Australia v Canada Women's Olympic Preview

Australia v Canada (W)

The second game of opening day is an interesting matchup between historical powerhouse Australia and a Canadian squad who is making their return to the Olympics after failing to qualify since 2004. In a group that includes other medal favorites like Spain and the Netherlands, the winner of this early game will be in an excellent position in Group A, whereas the loser of the game will have work to do to reach the quarterfinals. 

• The Australian women won the inaugural gold medal in women's water polo in 2000, beating the USA in Sydney. 

• Australia is looking to return to the medal podium after a disappointing 6th place finish in Rio.

• While Canada has enjoyed success at other international events, they are looking to best the 5th place finish from 2000, the best finish by a Canadian squad at the Olympic Games.

• These two teams most recently played in June of 2019 when Australia recorded a 15-9 victory in the 5-8 classification round of the World League Super Finals.

• The NCAA system is well represented on these two teams. 8/13 players on the Australian team and a staggering 12/13 on the Canadian team attended an American university.

Written by, Breck Weiny