WATER POLO: USA Women's Senior National Team Downs Russia 15-9 In First Game Of "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 Water Polo China Open

The USA Women's Senior National Team opened play at the "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 Water Polo China Open in Beijing, China with a 15-9 victory over Russia. Russia was not playing with a full squad as some members of the team were taking part in the LEN Champions Cup. USA battled back from a 4-1 first quarter deficit and a 6-3 hole at halftime to outscore the Russians 12-3 in the second half en route to the victory. Natalie Golda led the team in scoring with three goals while the game also remarked a return to competition for veteran Ericka Lorenz. Lorenz tallied a goal in the victory while Betsey Armstrong was solid in net turning aside five shots. "We had a very slow start, but we picked up our play in the second half," said USA Head Coach Guy Baker. He continued, "This was not Russia's full team. They have players who are playing this weekend in the quarterfinals of the LEN Champions Cup. I like that we had nine players score 15 goals and the second half can give us some confidence going into our next games." Team USA returns to actions on Thursday March 20 with a match against the host team China at 4:30pm local time (1:30am PST). The competition is taking place at the Ying Tung Natatorium which will also serve as the venue for the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympics. Goal Scoring: USA: 15 (1, 2, 6, 6) RUS: 9 (4, 2, 1, 2) USA Scoring: N. Golda 3, B. Villa 2, E. Windes 2, A. Gregorka 2, M. van Norman 2, E. Lorenz 1, P. Cardenas 1, J. Steffens 1, K. Craig 1 USA Saves: B. Armstrong 5 6x5: USA - 2-4, RUS - 5-8 Penalty Shots: 1-1