Moorpark's Longan embraces veteran's role on U.S. women's water polo team

Amanda Longan is now a veteran. And a decorated one at that.

Since earning an Olympic gold medal three years ago in Tokyo, the U.S. women’s water polo goalkeeper has added winners’ medals at the World Championships, Pan American Games and World Cup.

Which means her role is evolving as the 27-year-old Moorpark native enters her second Olympic games in Paris.

“I’m somebody who isn’t afraid to say things that need to be said … out loud and publicly” said Longan, who starred at Oaks Christian and USC. “That’s I guess new for me and new for this team.

“My leadership role and what the coaches and players have expected of me has been different this time around.”

As the U.S. women’s water polo team opens its bid for a fourth straight Olympic gold medal Saturday, Longan says it enters the tournament with a fresh mindset.

“I think all year we’ve talked about the fact that this team hasn’t accomplished anything,” Longan said. “This team is a totally different team from the other teams of the past. This team hasn’t won an Olympic gold medal together.

More: Meet the Olympians with Ventura County ties who will compete in Paris

“We can take that pressure in. We all want to win, no matter what. We can put it all together. But we’re not trying to create a fourth. We’re trying to create a first for ourselves. That’s where we’re at.”

That’s partly because the squad returns only seven players from the group that went 6-1 in Tokyo.

“It’s definitely a blend,” Longan said. “We’ve had three years to get everybody on the same page. The energy that these young girls have brought to the veterans is interesting.”

Two of those seven returning Olympians are in goal, which means Longan remains a more than capable backup to starter Ashleigh Johnson.

“We’ve shared a lot time over the last few summers,” Longan said. “I get my moments, games here and there, typically in every tournament and in these exhibitions.”

Longan has worked over the past three years, many of it on her own, to improve her game as she approaches her prime.

“I was trying to train in different ways to make myself more explosive,” Longan said. “I’ve gotten a lot more consistent, just because I’m more familiar with a lot of the shooters we go up against.”

She’s also worked to adapt to rule changes around the cage that have made it easier to score goals and, therefore, made her job harder.

Longan was given a chance to lead many of the newcomers two years ago as the starting goalie during the Intercontinental Cup in Peru.

“I got to be the first veteran to show them what we’re all about, what we stand for. … This is how we train,” Longan said. “That was a super cool experience.”

Longan and the rest of the team were able to preview the Olympic venue during a test event in May, when the U.S. beat host France, 12-6.

They were hosted by Taylor Swift, who happened to be performing a leg of her Eras Tour in Paris.

“She ended up hosting us at her concert,” Longan said. “She put us in the pit on elevated platform with snacks, drinks and tote bags. It was very generous of her.”

As she prepared for this Olympiad, Longan resisted offers from oversea professional leagues to train at home in Southern California.

That meant a lot of coaching. She worked at the 68 Elite Academy with Tony Acevedo and teammate Maggie Steffens. She has coached at both alma mater USC, where she won the Cutino Award in 2019 as collegiate water polo’s top player, and UCLA.

“That was a weird thing, but I’m grateful,” Longan joked about her opportunity in Westwood.

As the Olympic team trained together for the past year, Longan also found some time to work towards her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University. Her aim is to work with first responders, military and professional athletes.

Although she’s preparing for her career after water polo, Longan still plans to be part of the team four years from now, when the Olympics will be held in Los Angeles.

“My intent is to try for L.A.,” Longan said. “That’s my hope. … I would hate to miss the opportunity to play here at home.”

Joe Curley is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com . For more coverage, follow @vcsjoecurley on Twitter , Instagram and Facebook .

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Moorpark's Longan embraces veteran's role on U.S. women's water polo team