Canada’s men’s water polo team gets late tie with Brazil at Pan Am tourney

THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL — Ottawa’s Rodrigo Rojas scored in the game’s final second as Canada tied Brazil 11-11 on Sunday at the Pan American Junior Water Polo Championships.

Canada has a win and a tie after two games and is second in Group A behind Venezuela.

With time running out, Rojas received a pass from Calgary’s Devon Thumwood and fired home the winner.

“We had a great first half then lost our concentration,” said Rojas. “We should have done better to keep the momentum going but overall we are pleased. We learned some valuable lessons and we know this is a team we can beat.”

Canada’s women’s team had no such drama, dispatching Puerto Rico 25-1.

Toronto’s Emma Wright scored six goals as Canada secured its second straight victory to climb into a first-place tie with Brazil. Canada beat the United States 8-7 in the opener.

“I am happy with how strong we came out after a close game yesterday,” said head coach Andrew Robinson. “Our experience shined through, and we continued to grow as a team.”

On Monday, the women face Mexico and the men battle Venezuela.

22:39ET 12-08-12