Greece def. the United States, 14-5
Greece charged out of the gate in Monday's final preliminary victory against the United States, with Dimitri Skoumpakis scoring less than a minute into the match. The Europeans' aggressive play clearly illustrated why the team had yet to lose at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with a record of three wins and one draw.
Following their clash with the United States, make that four wins. Greece blew the USA out of the water, clinching the top Group A spot in the process.
Though the United States would remain fourth in Group A no matter what -- having already secured a spot in the quarterfinals -- the team suffered an especially tough loss ahead of their first knockout round match.
After a first quarter blowout, the Americans allowed Greece to score twice more during the second quarter. U.S. players Benjamin Stevenson and Alex Obert each put up a point in an attempt to stop the bleeding, the score 6-3 at the halfway point. As the third quarter began, the United States bolstered their defense and crawled back up the scoreboard with Max Irving's goal at 5:55.
Greece's response: three goals in three minutes.
The final quarter further demonstrated the Americans' lacking defense, as Greece flexed their muscles with four more goals. The United States was simply lost at sea.
First Quarter_1, Greece, D. Skoumpakis, 7:03. 2, Greece, I. Fountoulis, 4:17. 3, United States, A. Bowen, 3:52 (PP). 4, Greece, K. Genidounias, 2:52. 5, Greece, I. Fountoulis, 1:03.
Second Quarter_6, Greece, A. Vlachopoulos, 4:03 (PS). 7, United States, B. Stevenson, 3:20 (PP). 8, Greece, S. Argyropoulos Kanakakis, 2:45 (PP). 9, United States, A. Obert, 2:24.
Third Quarter_10, United States, M. Irving, 5:55. 11, Greece, K. Genidounias, 5:41 (PS). 12, Greece, K. Genidounias, 4:36. 13, Greece, S. Argyropoulos Kanakakis, 3:47. 14, United States, A. Obert, 2:26. 15, Greece, K. Genidounias, 1:58 (PP). 16, Greece, I. Fountoulis, 0:15.
Fourth Quarter_17, Greece, K. Genidounias, 7:05 (PP). 18, Greece, C. Kolomvos, 5:31. 19, Greece, I. Fountoulis, 3:45 (PP).
Exclusions_Greece 17 (I. Fountoulis 1, M. Kapotsis 1, C. Kolomvos 1, K. Gkiouvetsis 2, S. Argyropoulos Kanakakis 4, G. Dervisis 4, D. Skoumpakis 4); United States 7 (L. Cupido 1, A. Obert 1, J. Smith 1, A. Bowen 2, D. Woodhead 2).
4 Minute Exclusions_Greece None; United States None.
Penalty Fouls_Greece None; United States 2 (A. Obert 1, M. Vavic 1).
Ejections_Greece 3 (S. Argyropoulos Kanakakis, G. Dervisis, D. Skoumpakis); United States None.