Feb. 21, 2004
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State water polo team, ranked No. 15 in the latest national polls, opened play at the 2004 UC Davis Shootout Saturday in Davis, Calif., with a convincing 10-2 defeat of Santa Clara in Group C action. Four different players tallied two goals apiece for the Sun Devils (5-4, 0-0 MPSF) with six different players recording goals in the contest.
The game opened quickly with the Sun Devils scoring in just 17 seconds to grab the early lead. With a pair of goals from Kimberlee Stevens (So., Lodi, Calif.) and one from Katie Davis (Sr., Riverside, Calif.), the Sun Devils were staked to an early 3-1 lead. The tally for Davis pushed her current scoring streak to nine games in a row. Katie Hedley (Fr., Lake Forest, Calif.) added a score in the second quarter as ASU headed into the intermission with a 4-1 lead.
In the third quarter, Elaine Bentley (So., San Diego, Calif.) chipped in two goals with Davis adding her second of the contest while the defense held the Broncos scoreless for the second stanza in a row as the Sun Devils moved to a 7-1 lead. In the final quarter, Hedley added her second score of the game while Gili Kollan (Jr., Kiriat Bialik, Israel) and Adriane Mota (So., Long Beach, Calif.) each netted one goal apiece to bring the final score to 10-2.
Kollan, Ashley Bower (Fr., Bondi Beach, Australia) and Stevens each tallied two assists in the contest while Davis and Tessa Wyborny (So., Walnut Creek, Calif.) each added one apiece. Between the pipes, Jennifer Sanderson (Jr., Walnut Creek, Calif.) recorded five saves in the first half before handing over goalie duties to Kristie Meyer (So., Reno, Nev.). In the second half, Meyer allowed one goal and turned away three shots to help preserve the win. As a team, ASU converted all three of its advantage situations (six-on-five) and held the Broncos scoreless on their four attempts.
The Sun Devils return to the pool Sunday with another pair of games in championship pool competition. Arizona State will face No. 5 San Diego State at 9:30 a.m. before closing out the tournament with a 1:15 p.m. contest with No. 17 UC San Diego. Between ASU, SDSU and UCSD, the winner of the pool will finish first in the tournament with second earning second placing and third taking third place overall.