Birthday Girl Eliana Mason Leads U.S. Women's Goalball Into Semis

Marybai Huking dives for the ball during a match against the Russian Paralympic Committee at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Sept. 1, 2021 in Tokyo.

The Americans defeated Brazil 6-4 in their tournament opener in Tokyo. Brazil reached the semifinal with a 1-0 win over China in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Five of the six U.S. players returned from the team that won a bronze medal at the Rio Games in 2016. Mason, a Beaverton, Oregon, resident, is one of them.

“We say Marybai (Huking) and I are the ‘young guns,’” Mason said. “This is Marybai and (my) second Paralympics. Marybai and I didn’t get a lot of (playing) time in Rio, so it was really fresh for us.”

Huking, of Salt Lake City, was a key substitution Wednesday for the Americans, who held the RPC scoreless after the intermission.

“I think one thing that we have worked on this entire season, this entire extra year, has truly been the depth of our team,” Huking said. “We aren’t always going to be on our best, and that’s what team sports are about. It’s about other people being able to step up, us being able to carry one another, and that’s really what you saw there.

“We’re always ready. It doesn’t matter who’s on the court or who’s on the bench. Everyone is ready for whatever happens.”

The U.S. is seeking to become the first team to win three gold medals all-time in women’s goalball. The U.S. and Canada are the only nations to collect two.

Mason said the Americans have been relying on catch phrases in this tournament to stay on track.

“We just had phrases we kept saying, like, ‘one block at a time,’ ‘stay focused,’ ‘play fearless,’ ‘own the moment,’” Mason said. “That’s what we just kept doing.”

The U.S. women have also been feeding off the American men, who won their quarterfinal match yesterday against Ukraine. They play China in the semifinals Thursday.

“Watching them win was a really big high yesterday,” said Mason, “and I think we used that energy today, as well.”

Want to follow Team USA athletes during the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020? Visit TeamUSA.org/Tokyo-2020-Paralympic-Games to view the medal table and results.