Steffens leads U.S. women’s roster as the water polo team goes for a 4th straight gold

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Maggie Steffens and Ashleigh Johnson highlight the U.S. women’s roster for the Paris Olympics as the water polo program goes for its fourth consecutive gold medal.

The 13-player roster was announced Thursday at a Los Angeles restaurant. The U.S. men’s roster will be unveiled on June 18.

Steffens, who turns 31 on Tuesday, is the only holdover from the U.S. team that won gold at the 2012 London Games. The American captain is the career leading scorer for women’s water polo at the Olympics with 56 goals.

Since Steffens started playing for the national team, the U.S. has outscored its opponents 240-126 while compiling a 17-1-1 record at the Olympics.

No team — men or women — has won four straight water polo titles at the Games.

Johnson, Rachel Fattal, Kaleigh Gilchrist and Maddie Musselman are each trying for a third gold medal.

The 29-year-old Johnson is among the top goaltenders in the world. She made 80 saves when the United States won gold in Tokyo in 2021.

The U.S. is 14-0 this year, winning the world championship in Qatar in February.

Ava Johnson and Denise Mammolito were among the last cuts for the women’s roster. Ella Woodhead, whose brothers, Dylan and Quinn, are in the mix for the U.S. men’s team for Paris, also missed out.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games