Following their first Olympics loss in 13 years this past Wednesday to Hungary, a refocused Team USA stunned ROC in Pool B prelims on Friday with a dominant 18-5 victory.
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After back-to-back goals from Anastasia Simanovich and Ekaterina Profofyeva in the second quarter, ROC seemed to be on the rebound following a 5-1 deficit in the first, but the squad ultimately couldn’t keep up with an emboldened U.S. offense and the resilience of goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson, who had 16 saves.
Team USA captain Maggie Steffens set an Olympic mark in career scoring in the third quarter with her 48th career goal, breaking a tie with Tania Di Mario of Italy. Steffens and Stephania Harabaldis led Team USA in scoring at four goals apiece, with Paige Hauschild scoring three.
Team USA maintains the lead in Pool B, followed by Hungary in second and ROC in third.