Armstrong Leads USA Water Polo to Silver at Olympics
8/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo, Olympics
The gold-medal game proved to be Armstrong's best despite the outcome. She made 14 saves in the heartbreaking 9-8 loss to the Netherlands. The Dutch peppered Armstrong for much of the game, and she had little problem containing much of the Netherlands' attackers, except standout Danielle de Bruijn, who scored seven times including the deciding goal on the power play with 26 seconds remaining.
To advance to the gold-medal game, the Americans needed a late goal of their own to get past Australia in the semifinal by a 9-8 tally. Armstrong made eight saves in the hotly contested match. The game was knotted up after a half before the USA came out strong and gained an 8-5 lead. The Aussies then answered with three goals to tie the game. With one minute remaining and an extra attacker, the United States took the contest with a 6-on-5 marker.
The U.S. skipped the quarterfinal round thanks to an undefeated performance in pool play. Armstrong led the United States with double-digit save totals in two of the three opening-round matches. In her Olympic debut, Armstrong made seven stops against host China in a frantic 12-11 win. The Italians then took the United States to task, forging a 9-9 tie despite 10 saves from Armstrong. The Americans closed out the preliminary round with a decisive victory over Russia to the tune of 12-7 on 10 stops from Armstrong in 24 minutes of work.
Armstrong, who was one of two Ann Arbor natives on the roster for the USA National Team, amassed four divisional titles and two NCAA tournament appearances during her time tending the cage for the Maize and Blue. She was inducted into the Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame earlier this year.
