Feb. 2, 2008
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The offensive explosion continued for the No. 11 Arizona State University water polo team at the Lancer Invitational Saturday as the Sun Devils easily won their third game of the day, this time defeating Concordia, 20-3, in Riverside, Calif. The Sun Devils improved to 6-1 on the year while the Eagles fell to 0-2.
ASU won three games on the day, including games of 19-2 against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and 11-4 against Cal Baptist. With those wins, the Sun Devils are off to a 6-1 start, marking the best eight-game opening to a season for the program as well as its best two-weekend start, both of which improved from a 5-2 mark to open the 2006 season. The Sun Devils also are already halfway to their win total of last season in which they finished 14-14.
In their game with the Eagles, the Sun Devils jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first quarter before taking a 10-2 advantage into the halftime break. The third quarter was what pushed the Sun Devils to a record as they scored seven goals before adding three more in the fourth. The 20 goals scored ties a program record for the most all-time set back on January 24, 2004, when ASU defeated Marist, 20-2, at the Michigan Invitational.
Kari Walsh scored a career-high four goals, doubling her pervious best of two scored last year against UC Irvine, while Addison McGrath netted four goals for the second time on the day and third time this year. Bonnie Miles also bettered her career-high for goals scored as she netted her first hat trick while Kelly Phelps scored twice. In all, 11 total Sun Devils scored in the game, including the following players with one goal: Traci Aparicio, Lauren Hayes, Katy Lawlor, Candice Phillipe, Amanda Stepp, Christy Stibbe and Nikki Unbehaun. In the cage, Caylinn Wallace stopped 11 shots.
The Sun Devils return to the road next weekend for a tough slate of games as they take part in the Stanford Invitational on February 9-10. ASU will take on No. 3 Stanford at 8:30 a.m. before facing No. 5 California at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and then will meet No. 2 USC at 8 a.m. Saturday. Their fourth game will be determined by the results of the first three games played.
#11 Arizona State vs. Concordia (Calif.)
at Lancer Invitational February 2
ASU - 6 - 4 - 7 - 3 = 20
CON - 1 - 1 - 0 - 1 = 3
ASU Goals - McGrath 4, Walsh 4, Miles 3, Phelps 2, Aparicio, Hayes, Lawlor, Phillipe, Stepp, Stibbe, Unbehaun
CON Goals - Gelberg 2, Schellinger
ASU Saves - Wallace 11