Israel Girls' Team Defeats Mexico 19:3 at U16 World Water Polo Championship
The blue-and-whites achieved their second victory of the championship in Zagreb in a one-sided game. Yara Hoino-Garcia scored three goals and was named MVP. Tomorrow, the strong Netherlands team awaits. Coach Idan Kaftori: "We will try to get the maximum."
The Israel girls' water polo team achieved its second victory today, Monday, at the U16 World Championship in Zagreb, with an impressive 19:3 win over Mexico. It was a one-sided game from start to finish, with the blue-and-whites scoring on 79% of their field shots, recording 13 assists, and effectively leaving no chance for the North American team. Israel took a commanding 6:1 lead by the end of the first quarter, extended it to 9:2 at halftime, 11:2 in the third quarter, and closed the game with an 8:1 run.
Tomorrow at 15:30, Israel will face a much tougher hurdle: the Netherlands, one of the best teams in the world in this age group.
"The players did their job in a game where they were the favorites," said team coach Idan Kaftori after the match. "We made some mistakes that need to be worked on. Tomorrow we have a tough and important game against the Netherlands. We will try to get the maximum out of this game. I trust the players to put on a good performance."
Scorers for Israel: Yara Hoino-Garcia and Yahli Rokach with 3 each; Tamar Orhan, Galia Wright, Rotem Bar, Tamara Salmon, and Hila Korsia with 2 each; Shani Yakubovich, Inbar Yanko, and Alma Tauber with 1 each. Hoino-Garcia was named the match MVP.
