April 30, 2005
TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 19 Arizona State University water polo team stayed on the victorious path Saturday at the 2005 MPSF Championships as the team dealt No. 12 ranked and eighth-seeded UC Irvine a 9-7 upset at the event being held at the Spieker Aquatic Center in Berkeley, Calif. The Sun Devils (11-20) won for the second day in a row to mark just the second time this season the team has won multiple games while the Anteaters slipped to 13-17.
With the victory, the Sun Devils advance to the ninth-place game Sunday morning at 9:45 a.m. and will face seventh-seed and No. 6 UC Santa Barbara. The Anteaters will face 11th-seeded and No. 9 San Jose State at 8:00 a.m. for 11th place.
For the second day in a row, the Sun Devils opened fast as they took a 4-2 lead after one period of play. ASU added to its lead with a pair of scores in the second, compared to one for UCI, to send the game to intermission with the Sun Devils ahead, 6-3. Following the halftime break, the Anteaters outscored the Sun Devils, 2-1 in the third to cut into the lead at 7-5, but the final stanza saw both squads score two goals each for the final score, 9-7.
Both Katie Hedley (So., Lake Forest, Calif.) and Raelyn Ritchie (So., Newport Beach, Calif.) tallied three goals each, giving the duo their sixth and second, respective, hat tricks on the season. The offensive output from the two players also marked the first time all season that two Sun Devils have recorded three or more goals in one game.
Adding to the offensive output were a pair of freshmen, Katy Lawlor (El Segundo, Calif.) and Traci Aparicio (Downey, Calif.), who recorded two and one goals, respectively. Ashley Bower (So., Bondi Beach, Australia) and Tessa Wyborny (Jr., Walnut Creek, Calif.) added two assists each in the victory.
On the defensive side of things, Caylinn Wallace (Fr., Laguna Hills, Calif.) picked up the victory in the cage as she halted seven Anteater shots on the day. Hedley and Ritchie each added two steals to assist Wallace.
The MPSF Championships come to a close Sunday morning for the Sun Devils as they are set to face UCSB at 9:45 a.m. with the winner finishing 9th and the loser taking 10th place in the 13-team tournament.
Game #31 [Neutral #16] Record: 11-20 Overall (3-9 MPSF) at Berkeley, Calif. DATE OPPONENT 1 2 3 4 F ---- -------------------- -- -- -- -- -- 4-30 #19 Arizona State 4 2 1 2 9 #12 UC Irvine 2 1 2 2 7
MPSF Tourney Seeds: ASU is #12; UCI is #8 ASU Saves: Wallace (7) ASU Goals: Hedley (3), Ritchie (3), Lawlor (2), Aparicio