April 8, 2006
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The No. 12 Arizona State University water polo team utilized a five-goal run following an early 2-0 deficit to upset No. 8 San Jose State, 5-3, Saturday in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation contest in San Jose, Calif. The win, which snapped a four-game losing streak for the team, improved the Sun Devils' record to 12-10 overall and 4-6 in the MPSF while the Spartans slipped to 11-11 (4-5 MPSF).
The game opened with the hosts taking a 2-0 lead with Katie Morgan scoring on a power-play situation at 5:44 before Rachel Rhodes added her own 6-on-5 score at 2:40 remaining in the first. From there, the Sun Devil offense and defense came to life with Raelyn Ritchie scoring a goal with 38 seconds remaining in the stanza.
In the second quarter, Addison Doud scored a power-play goal at 4:00 and then once again found the back of the net just 25 seconds later (3:35) to put the Sun Devils on top, 3-2. Following the intermission, Doud went back on the offensive again as she completed her hat trick with a goal at 5:36. Then, with 3:22 remaining in the third, Rowie Webster added a power play goal for a 5-2 ASU lead. SJSU would add a goal at 6:19 in the fourth, but the scoring would end there with the Sun Devils winning, 5-3.
Caylinn Wallace had a stellar game in the goal as she halted 13 shots and recorded four steals to prevent the hosts from scoring for a majority of the game and the team's 12th victory.
The win also gives the Sun Devils their most victories in conference play since joining the league in time for the 2004 season. In the 2004 season, ASU went 2-9 before posting a 3-9 record last year.
Arizona State closes out its road schedule for the season Sunday afternoon as the Sun Devils travel to face No. 2 Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. The game is set to begin at 1 p.m.