London Olympics Water Polo: United States Defeat Italy 9-6

The United States women's water polo team defeated Italy 9-6 and now advance to take on Australia in the semifinals. In the game against Italy, Team USA fell behind 3-1 early in the first period, but then rallied to out score the Italians 5-0 to go up for good at 6-3.

In the second half the teams just exchanged goals throughout before ultimately winning 9-6. The power play was how the United States won and Italy lost the game. Team USA converted 6-of-11 power play goals while Italy had a difficult time scoring as they went 1-for-9 on their chances. Goalie Betsey Armstrong had a great game as she blocked 13 shots to shut down Italy.

Next up for the United States is a highly anticipated match up against Australia. Those two teams were considered the gold medal favorite. Since neither team won their group they are forced into a semifinal match instead of the gold medal game.

For more water polo news, join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook and Google+