The U.S. women’s water polo team’s chance to continue making Olympic history was decided in a penalty shootout, and the United States, which entered the 2024 Games as three-time defending champions, was one goal short.

A save on the last attempt between the United States and Australia gave Australia a 6-5 lead in the shootout and a 14-13 victory in Thursday’s semifinal after the two teams were tied 8-8 after four periods.

The United States was hoping to become the first nation to win its fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in men’s or women’s water polo, but instead it will only manage a bronze medal, while Australia advances to the gold medal match against Spain on Saturday.

The USA will face the Netherlands in the bronze medal game on Saturday.

“We’re thinking about it and doing what we’ve always done: learning, getting better and we still have a chance,” Maggie Steffens, the veteran captain of the U.S. team, said after the loss. “We talked a lot about the bottom line not being in knockout rounds, quarterfinals or finals. We always talked about the bottom line being where we want to be on August 10.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not about the gold medal, that’s our own fault,” continued Steffens, who wanted to be the first water polo player to win four Olympic gold medals in a row. “Now we just have to get better and show how resilient we are and how much better we can be. It’s going to be a tough game.”

Despite the United States’ dominance in recent years, these Games were rocky for a team that consisted of a mix of Olympic newcomers (seven) and returning athletes (six).

The Americans survived a close game against Hungary in the quarterfinals, winning 5-4 to qualify for Thursday’s match. They finished second in their group in the preliminary round after losing one game to Spain 11-13, but dominated their other three games in the group stage.

“Australia played great,” coach Adam Krikorian said after the USA’s win over Hungary. “They were as good as anyone and fought through some close games, so we know how difficult this game is going to be.”

It certainly was, as Australia maintained control of the ball – 53 percent possession compared to the USA’s 47 percent. Most importantly, Australian goalkeeper Gabriella Palm saved Maddie Musselman’s final shot in the sixth round of the shootout, keeping Australia’s Olympic gold medal hopes alive and ending the USA’s title run.

“Our offense hasn’t been that good the last two days,” Steffens said. “To only score five goals the other day (against Hungary) is tough. So we just tried to find our creativity again and do what we need to do, while being confident and trusting each other.”

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(Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)