Slideshow Maggie Steffens helped the U.S. earn its fifth straight Pan American Games gold medal. Photo by Hector Garcia-Molina/Stanford Athletics. Makenzie Fischer scored 11 goals in her last two games. Photo by Keith Peters. Previous Next

Canada did a good job of reaching the championship match of the women’s water polo tournament at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. There was just no way to stop the U.S., which has won the past two Olympic gold medals along with nearly every other major international competition.

Stanford senior Makenzie Fischer scored six times to help the Americans swamp the Canadians 24-4 as the U.S. won it’s fifth consecutive Pan Am gold medal.

The Americans (28-0, 6-0) played their last scheduled contest of the year, though that will likely change as the U.S. enters its final year in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Fischer has scored 11 goals over her past two games. She’s always had the capability of producing big numbers, showing that with the Cardinal during their NCAA championship season. With USA, though, Fischer’s role had been as one of the top defenders in the world. She’s showing she can be one of the more versatile players in the nation, even taking a turn as goalie for a quarter.

Mountain View native Adam Krikorian, the Americans’ coach, has been able to reconfigure his team in the past few Olympic cycles and this time around, appears to have an abundance of talent with a blend of veterans, including players with college eligibility remaining who already own a gold medal.