Israel's Women's Junior Water Polo Team Finishes Ninth at European Championship

The Israeli women's junior water polo team secured ninth place at the European Championship after a decisive 16-7 victory over Serbia. The team dominated from the start, leading 5-2 after the first quarter and 9-4 by halftime. Key players included Mia Tirosh, who scored seven goals, and Teva Dorfman with four. Other contributors were Carmel Rahum with two goals, and Mika Koren, Arbel Frank, and Amit Faibish each scoring once. Coach Orestis Slachas praised the team's effort and commitment, noting that despite facing four of the strongest teams, they competed fiercely and challenged their opponents throughout the tournament. He highlighted the respect shown by top teams like Greece and Italy, which celebrated every goal against Israel, acknowledging the team's competitiveness. Slachas expressed his ambition for the team to contend at the highest levels in coming years and thanked supporters of the project. Meanwhile, the Israeli boys' under-16 team suffered a 12-3 defeat to a strong Russian squad at the World Championship in Croatia, with Yoav Berger scoring twice and Michael Ben Eliyahu once for Israel.