth place. Bernat Sanahuja and Alejandro Bustos each had a hat trick in the loss.
7th place game: Italy 10, Australia 6
Matteo Iocchi Gratta had a hat trick to lead Italy to a seventh place finish in Paris. Lorenzo Bruni and Edoardo Di Somma added two goals each.
Australia leaves Paris in eighth place. Milos Maksimovic had two goals to lead his team in the loss.