Canada’s chance to make a run in women’s water polo ended Thursday with a loss to Italy, and Blaire McDowell, who scored one of her country’s goals, left the match bleeding around her left eye, according to photos.
It’s unclear when McDowell sustained the cut during the match — which ended with No. 5 seed Italy defeating No. 8 seed Canada, 10-5 — or what caused it, but she was pictured with what appeared to be a cut slightly above the left eye and blood down her left cheek.
McDowell, who competed collegiately at Arizona State for four seasons, evened the match at 1 with 24 seconds left in the first period, but Italy still jumped ahead to take a three-goal lead after two frames and continued extending that across the final 16 minutes.
Blaire McDowell reacts during Canada’s water polo match Aug. 8. REUTERS
The loss forced Canada to settle for a spot in the seventh-place game Saturday against Greece after they failed to secure the country’s first medal in water polo — with the women’s team competing in the Olympics for the fourth time, still failing to top a fifth-place finish during the 2000 Olympics.
During group play, McDowell was part of the group that went 1-3 — defeating China and falling to Hungary, Australia and the Netherlands — before losing to Spain in the quarterfinal match.
She didn’t manage a goal until Thursday’s match against Italy, but McDowell added three shots across the opening five matches.
Blaire McDowell reacts after scoring a goal for Canada on Aug. 8. AP
“What I’m focused on is finding that balance of being kind of like a soldier, and doing what I’m supposed to do for the team, but then also bringing in my own style of play,” McDowell told CBC in July, before the Olympics began . “In the past couple months, I feel like I’ve finally figured it out. And I figured out how to be less timid.”
Australia and Spain will meet in the gold-medal match Saturday.
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