No. 7 ASU water polo continued its spring schedule with another successful showing this weekend in Tempe.
The Sun Devils opened the ASU Invitational with a tough loss against one of the country's top teams but rebounded with two straight wins to finish out their home tournament on a high note.
Saturday, March 11: Game 1 — ASU falls to No. 2 Stanford
ASU opened the invitational with one of its most difficult matchups of the season against No. 2 Stanford. The Sun Devils started off slow, allowing four goals from the Cardinal in the first quarter of play.
ASU was able to hold off Stanford from scoring for the rest of the half thanks to junior goalkeeper Mia Rycraw racking in five saves in the second period.
The Sun Devils looked more prepared in the second half, scoring their first goal of the game in the opening minute of action from sophomore attacker Peggy-Jean Allin. Despite multiple shot attempts throughout the third quarter, the Sun Devils were unable to decrease the deficit in the fourth after Stanford padded its lead with another three goals in the quarter.
ASU wasn't able to put any more points on the board until the final three minutes of play. Freshmen Bente Rogge and Catherine Simko both scored in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late as the Sun Devils ultimately fell to Stanford, 9-3.
Saturday, March 11: Game 2 — ASU rolls over Marist
After a disappointing loss earlier in the day, the Sun Devils came out strong against No. 23 Marist, bouncing back for a 15-6 win.
Junior attacker Claudia Abad led the team with five goals, followed by sophomore attacker Maud Koopman with three and junior attacker Lena Mihailovic with two. Following the Sun Devils sluggish start against Stanford, Abad said it was important to get going early.
“At the beginning of every game we start really slow,” Abad said, pointing to the Stanford game as an example. “We need to play stronger in the beginning.”
ASU did just that in game two thanks to sophomore center Rosie Huck, who struck first for the Sun Devils 20 seconds into the game. Her teammates followed suit, scoring four unanswered goals to open the contest.
Rosie Huck scores in the opening minute of the first period! #Devils up 1-0 pic.twitter.com/nSlnFXyG0X
— ASU Water Polo (@ASUWaterPolo) March 12, 2017
ASU was able to extend its lead in the second quarter with back-to-back scores by Abad and Koopman, respectively. Marist answered with a goal of its own, but didn't score another point until the final two minutes of the third period thanks to Rycraw’s five saves.
In that third period, ASU replaced Rycraw with senior goalie Taylor Barrett. Barrett allowed two goals from Marist in the third, but her teammates responded with four goals in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.
ASU head coach Todd Clapper said he was pleased with how the team progressed throughout the day.
"In the last few days, they've really taken big steps forward and I think we saw that against Stanford," Clapper said. "I think Marist is another big step for us in the way we're playing. We're on the right road now and we just have to keep going down that road and not go back."
Abad reiterated her coach's comments.
“If you look at us three weeks ago compared to now, I think we improved a lot,” Abad said.
Sunday, March 12: ASU sinks La Verne 17-3
In the final matchup of the ASU Invitational on Sunday, the Sun Devils defeated University of La Verne in dominate fashion.
Junior attacker Lena Mihailovic put ASU on her back in the opening minutes of the first period. She scored three times in the first to set the tone early.
The Sun Devils didn't let up in the second, showing off a 5-0 run in the period with goals scored by Mihailovic, senior attacker Stephanie Contreras, senior center Alkistis Benekou and freshman defender Catherine Simko.
Things didn't get any easier for the Leopards as the match progressed. Benekou scored five goals in the third period. Conversely, ULV scored just one goal in the period from senior Stephanie Rosero.
Sophomore goalies Ellie Karl and Sophia Burgess both saw action in net during the win. Burgess made some key saves down the stretch to keep ULV from getting back in the game.
Clapper said both goalies played a big role in the win.
“It was nice to get them time because they worked really hard,” Clapper said. “I’m really proud of both of them, both of them rose to the occasion and did really well.”
Taking one of their largest leads of the season — second to their 15-goal victory over Sonoma State earlier in the season — the Sun Devils swam away with a 17-3 victory.
On the offensive side, Benekou led the team with seven goals, followed by Mihailovic with four.
“I wouldn’t be able to score the goals I did without my teammates because they set me up for them,” Benekou said.
She said the chemistry of the team is getting better because each player knows what the other needs. As a result, Benekou said they've become a tougher team to beat.
The Sun Devils will now look ahead to the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunner Invitational next weekend in California.
Reach the reporter at klbroder@asu.edu or follow @KellyB1459 on Twitter.
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