TEMPE – The No. 9 Arizona State water polo team provided a valiant effort against top-ranked USC on Saturday, but a series of unfortunate bounces and a couple late goal flurries from the Trojans resulted in the Sun Devils taking an 8-3 loss in the MPSF Conference opener at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
The Devil defense did its part for the majority of the game, limiting the potent USC offense to under 10 goals for the second time this season but – like the first game – ASU had trouble manufacturing offense of its own in the loss.
Mia Rycraw had 13 saves for the Devils to keep the team in the game, but a series of quick goals to end both the third and fourth quarters made the final margin of victory perhaps a little wider than the competitiveness of the game would have had it seem.
The cross bar and posts were unkind to ASU in the contest as no less than five Sun Devil shots either bounced harmlessly off the cage or hit the post but never at the right angle to allow the ball to fully cross the plane.
Avery Peterson scored three goals for the Trojans to lead the offense. USC was 3-for-7 on power play opportunities, shooting 43 percent against an ASU defense that was holding opponents to just 30 percent shooting in 5-on-6 situations this year.
The Trojans got on the board first with two quick goals in the first quarter from Brigitta Games and Stephania Haralabidis but the Devils came roaring back on the heels of a rocket shot from the arm of Ao Gao to cut the lead to 2-1 with 2:35 left in the first.
Lena Mihailovic was robbed a couple plays later after her fast break shot careened off the cross bar and just missed crossing over the line to even things up.
USC extended its lead in the second with a power play goal from Peterson with 3:59 left but ASU answered quickly on Daisy Carter’s shot that was tipped into the goal by a USC defender to make it a 3-2 game.
Haralabidis quickly responded with her second goal on the very next possession, however, to make it a 4-2 game heading into the halftime break.
Two late third quarter goals from Brianna Daboub and Peterson would provide the insurance USC would need with a commanding 6-2 advantage as the ASU offense struggled to get shots on goal.
ASU looked to get a rally going in the fourth quarter after Maud Koopman found the back of the net and Daisy Carter drew a penalty shot and ASU had a chance to cut the lead to just two with about 2:30 left in regulation. But Lena Mihailovic’s penalty shot bounced harmlessly off the post and USC drove quickly up the pool and put the game away as Games’ second goal made it a 7-3 game with under two minutes left, effectively shutting the door on the ASU comeback effort.
The Sun Devils are back in action at home next week as they host the ASU Invitational beginning Saturday, March 12.