April 28, 2006
IRVINE, Calif. - One day removed from scoring its first win in program history over Long Beach State, the No. 9 Arizona State University water polo team could not make it two days in a row as the Sun Devils dropped an 11-7 decision to No. 2 UCLA in the quarterfinals of the MPSF Championships Friday at the Anteater Aquatics Center in Irvine, Calif. The Sun Devils (14-12), who are seeded seventh, saw Rowie Webster set a school record for goal scoring in the team's third loss of the season to the Bruins (25-3), the third-seed in the tournament.
The Bruins got off to a fast start as they jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with only 2:10 removed from the game clock in the first quarter before the Sun Devils answered back at the 1:35 mark as Webster sent a screaming shot into the corner of the cage from seven meters out. Then, with 44 seconds remaining in the stanza, Webster again struck, this time scoring a power-play goal on a cross-cage attempt to cut the deficit to one. The Bruins added a goal with 25 seconds remaining for a 4-2 lead.
In the second, UCLA added two more scores for a 6-2 lead before Webster picked up her 10th hat-trick of the season, scoring on the power play with 1:47 remaining to send the game the half with ASU down, 6-3.
The third quarter opened with the Sun Devils allowing two more goals for an 8-3 lead before Addison Doud collected a pass from Webster on a restart and scored a point-blank range. After the Bruins scored on a two-man power play, Kimberlee Stevens was fouled and, on the restart, fired a shot from 10 meters out to score with one second remaining on the clock,
Trailing 9-5, the Sun Devils went back on the attack in the final period of play as Webster scored her fourth goal of the game on a skip shot to the lower right corner of the cage. But UCLA would add two more scores to put the game out of reach. With 1:10 remaining, Ashley Bower concluded the scoring as she went cross cage for a power play goal and the final 11-7 margin.
Webster's four goals gives her 52 on the season and puts her into the top position on the single-season scoring list, surpassing the 51 Kim Yost tallied in the program's first year of competition, 2002. Webster, who also holds the freshman season scoring record, also ranks eighth on the career goal-scoring list.
Arizona State now faces the loser of No. 3 Stanford, the second seed, and No. 7 UC Irvine, the sixth seed, at 12:15 p.m. Saturday.