The U.S. men’s water polo team beat Hungary in the bronze medal match with a penalty shootout victory on Sunday, claiming its first Olympic medal in the event in 16 years.
The U.S. had a 6-5 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Hungary opened the period with three straight goals. Team USA battled back to knot the match at 8-8 and held on defensively to force the penalty shootout.
The shootout was all Team USA. Hannes Daube, Max Irving and Alex Bowen scored for the U.S., while Hungary was unable to score on any of its three attempts.
American goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg came up huge in both regulation and the shootout, stopping 16 of Hungary’s 24 shots.
The bronze is Team USA’s 10th ever medal in Olympic men’s water polo, second all-time behind Hungary’s 16. The team had not medaled at the Olympics since losing the gold medal match to Hungary and settling for silver at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Team USA’s victory on Sunday comes exactly 124 years to the day that Olympic water polo debuted in the River Seine.