BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Indiana University alum Shae Fournier (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Grant Park) netted a hat-trick in support of current Hoosiers’ goalie Jessica Gaudreault (Sr., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada/St. Joseph) as Canada battered Brazil, 16-6, while the University of Michigan’s Maddy Steere (So., Pascoe Vale, Australia/St. Catherine’s School) helped Australia in an 11-8 loss to Greece on the third and final day (Thursday, July 20) of women’s group play at the 2017 FINA World Championship in Budapest, Hungary.
The goals raise Fournier’s scoring total to five strikes over the past two games as she put away a pair in a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over China earlier in the week on Tuesday, July 18. Canada, which fell to Italy on Sunday, July 16, in its tournament opener, finishes second in Group A behind Italy and ahead of China and Brazil.
The squad will square off with Group B Third Place finisher New Zealand at 5:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 22, in the second round. New Zealand finished behind the United States and Spain and Group B with South Africa finishing in Fourth Place.
Facing Brazil, Canada ticked off four goals in the first, second, third and fourth quarters to outscore their foe 4-2, 4-2, 4-1 and 4-1, respectively, to coast to victory.
Kyra Christmas led the way for the Canadians with five goals, while Elyse Lema-Lavoie and Hayley McKelvey both posted two scores to accompany Fournier’s trio. Krystina Alogbo, Emma Wright, Monika Eggens and Joelle Bekhazi each tacked on solo strikes.
For Australia, Steere did not score as the Aussies suffered an 11-8 loss to Greece. Australia, which downed Russia (8-5 W, July 18) and Kazakhstan (16-4 W, July 16) earlier in Group D competition, finishes second in the group due to goal differential as Russia, Greece and Australia each went 2-1. Goal differential proved king in the tiebreaker between the three teams as Greece (+1), Australia (0) and Russia (-1) place first, second and third in front of Kazakhstan.
Steere, who scored twice in the Aussies’ tournament opening defeat of Kazakhstan, and her countrywomen could not keep pace with Greece in the second half as the teams played to ties of 2-2 and 5-5 through the first two quarters. In the second half, the Greeks pulled away courtesy 3-2 and 3-1 scoring advantages in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, to claim the victory.
The loss, combined with the result of the tiebreaker, drops Australia into a 10:00 p.m. clash local time on Saturday, July 22, against Group C Third Place finisher France. The French finished behind Hungary and the Netherlands in Group C with Japan claiming the fourth spot.
FINA Women’s World Championship – Second Round (Saturday, July 22, 2017 – Times Local)
Match 25: 10:30 a.m., 4A-Brazil vs. 4B-South Africa
Match 26: Noon, 4C-Japan vs. 4D-Kazakhstan
Match 27: 5:30 p.m., 2A-Canada vs 3B-New Zealand
Match 28: 7:00 p.m., 3A-China vs. 2B-Spain
Match 29: 8:30 p.m., 2C-Netherlands vs. 3D-Russia
Match 30: 10:00 p.m., 3C-France vs 2D-Australia
