Mexico, Colombia and Puerto Rico start with victories in women's water polo

SANTO DOMINGO. – The women’s national teams of Mexico, Colombia, and Puerto Rico started their participation in the water polo tournament of the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026 with victories, held this Monday at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center Aquatic Center.

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Mexico had no trouble overcoming Venezuela 24-5 in a match they dominated from start to finish. The Mexicans prevailed in all four periods with partials of 5-0, 6-1, 5-3, and 8-1.

Diana Guzmán led the offense with seven goals, while Ana Julia Ramírez, Victoria Feliciano, Maritza Ochoa, Valeria Martínez, and Paola Sandoval contributed three goals each. Julia Cárdenas added two goals. For Venezuela, Samantha Maldonado scored three goals, while Yineldy Araujo and Dulce Hernández scored one each.

In another match, Colombia debuted with a solid 15-8 victory over Cuba. The “cafeteras” encountered greater resistance in the first quarter, which ended 4-3, but they dominated the rest of the match thanks to greater offensive effectiveness.

Sara Vanegas led the Colombian attack with five goals, followed by Salomé Agudelo with four, while Eliana Cadavid and Laura Vanegas contributed three goals each. For Cuba, Caridad Suárez stood out with two goals.

Puerto Rico also started on the right foot by imposing themselves with authority 22-3 over Guatemala. The Puerto Ricans sealed the match from the first half by taking a 14-1 lead and maintained control for the rest of the game.

Sabrina Estévez, Gabriella Montalvo, and Andrea Cardona led the Puerto Rican offense with two goals each. For Guatemala, Andrea González scored two goals and Keila Paxtor added one.

Tournament action will continue this Tuesday with the matchups between Colombia and Venezuela (8:00 a.m.), Mexico against Puerto Rico (9:20 a.m.), and Cuba versus Guatemala (10:40 a.m.), in a day that will pit the winners of the first round against each other and define the initial direction of the competition.