Team Canada won Pool B in men’s Olympic water polo qualifying in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday. At the 2023 Pan American Games, Canada beat Argentina 14-7 and will face Mexico in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Nicolas Constantin-Bicari of Montreal, Quebec, scored five goals for Canada. He has now scored 11 goals for Canada in the last two games. Matthew Halajian of Toronto, Ontario and Jeremie Cote of Montreal also recorded hat tricks as they each scored three goals. The Canadian players with a goal were Bogdan Djerkovic of Ottawa, Ontario, Aleksa Gardijan of Gatineau, Quebec, and Reuel D’Souza of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia.
In Group B play, Canada also defeated Chile 28-4 and Cuba 29-7. In three games, they outscored their opponents 71-18. The pro/con ratio of +53 points is the second highest in the tournament. The United States is at +64. The Americans won all three Group A games, defeating Mexico 30-2, Puerto Rico 28-9 and Brazil 24-7.
Three more quarter-final games are scheduled for men’s water polo on Thursday. Brazil faces Cuba, the USA faces Chile and Puerto Rico faces Argentina. The semi-finals take place on Friday and the final on Saturday. The winner of the men’s Olympic water polo qualifying tournament will compete in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
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