‘We’ll take on anyone’: Aussie Stingers set up semi-final against USA after dominant 9-6 quarterfinal win over Greece

An epic five-goal haul to Alice Williams against Greece has put Australia on track for an Olympic medal.

The Stingers are through to the semi-finals and have set up a showdown with the USA. Picture: Adam Pretty/Getty Images

An epic five-goal haul to Alice Williams has helped exorcise the demons of the Aussie Stingers’ “devastating” Tokyo campaign after their 9-6 quarterfinal win over Greece put them one win away from an Olympic medal in Paris.

In front of a packed-out crowd at the La Defense Arena, both teams got off to a nervy start with some misfiring shots. Williams calmed the nerves when she converted a penalty to give the Aussies an early lead.

The teams would then trade runs of goals, as the Stingers opened up a 3-0 lead before Greece levelled the scores in the second term. The Aussies got the margin back out to three again in the third term with Williams completing her hat-trick to make it 6-3.

Alice Williams in action against Greece. Picture: Adam Pretty/Getty Images

As the Stingers claimed the momentum, goalkeeper Gabi Palm produced several stunning blocks, finishing with a save rate of 68 per cent for the match.

A brilliant turnover goal from Williams, her fourth of the night, opened the margin up to four goals and all but cemented the win for the Aussies. The Greeks scored two late consolation goals but Williams’ fifth of the night from distance was the final dagger.

Three years earlier, the Stingers went into an Olympic quarterfinal full of confidence and eventually lost 9-8 to Russia. Making up for that heartache was front of mind in one of their most dominant wins yet in Paris.

“Tokyo was pretty devastating … to lose by one,” Abbie Andrews said.

“We knew this time around that Greece wanted to play us, so we wanted to put the nail in the coffin early and really stamp our authority on that game from the start. I think we did that.

“Even though they caught up, defence has been our game for this whole tournament so far, and we showed that. Keeping an attacking team like Greece to so few goals is pretty awesome.”

The Aussies are undefeated in Paris and looking for that streak to continue. Picture: Adam Pretty/Getty Images

The Stingers will now take on reigning world champions USA in their semi-final on Thursday. A win in that match will ensure they leave France with at least a silver medal. And their belief is strong that they can match it with anyone as they look to continue their undefeated run.

“We’ll take anyone,” Tilly Kearns said.

“The biggest thing we’re focused on this tournament is to play game by game, every attack and every defence. It doesn’t matter who that’s against.

“We’ve just got to be in the moment, but I’ll take any of them.”

I COULD CRY: WHY STINGERS WIN OVER HUNGARY IS SO SIGNIFICANT

For one of the spiritual leaders of the Aussie Stingers side, Sunday afternoon’s win over Hungary was a moment Alice Williams will never forget.

The 25-year-old scored four goals and made no mistake from the penalty spot as the Stingers secured the 14-12 win in a nail-biting shootout.

It was Australia’s fourth win in as many matches, ensuring they top their group and avoid a meeting with both Spain and the USA as they look to win their first Olympic quarterfinal since London 2012.

“I think I could cry, it was a very emotional game,” Williams said. “We knew going into it that if we won or drew we were top of the pool, so there’s always pressure there.

“It’s definitely been a big week, my first Olympics. It’s a different kind of pressure. But I think what keeps me grounded is the fact that this team is so calm, all the time. We face any challenge head-on and we’re always there for each other.”

Williams unleashes for one of her four goals against Hungary. Picture: Andreas SOLARO / AFP

The Stingers’ campaign started with so much adversity but has already exceeded their most outlandish expectations.

Five players were diagnosed with Covid in the days leading up to their opening game. In most teams, being down almost half your playing group would have caused panic and chaos.

But not this Australian side, who have worked so steadfastly on their processes that their focus is on what’s directly ahead of them.

“We just didn’t look ahead,” coach Bec Rippon said. “I didn’t even know what days we were playing, I just focused on staying present.

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“In that moment (after the Covid cases), we didn’t fret about it. We know because of the work we’ve done before, it wasn’t going to come down to those last few days. If we hadn’t done that work, then those things panic you.

“That period of time seems so long ago, and it was only a week. But so much has happened since then.

“We wanted to start with a win against China and go forward from there. But I suppose in my wildest dreams, I probably didn’t imagine this.”

The Stingers are through to the quarterfinals have not lost a single game in this group stage. Picture: Clive Rose/Getty Images

Legacy is now something that the Stingers have the opportunity to chase.

The team created history in 2000 when they won gold in the inaugural women’s competition. But with no medals to their name since London, this new generation knows that this is a chance to step out from the shadows.

And the experience of winning two stressful shootouts in the group stages gives them the perfect platform to believe they can win the crucial moments.

“Absolutely, (we’ve got) nerves of steel,” Williams said. “It’s unheard of to have so many penalty shootouts in round games, but I think that just shows how competitive women’s water polo is.

“We’ve come out on the better end both times, which is phenomenal because it shows our team can hold our, I don’t want to swear, stuff together. I think it gives us a heads-up going into finals that if we come to that, we know we’ve got it.”