April 1, 2006
IRVINE, Calif. - The No. 10 Arizona State University water polo rode the strong performances of its talented rookies, but it was not enough as the Sun Devils absorbed their third loss in a row by dropping a 9-6 decision at No. 11 UC Irvine Saturday in Irvine, Calif. The loss pushed the Sun Devils 11-9 overall on the season and 3-5 in the MPSF while the Anteaters improved to 13-9 (3-4 MPSF).
Both teams kept the game close in the first quarter of play as each team posted one goal each. The second quarter belonged to the hosts as they out-scored the Sun Devils, 4-2. Trailing 5-3 after the intermission, the Sun Devils climbed back into the game by out scoring their opponents, 2-1, to bring the score to 6-5 heading into the final stanza. But in the fourth quarter, the hosts posted three goals to the Sun Devils' one for the final 9-6 decision.
Rookies Rowie Webster and Addison Doud each scored two goals in the contest while Ashley Bower and Traci Aparicio scored one each. Goalie Caylinn Wallace recorded seven saves in the game defensively.
ASU remains on the road for one more game this weekend as the Sun Devils are set to face No. 12 Long Beach State at noon Sunday in Long Beach, Calif.