U.S. Women’s Water Polo Lose Bronze Medal Match in Final Second at Olympics

The U.S. women’s water polo team suffered a heartbreaking loss int he bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics, missing the podium after a goal from the Netherlands in the final second secured the Dutch team the third place spot.

The team, which includes stars like captain Maggie Steffens and goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson, finished the 2024 Paris Olympics in fourth place, losing to the Dutch team 11-10 on Saturday, Aug. 10 at La Défense Arena.

The win was a close match that saw the Netherlands hot on the Americans’ trail the entire time. With just over a minute left in the last quarter, Team USA lost their lead as the Dutch tied the game, 10-10. With just 0:01 seconds left, Team Netherlands pulled ahead for the lead.

The game came two days after the U.S.’s difficult loss to Australia, which blocked them from a chance at winning a fourth straight Olympic gold medal.

The team faced its fair share of attention during the Games, thanks to both celebrity support and personal tragedy.

Flavor Flav, 65, was on hand to cheer the team on as one of their biggest fans after promising in May that he would help pay their way through the Games. His support came after Steffens, 31, wrote on Instagram that the players needed financial help in order to compete at the Olympics.

“By me sponsoring this water polo team, this is going to help me pull something off of my bucket list,” Flav told PEOPLE about the sponsorship in May. “You know what? I always wanted to one day go to the Olympic Games and see it and see it live with my eyes, not just on TV. You know what I’m saying?”

Despite the support, the team faced adversity outside of the pool; just two days after the opening ceremony, a rep for the team confirmed to PEOPLE that Steffens’ 26-year-old sister-in-law died in Paris following a medical emergency. The athlete has since been vocal about wanting to keep her spirits up in honor of Lulu Conner, who was the younger sister of her husband Bobby Conner.

Attacker Maddie Musselman has also been open about her personal struggles after her husband Patrick Woepse was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.

“Unfortunately there’s been a lot of adversity outside of water that we faced, and I just think that we’ve been through a lot and done a great job of being there for one another,” Steffens told reporters after the loss to Australia. “This team is amazing. There’s so much passion, so much love, so much camaraderie, and I’m excited to fight for them one more time.”

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