U.S. Women's Water Polo Lose Bronze Medal Match in Final Second in Heartbreaking Loss at Paris Olympics

The team headed into the Games seeking a fourth straight gold medal, but fell to Australia in the semifinals

The U.S. women’s water polo team suffered a heartbreaking loss in the bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics, missing the podium after a goal from the Netherlands in the final second secured the Dutch team the third place spot.

The team, which includes stars like captain Maggie Steffens and goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson, finished the 2024 Paris Olympics in fourth place, losing to the Dutch team 11-10 on Saturday, Aug. 10 at La Défense Arena.

The win was a close match that saw the Netherlands hot on the Americans' trail the entire time. With just over a minute left in the last quarter, Team USA lost their lead as the Dutch tied the game, 10-10. With just 0:01 seconds left, Team Netherlands pulled ahead for the lead.

"We didn't show up in the way that we wanted to. We didn't finish it in the end and that's disappointing," Johnson told reporters, including PEOPLE, after the game. "But there are good memories that were made here, and I think our team grew throughout this tournament. But it just sucks that we fell short in the end."

The game came two days after the U.S.'s difficult loss to Australia, which blocked them from a chance at winning a fourth straight Olympic gold medal.

"I'm proud of the approach for today. It [was a] heartbreaking loss not getting into the gold medal game, and then to be able to show up today and fight for bronze...," attacker Maddie Musselman told reporters on Saturday. "Obviously you can go back and be like, 'Oh, I wish I did this, I wish I did that,' but that just kind of takes away from the experience in a lot of ways. So I'm just trying to soak it up and just be thankful for the opportunity to play at the Olympics."

The team faced its fair share of attention during the Games, thanks to both celebrity support and personal tragedy.

Related: U.S. Women's Water Polo Loses Semifinal Game, Will Play for Bronze as Maggie Steffens Says They've 'Been Through a Lot'

Flavor Flav, 65, was on hand to cheer the team on as one of their biggest fans after promising in May that he would help pay their way through the Games. His support came after Steffens, 31, wrote on Instagram that the players needed financial help in order to compete at the Olympics.

Following the devastating loss, the hip-hop star posted on X about his appreciation for the team.

"I love my girls,,, and imma so proud of them," he wrote. "We introduced Water Polo to a new audience and we just getting started,,, We headed to LA28."

Steffens also opened up to reporters on Saturday about the new attention on the team, and expressed gratitude for the ways in which the sport has shown growth in recent months.

"It's always tough to have perspective after such a tough loss, but we're just super grateful that we've been a part of the movement to help grow women's sports and hopefully grow water polo," she said. "We've never, ever, ever had 15-plus 1000 fans watching live, and I know millions more at home. So medal podium or not, I'm definitely proud of the way the team has carried themselves and helped grow water polo and other women's sports."

She continued, "It's been really hard, but we're lucky to have family. Our team is family and win together, lose together. Unfortunately, this is new territory for me. So, you know, I think obviously we fell short and so we need to be better next time."

Despite the support, the team faced adversity outside of the pool; just two days after the opening ceremony, a rep for the team confirmed to PEOPLE that Steffens’ 26-year-old sister-in-law died in Paris following a medical emergency. The athlete has since been vocal about wanting to keep her spirits up in honor of Lulu Conner, who was the younger sister of her husband Bobby Conner.

Related: Guy Fieri Joins Flavor Flav to Cheer on U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team: 'Best Hype Man in the World'

Musselman has also been open about her personal struggles after her husband Patrick Woepse was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in September.

On Saturday, she told reporters that it "means everything" to have had him cheering her on in Paris, and that he's been "ecstatic to be here."

"It's fun playing for him. I feel like I'm playing with a lot of freedom and a lot of fun more than I ever have in the past," she said. "I usually am very stoic, don't show emotion type of player. And I think he's brought out this passion in me that loves the sport even more for him."

Head coach Adam Krikorian, who grew emotional while speaking with reporters on Saturday, said the team will focus on supporting each other in the immediate aftermath of the loss — and will likely reconnect soon at Kaleigh Gilchrist's upcoming wedding.

“We all just dive into this process. We immerse ourselves emotionally, physically, and it’s just impossible to eloquently describe the feelings,” he said. “So [next] is just putting our arms around each other, showing our care for one another, and connecting at some point down the line, maybe at Kaleigh Gilcrhist’s wedding in a couple of weeks. Those things are things that you look forward to. These women are young… so they’ve got their whole lives to live.”

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.

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