BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Brown University women’s water polo coach/United States Assistant Coach Jackie Puccino and the Americans outlasted Italy in a penalty shootout, 13-11, to earn a spot in the 2025 World Aquatics Women’s Junior World Championships (U20) title game.
Competing in Salvador, Brazil, the United States trailed 3-2 and 5-4 at the conclusion of the first and second quarters, respectively, but pulled ahead 8-7 prior to the termination of the third quarter. Italy rallied back to tie the score at nine-all exiting regulation, but the Americans punched back to outscore the Italians by a 4-2 margin in the ensuing penalty shootout to earn the win.
The game marked the second meeting between the USA and Italy during the championship as the Americans topped the Italians by a 14-6 score on Tuesday, August 12, in both teams’ final contest in Group B competition.
The United States will face Spain – which knocked off Greece by an 11-9 count in the other semifinal – at 2:30 p.m. local/1:30 p.m. Eastern in the championship game on Saturday, August 16.
All matches for the 2025 World Aquatics Women’s Junior World Championships are scheduled to stream live on the World Aquatics YouTube site. Live statistics and postgame box scores are available from MicroPlus Timing Services.
Appointed coach at Brown in June, Puccino served as an assistant coach for the University of Southern California (USC) women’s water polo team in 2025, as the Trojans went 29-5 overall en route to an National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship appearance.
Before USC, Puccino spent six seasons at Harvard University, serving as a coach of both the Crimson women’s and men’s programs. Puccino joined the Crimson staff as an assistant in 2018 and was elevated to associate head coach in 2023. During her time in Cambridge, Harvard teams posted a combined eight 20-win seasons, including the Crimson women’s first-ever Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship game appearance in 2022 and a 2019 Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Championship/NCAA appearance for the Harvard men.
Puccino began her coaching career with the Palomar College women’s program, earning Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (PCAC) Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016. She spent a year as the women’s head coach at San Diego Mesa College, winning the 2017 PCAC title and her third PCAC Coach of the Year nod.
As a player, Puccino earned All-America First Team honors at Palomar College before going on to Marist College, where she earned a degree in Psychology in 2012. Puccino also holds a master’s degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific University.
