April 18, 2003
TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 19 Arizona State water polo team (19-17) dropped its third game in a row as it opened play in the Sun Devil Invitational with a 5-4 loss to Cal Baptist Friday night at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. Gili Kollan (So., Kiriat Bialik, Israel) scored three goals for the Sun Devils in the loss in a series that has seen four, one-goal results all in favor of the Lancers.
ASU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with Kollan striking at 1:34 in the first period. After an ASU shot, the goalie lost the ball and Kollan, close to the right-side post, collected the loose ball and pushed it over the line for the only score of the quarter. The Lancers would answer back in the second with two goals in a row as Megan Eldredge scored on a 4-meter penalty shot and Holly Curran added a tally two minutes later. With 39 seconds remaining in the half, Kollan connected again, this time from slightly further out, to knot the game at two.
The second half saw one goal scored by the Sun Devils with Kollan again putting a shot in the back of the net to give ASU a 3-2 lead. In the fourth, however, the Lancers took control of the game, scoring three goals to the Sun Devils' one to secure the win. Curran scored twice, once to open the period and the second to end the game. With the score knotted at three, Cheryl Ogden tallied on a backhand shot to take their second lead of the game. Two minutes later, Daya Mau (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii) tied the game at four with a 4-meter score. But Curran scored on a 4-meter 30 seconds later with what would hold up as the game winner.
In the series, CBU has won all four meetings with each game ending in a one-goal margin. ASU has lost by scores of 8-7, 5-4, 7-6 (ot) and 5-4 with the final three games taking place this year.
In the first game of the day, Santa Clara scored a 7-5 upset of No. 20 Cal State Northridge as the Sun Devil Invitational saw both nationally ranked teams fall to unranked foes. ASU returns to action tomorrow for its final action of the year with an 11:30 a.m. contest with SCU and a 4:30 p.m. finale with CSUN.
Cal Baptist --------- 0 - 2 - 0 - 3 -- 5
Arizona St. ---------- 1 - 1- 1 - 1 -- 4
CBU Goals: Holly Curran (3), Megan Eldredge, Cheryl Ogden
ASU Goals: Gili Kollan (3), Daya Mau