BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) student-athletes Hanna Muller (Lindenwood University), Ashleigh Johnson (Princeton University), Bronwen Knox (Hartwick College), Amy Ridge (University of Michigan) and Abby Andrews (University of Michigan) along with incoming freshman Boati Motau (Bucknell University) continued play for South Africa, the United States and Australia at the 2020/2021 Olympics in Tokyo on Friday, July 30.
Statistics from the Olympic Games competition at the Tatsumi Water Polo Centre are available by CLICKING HERE.
United States 18, ROC 5 (Ashleigh Johnson)
United States goalie/Princeton University alumna Ashleigh Johnson stopped 16 of 21 shots for the United States as the two-time defending Gold Medalists routed ROC (the Russian Olympic Committee), 15-9, in Group B competition. The victory improves Team USA to 3-1 in Group B action as the Americans previously defeated Japan via a 25-4 count on Saturday, July 24, handles China by a 12-7 count on Monday, July 26, and suffered a 10-9 setback versus Hungary on Wednesday, July 28.
The win guarantees the United States will advance into quarterfinals on Tuesday, August 3, as Hungary (2-0-1), ROC (1-1-1), China (1-2) and Japan (0-3) all have games remaining. Hungary locks up the Group B title with a win over China on Sunday, August 1, while the United States can not be caught by Russia, China and Japan in the standings.
Johnson – who posted 15 saves on 19 shots in downing Japan, swatted away seven-of-14 shots versus China and turned back nine-of-19 scoring tries in the loss to Hungary – held ROC in check for much of the game as the United States held 5-1, 4-2, 6-1 and 3-1 scoring advantages in the first, second, third and fourth quarters, respectively.
ROC is competing at the Tokyo Olympics not under the flag of Russia On December 9, 2019 the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned Russia from all international sport for four years after it found that data provided by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency had been manipulated by Russian authorities with a goal of protecting athletes involved in its state-sponsored doping scheme. Russia filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the WADA decision. The Court ruled on 17 December 2020 to reduce the penalty that WADA had placed; instead of banning Russia from sporting events, the ruling allowed Russia to participate at the Olympics and other international events but for a period of two years, the team cannot use the Russian name, flag, or anthem and must present themselves as “Neutral Athlete” or “Neutral Team”. On February 19, 2021, it was announced that Russia would compete in Tokyo under the acronym “ROC” although the full name of the committee itself could not be used to refer to the delegation.
About Ashleigh Johnson: Johnson is among only two Tigers’ athletes ever to win an Olympic gold medal (in 2016) and then come back to compete at Princeton (former United States Senator/men’s basketball player Bill Bradley was the other).
The C. Otto von Kienbusch and Cutino Awards during her senior season in 2017, she was the first player in Princeton women’s water polo history to be named first team All-America and third ever to be selected All-America in each of her four seasons. Johnson finished her Princeton career with a 100-17 record, along with a school-record 1,362 saves and a .693 save percentage. She was a 19-time CWPA Defensive Player of the Week award winner, a four-time first-team all-conference player and the CWPA Player of the Year.
Johnson’s appearance at the Olympics marks the fourth time in the past four games that the United States’ cage will be defended by a CWPA alumna as University of Michigan graduate and CWPA Hall of Fame member Betsey Armstrong was the goalie for the 2008 Silver Medal and 2012 Gold Medal squads.
Netherlands 33, South Africa 1 (Hanna Muller, Boati Motau)
incoming Bucknell University recruit Boati Motau and former Lindenwood University athlete Hanna Muller could not help South Africa versus the Netherlands in a 33-1 Group A loss.
South Africa falls to 0-3 in Group A following an earlier 29-4 loss to Spain on Saturday, July 24, and a 21-1 setback versus Canada on Wednesday, July 28.
South Africa never led against the Netherlands as the team fell behind 7-0 at the end of the first quarter a 16-0 prior to halftime. The Netherlands outscored their foes 17-1 in the second half, including a 9-1 mark in the third quarter.
Motau played 11:16 versus the Netherlands with a pair of action shots and man-up try, while Muller fired off one shot in 21:52 of action. Overall, Motau has played 39:04 during the Olympics with a five shots to accompany Muller who has four shots in 63:40.
About Boati Motau: Motau will join the Bucknell program after a decorated career at the Roedean School in South Africa. Motau was named the 2020 Sports Woman of the Year, while earning Full Colours in both field hockey and water polo (Varsity letters) in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Motau earned First Team All-State accolades while helping the Roedean School to a third-place National finish in 2020.
A three-sport athlete at the school in water polo, field hockey, and swimming, Motau has represented the South African squad at youth level since 2018, helping the U17 team to a second-place showing at the EU Nations Water Polo Cup in 2019. Motau was also the team captain in both field hockey and water polo at Roedean in 2019-20, helping the water polo squad to two straight top-three finishes ad the Old Mutual Prestige Cup.
About Hanna Muller: A two-time Women’s Collegiate Club All-America selection at Lindenwood, Muller previously represented her homeland at the 2018 FINA Women’s World Cup in Surgut, Russia.
Muller, who competed for Lindenwood in 2018 and 2019, is the lone former/current collegiate club player believed to be competing at the 2021 Olympics, Muller earned All-Midwest Division First Team honors as a sophomore in 2019 to accompany All-America Second Team status. Muller also helped Midwest Division Champion Lindenwood earn a Fifth Place finish at the 2019 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Notre Dame earned All-Tournament Second Team laurels.
As a freshman in 2018, she claimed positions on the All-America and Midwest Division All-Conference Second Teams following a season in which she led Midwest Division Champion Lindenwood with 59 goals to accompany 34 assists and 61 steals. A National Collegiate Club Championship All-Tournament Second Team selection, she scored 10 goals in four games to help Lindenwood finish in Fourth Place at the event hosted by the University of Washington at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore.
Spain 15, Australia 9 (Abby Andrews, Bronwen Knox, Amy Ridge)
Former University of Michigan athletes Abby Andrews and Amy Ridge along with Hartwick College Hall of Fame member Bronwen Knox combined to shoot two-for-five as Australia suffered a 15-9 setback versus Spain in Bracket A.
Andrews, who scored once in Australia’s 8-5 opening game victory over Canada on Saturday, July 24, prior to netting a hat-trick with three goals in a 15-12 defeat of the Netherlands on Monday, July 26, finished one-for-one from the field with a power-play tally in 18:48. Knox – who scored once in the win over Canada and twice versus the Netherlands – finished one-for-one in 16:16, while Ridge – who scored once versus the Netherlands – went zero-for-three from the field in 15:05. All three players have come off the bench for Australia to date.
Trailing 2-1, Knox knotted the score via an action shot with 3:02 left in the first quarter. The teams traded goals to establish a three-all tie after a quarter of play and repeated the pattern in the dawning moments of the second quarter. Following a Spain goal to move ahead 4-3 with 7:35 on the clock, Andrews knotted the game at four-all via power-play marker at 6:54. Spain, which trailed only once in the contest at 1-0, acquired a 6-4 lead with 4:58 left in the second quarter, but Australia rallied back to via back-to-back strikes by Rowie Webster to make it six-all with 3:27 until halftime. A goal with 1:58 on the clock provided Spain a 7-6 margin entering the break.
Spain pulled away in the second half by outscoring Australia 4-1 and 4-2 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, to earn the win.
The result establishes a potential three-way for the Group A crown between Spain, Australia and the Netherlands. Spain lost to the Netherlands by a 14-13 score, while the Netherlands fell versus Australia, 15-12, and Australia dropped its game versus Spain. Spain has completed its Group A competition and stands at 3-1, while Australia and the Netherlands are at 2-1. Factor in Canada which is 1-2 and the quarterfinal positions from Group A remain in doubt.
Using a conventional head-to-head comparison among the three teams, Spain comes out on top with a +5 goal differential (15-9 W vs. Australia, 14-13 L vs. Netherlands) compared to the Netherland’s -2 (14-13 W vs. Spain, 15-12 L vs. Australia) and Australia’s -3 (15-9 L vs. Spain, 15-12 W vs. Netherlands).
The question as to which programs advance will be addressed in short order as the Netherlands meets Canada and Australia battles South Africa on Sunday, August 1, in the final games of Group A. Wins by both teams create a log-jam between then 3-1 Spain, Australia and the Netherlands, while a loss by one of the squads creates a tie-breaker.
About Amy Ridge: Ridge competed for Michigan during the 2016 as a freshman. In 38 games, she tallied 20 goals and 10 assists and helped the Wolverines claim the 2016 CWPA Championship and a Fourth Place mark at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.
About Bronwen Knox: The captain of the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Australia Olympic Women’s Water Polo teams and a two-time Olympic Bronze Medalist (2008, 2012), Knox is the only player in the history of the Hartwick College women’s water polo program to earn second team All-America honors from the ACWPC. She helped guide the Hawks to a record of 56-20, two CWPA Northern Division titles, a CWPA Eastern crown and a sixth-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Division I Championship during her two seasons in Oneonta, N.Y.
Following her freshman campaign in 2005, she was the CWPA Northern and Eastern Championship Rookie of the Year, a first team CWPA Northern and Eastern selection, and was an ACWPC Honorable Mention All-America selection. In 2006, Knox led the country in scoring with 127 tallies and was later named Most Valuable Player of both the Northern Division and Eastern Championships. She also earned ACWPC All-Academic team honors and received second team All-America accolades.
A 2012 inductee to the Hartwick Hall of Fame, she totaled 229 goals, 57 assists, 286 points, 209 steals as a member of the Hawks, including program single-season record 127 goals and 117 steals in 2006.
About Abby Andrews: Andrews competed for Michigan during the 2019 season and registered 57 goals, 71 assists and 47 steals with a 41-for-50 mark in sprints in the span of 32 games. A member of the 2019 CWPA Champion Wolverines, she claimed CWPA Rookie of the Year and ACWPC Honorable Mention All-America honors during her lone season in Ann Arbor. A 2019 CWPA All-Conference Second Team pick, she received Rookie of the Tournament and First Team All-Tournament recognition at the CWPA Championship prior to helping the Maize & Blue reach the NCAA Championship quarterfinals.
