March 5, 2005
TEMPE, Ariz. - For the second time Saturday, the No. 17 Arizona State University water polo team faced a nationally ranked foe on the road and, unfortunately, for the second time on the day, the Sun Devils were dealt a loss, this time dropping a tough 8-6 decision at No. 14 UC Davis at the Schaal Aquatics Center in Davis, Calif. The Sun Devils (4-7, 0-1 MPSF) built an early 3-0 lead but could not sustain it as the Aggies (9-11) outscored the visitors 6-2 over the final three quarters.
The Sun Devils came out firing from the start as Katie Hedley (So., Lake Forest, Calif.) scored 30 seconds into the game. At the 5:36 mark, Tessa Wyborny (Jr., Walnut Creek, Calif.) added a goal to bring the lead to 2-0 before Hedley pushed the advantage to three goals as she scored her second goal of the quarter at the 4:37 mark. From there, UCD would score twice on 6-on-5 advantage situations to cut the lead to 3-2 before Ashley Bower (So., Bondi Beach, Australia) posted her 17th goal of the year with 44 seconds remaining. Leading 4-2, the Sun Devils looked to add to their lead before the half, but were unable to as only one goal was scored in the seven minute session when UCD scored on a 4-meter penalty shot at 6:01.
Following the intermission and holding a 4-3 lead, the Sun Devils looked to recapture a larger lead, but once again, the Aggies struck first, this time just 19 seconds into the quarter. With the game tied at four, Bower added her second score of the contest to give ASU what would be its final lead of the day.
From there, UCD posted three goals to take a 7-5 lead with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Hedley completed her hat trick at the 2:01 mark, but ASU could not find the back of the net while UCD did once more for an 8-6 final score. Goalie Caylinn Wallace (Fr., Laguna Hills, Calif.) recorded her second double-digit save total on the day, this time recording a career-high 13 stops in the loss.
ASU closes out its weekend on the road Sunday at noon when it travels to Stockton, Calif., for a conference game with Pacific.
1 2 3 4 F -------------------- -- -- -- -- -- #14 UC Davis 2 1 3 2 8 #16 Arizona State 4 0 1 1 6
ASU Saves: Wallace (13) ASU Goals: Hedley (3), Bower (2), Wyborny