U.S. Runs Into an Old Roadblock

Chris Humbert leaned over and interrupted Yugoslavia goalie Aleksandar Sostar in mid-sentence.

“You were very lucky today,” Humbert said, smiling, during post-game interviews. “Everything we shot hit you in the hands. You’re too old to stop anything else.”

High praise.

Humbert and the U.S. water polo team spent Sunday trying to figure out Sostar. Their conclusion? He’s a pretty good goalie.

The 36-year-old Sostar stopped 15 shots in Yugoslavia’s 4-3 victory in the UPS International Cup final in front of 2,000 at the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center.

Sostar stuffed Humbert’s back-hand attempt 50 seconds into the game. The rest of the day went that way.

The U.S. missed its first 15 shots and was held scoreless until Chris Oeding scored with a man-advantage with 5 minutes 56 seconds left.

Even when the U.S. made its move, Sostar was there to blunt the rally. He blocked Wolf Wigo’s penalty shot that would have pulled the U.S. within one goal at 3-2 with 4:54 left. He made a one-handed save on an Oeding shot that would have tied the score, 3-3, with 2:36 left.

Sostar got some help. Predrag Zimonjic blocked a Tony Azevedo shot that would have tied the score, 4-4, with 1:10 left. The U.S. never got the ball again.

“[Sostar] has been playing internationally forever,” Humbert said. “He knows how to read shooters. Obviously he is one of the best in the world because he is on the national team at his advanced age. I can say that, because he’s my friend.”

People weren’t joking about Sostar’s age in 1996. He was excluded from the Olympic team because Yugoslavian officials felt he was too old.

After a seventh-place finish at the Atlanta Olympics, Sostar started looking pretty spry to those same officials.

“This has been very satisfying to me,” Sostar said. “Very satisfying. I am not too old to win a gold medal.”

For proof, all one needed to do was watch Sostar in this tournament. He gave up 18 goals in five games.

“He has been a top goalie in the world for 15 years,” Aleksandar Sapic said. “His experience makes us a better team.”

It did Sunday.

Yugoslavia lost Sapic, the tournament’s leading scorer with 12 goals, four minutes into the game. He suffered a ruptured right ear drum after tangling with Gavin Arroyo.

With Sapic out, Yugoslavia’s offense slowed to a paddle. But the U.S. offense was sinking.

The U.S. lost to Yugoslavia, 9-8, in pool play, but nearly rallied for the victory in that one by using quick counters. There was little of that Sunday.

“I’ve said it before, everything we do is as a team,” Sostar said. “It’s important that the defense does its job and communicates. Everyone did very well today.”

The U.S. was feeling OK about things too. Sure, there were two losses to Yugoslavia--the self-proclaimed best team in the world--but the U.S. players were still getting acquainted with each other.

Four players, Humbert, Robert Lynn, Gavin Arroyo and Kyle Kopp, have returned to the team within the last two weeks after playing in Europe.

“This gives us a lot of confidence that we can play with the best in the world,” Humbert said. “Yugoslavia dominated the Olympic qualifying tournament and we lost two one-goal games to them. We know we can compete with anyone.”

Croatia defeated Australia, 7-5, in the third-place game, and Italy defeated the U.S. B team, 9-1, in the fifth-place game.