IRVINE, Calif. – After taking a heartbreaking loss in the opener of the 2016 UCI Invitational – a 5-4 decision to tourney host UC Irvine – the seventh-ranked Sun Devil water polo team rebounded nicely with three straight wins to improve to 7-3 on the season.
The Devils picked up wins over No. 25 CSUN, No. 13 UC San Diego and No. 11 San Jose State to close out the weekend.
Mia Rycraw helped the cause as the Sun Devils held all four opponents to six or fewer goals on the weekend. Her 18 saves against SJSU were a new career best and she finished the weekend with 52 saves and just 20 goals for a 72.2 percent save percentage.
Abbey Kerth was a force all weekend and the only Sun Devil to score in each game. She finished with six goals, 13 exclusions drawn and four steals in arguably the best weekend of her career from a numerical standpoint.
Katie Sverchek and Daisy Carter each added five goals for the Sun Devils over the weekend.
ASU will have a quick turnaround this week as they play host to top-ranked USC in Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday, March 5. The game will begin at 1 p.m. MT and be available via live stream at Pac-12.com/live
Complete recaps up Sunday’s action available below.
#7 ASU 7, #11 SJSU 6
Daisy Carter scored three goals and Mia Rycraw had a career-high 18 saves in the cage as the Sun Devils took down the 11th ranked MPSF foe San Jose State, 7-6, to take ninth place in the elite UCI Invitational.
The Devils held a potent San Jose State offense under their season average of nearly nine goals per game and held the Spartans to just 2-of-8 shooting (25.0 percent) on the power play.
Carter tabbed her team-leading third hat trick of the season to lead the Sun Devil scorers.
The Sun Devil bench players played exceptional in the tournament finale, not necessarily lighting up the scoreboard but playing solid defense and keeping the Spartans out of a rhythm while spelling the starters.
Ao Gao added two goals in the effort while Katie Sverchek and Abbey Kerth also got on the score card. Kerth continued to be a menace for defenders, drawing a team-high four exclusions.
Lena Mihailovic and Maud Koopman didn’t find the back of the net but did their part offensively, tallying two assists each as ASU posted assists on five of its seven goals.
Mycraw continued to post incredible numbers in the goal as her 18 saves were two more than her previous career best and good for a tie for sixth all-time at ASU for most saves in a single game.
GOALS
Carter 3, Gao 2, Sverchek, Kerth
ASSISTS
Mihailovic 2, Koopman 2, Huck 1
SAVES
Rycraw 18
#7 ASU 9, #13 UCSD 5
Abbey Kerth controlled the front of the goal and found the back of the net twice to help the No. 7 Sun Devil water polo team to a 9-5 victory over No. 13 UC San Diego to advance to the ninth-place game of the UCI Invitational on Sunday morning.
The Sun Devils will take on the winner of the contest between No. 11 San Jose State and No. 12 Pacific at approximately 1:30 p.m. Arizona time.
Kerth drew three penalties over the course of the contest and was double-teamed throughout, opening up the offensive lanes for her teammates and adding an assist and a steal in the process.
The Sun Devils closed the game strong, finishing on a 5-2 run after UCSD cut the lead to 4-3 with 3:32 remaining in the second quarter. ASU scored four of the next five goals from that moment and never looked back after taking a commanding 8-4 lead on Daisy Carter’s second goal of the contest with 1:34 left in the third quarter
Katie Sverchek, Carter and Ao Gao all netted two goals each while Maud Koopman rounded out the scoring for the Devils. Sverchek also led all Sun Devils with two assists while eight of ASU’s nine goals were all assisted in a total team effort.
Mia Rycraw was solid yet again in the cage, stopping eight shots and allowing just five goals while adding two steaks and an assist.
As has become the norm for the Sun Devil defense, the team was night untouchable when facing 5-on-6 situations, holding the Tritons to just one goal on eight power play opportunities (12.5 percent). ASU continued to hound their opposition, forcing UCSD into 10 steals with seven different Sun Devils earning a pickpocket.
BOX SCORE
ASU- 1-4-3-1=9
UCSD- 1-2-2-0=5
GOALS
Kerth 2, Gao 2, Sverchek 2, Carter 2, Koopman
ASSISTS
Sverchek 2, Rycraw, Casas, Koopman, Mihailovic, Gao, Kerth
SAVES
Rycraw 8