TEMPE – The sixth-ranked Arizona State University water polo team heads on the road this weekend to square off with No. 3 Stanford on Saturday, March 26 in Palo Alto, Calif. The Sun Devils (14-4, 1-1 MPSF) are looking for their first-ever win over the Cardinal (15-2, 1-0 MPSF). The game will get underway at 11 a.m. PT and will be the first Sun Devil contest this season broadcast by the Pac-12 Networks.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Stanford comes into the weekend ranked third nationally with a 15-2 record and is 1-0 in conference play. The Sun Devils have never defeated Stanford and the Cardinal are the only Division I program that ASU does not have at least one victory over, trailing the overall series 22-0. The defending National Champions have not lost an MPSF Conference game since 2009 and enter the weekend with a 39-game winning streak in MPSF regular season matchups. Stanford’s two losses this season came in a 7-6 decision over top-ranked USC and a 5-2 loss earlier this season to then-No. 4 Cal - both in non-conference play.
The Cardinal enter the weekend averaging an MPSF-best 13.11 goals per game and have scored double digits in all but two games this year - both losses. That will largely contrast with ASU, which has allowed just one team to reach double digits this season and is on pace to log a program best goals against average, allowing just 5.06 goals per game this season - currently second in the MPSF.
Stanford brings a balanced scoring attack with five different players with over 20 goals this season, led by Jamie Neushul (32) and Kat Klass (31). Julia Hermann has been a stand out in the cage as she fills in for would-be senior Gabby Stone, who is currently trailing with the U.S. National team. Hermann has 130 saves and is allowing just 5.55 goals against to date.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
For the first time this season, the Pac-12 Networks will provide coverage of ASU water polo. Kevin Danna and Chris Dorst will have the call for the Network. Fans are encouraged to check their local listings for Pac-12 Network coverage in their area. Fans may also follow @ASUWaterPolo on Twitter for in-game updates.
LAST TIME OUT
The No. 9 ASU water polo team earned four victories over ranked teams last weekend, including an impressive 8-5 victory over then-No. 5 Michigan. Katie Sverchek and Lena Mihailovic each recorded five-goal games and all but one Sun Devil had at least a goal on the weekend. Mia Rycraw was dominant and allowed just 11 goals in four games (2.8 per game) in the goal and was named the MPSF Player of the Week for the second time this season. Maud Koopman scored five goals with four assists and seven steals as she was named the MPSF Newcomer of the Week for the second consecutive weekend. The ASU defense stifled opponents to the tune of 51 steals over the course of the weekend (12.8 per game).
RECENT SUCCESS
The Sun Devils have established themselves as one of the elite teams in the country in the last couple years. Since 2012, the Sun Devils have compiled a 98-38 record under head coach Todd Clapper. In that time, the team has posted 14 All-America honors while earning the first victory over UCLA in program history, beating Cal on the road for the first time ever and matching a program best upset with a victory over second-ranked USC last season. ASU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history in 2014, taking fifth overall with a victory over UC Irvine. The Sun Devils posted a program-best fourth-place finish in the MPSF Championships and CWPA Final Coaches Poll in 2013 (peaking at a program best No. 3 in the 2013 regular season) and set school records in wins in two of those seasons as well.
HOW NOW AO GAO
After taking a year off to focus on her scholarly journalism pursuits and an internship with the Crew West video production group, two-time Olympian and All-America Ao Gao will return to the Sun Devil Water Polo program for her fourth and final year of collegiate water polo while working toward her graduate degree in ASU’s Sports Journalism program. Gao brings a wealth of experience, having played in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 where she helped China to a fifth-place finish and was named a tournament All-Star for her effort. She would also go on to represent her home country at the 2012 London Olympics where the Chinese squad also took fifth. At ASU, Gao earned All-America honors as a two-meter defender during her sophomore and junior seasons.
Despite the year off, Gao has come back in without missing a step. She currently sits seventh in ASU history with 218 career points, fourth with 97 career assists and ninth all-time with 121 career goals. Her 119 career streals are sixth in ASU history. She has 35 points this season (good for third on the team) with 19 goals and 16 assists - good for second on the Sun Devil roster - while she is the model of consistency in also posting 23 steals to date, just two off the team lead in the category.
DOWNTON ABBEY
Last season, Abbey Kerth quietly put up exceptional numbers as reserve at center behind All-American Alkistis Benekou. This season, Kerth has been leaned heavily upon to replace her as Benekou trains for the Olympics and a spot on the Greek National Team.
Kerth has since taking a huge leap in production as the team’s starting center. The senior is fifth on the team with 16 goals this season and has drawn a whopping 54 exclusions - largely surpassing her 2015 total, 39 more than any other Sun Devil and nearly half of the 118 total kickouts drawn by ASU this season. It’s not always easy to get shots off at center, but when she’s been able to, she’s made opponents pay with her 18 goals coming on just 34 shots (52.9 percent) - the highest shot percentage on the team.
Kerth finished her junior season with 13 goals this season and while she may not have rack up the gaudy offensive numbers as Benekou, she drew 42 exclusions last season - just 11 fewer than Benekou for second on the roster. Kerth has 62 goals in her career, a total that ranks second on the team behind only Ao Gao’s 121 career goals.
DRIVING MISS DAISY
Senior Daisy Carter has been another player filling the offensive void left behind with the departures. Thus far in her senior campaign, Carter is second on the Sun Devils with 23 goals and is fourth on the squad with 32 points as well. A solid all-around player, Carter also has 24 steals to date and 15 kickouts drawn, totals good for third and second on the Sun Devils. Her efficiency has really set her apart as she has 23 goals on 50 shot attempts (46.0 percent), the third-best percentage amongst the team’s starters.
Carter was fifth on the team with 17 goals last season and now has 61 career goals to her credit while her 34 career assists are second on the roster only to two-time All-American Ao Gao’s 97.
‘CHEK YO SELF
Senior Katie Sverchek has made some of the most prominent gains of any player on the Sun Devil roster this season and coaches are praising her for taking her game play to a different level. With Ao Gao out last season, Sverchek switched from a utility player to a two-meter defender and put together a solid season in her new role, if not one with eye-popping statistics.
A more confident Sverchek has already stepped out of that mold however, and finds herself with a team-leading 24 goals this season while she is second on the team with 36 overall points thanks to her 12 assists. The number is notable aas her previous career high was 23 points in 2013. Sverchek set a career-best with five goals against No. 23 Marist this season, reaching the 50-career goal milestone in the process.
OH ME, OH MIA
One question mark entering the season was how the Sun Devils would fair in the goal with the graduation of three-time All-American E.B. Keeve. That question was answered with quickness as redshirt sophomore Mia Rycraw has been a brick wall in the cage.
Thus far, Rycraw has 172 saves and is averaging 10.8 saves per game - leading the MPSF in both categories - to just 5.4 goals allowed per game (86 total). Twice this season, Rycraw has been named the MPSF Player of the Week and has been a workhorse for ASU, leading the MPSF with 64 quarters played. She has spearheaded an ASU defense that has allowed opponents to reach double digit goals in just one game this season and it’s not just the saves that have done it. Rycraw also leads the team with 25 steals this season.
Rycraw saw limited action last season, but made the most of it as she finished with 80 saves and just 49 goals against in 15 appearances (five starts).
WHAT A KOOP
Freshman Maud Koopman wasted no time introducing herself to world as she has established herself as one of the top newcomers in the nation this season. Koopman has 22 goals to date, which is good for third on the team, and she has added a team-leading 17 assists for 39 total points, a total that also leads the same. A solid defender as well, Koopman is also first on the team with 25 steals to date.
The Dutch attacker was an all-around threat at the ASU Invitationals the past two weekends as she has combined for nine goals and eight assists with 11 steals in efforts that have earned her back-to-back MPSF Newcomer of the Week nods.
WEARING MANY HATS
One player who has taken over some of the offensive burden left behind due to graduation and Olympic training is Lena Mihailovic. She is tied for fifth on the team with 18 goals and has added 10 assists for 28 points to date. She’s also drawn 12 exclusions this season, a total that ranks third on the ASU roster while her 19 steals are fifth on the team.
As a freshman, Mihailovic arrived in Tempe approximately a week and a half before the first Sun Devil contest in 2015, but you wouldn’t be able to tell it by looking at the stat sheet. The youngster finished fourth on the team with 27 goals and second on the team with 19 assists for a grand total of 47 points. She was second on the team with 16 steals and fourth with 18 kickouts drawn and has shown to be an every day player that can get it done in all areas of the game. Mihailovic trained extensively with the Australian Junior National Team this past summer.
Mihailovic also made an appearance in the World University Games held in Gwangju, Korea this past July. Her penalty shoot out goal against Canada would help Australia take home a gold medal. She also appeared in FINA World Junior Water Polo Championships.
LOCKING DOWN
ASU opponents are averaging just 5.06 goals per game, over two goals per game fewer than they averaged last season. USC has scored under 10 goals just six times this season and two of those were against the Sun Devils. ASU opponents have scored double digits just once this season and that lone instance came on a literal last-second goal in a 10-9 loss early this season. The total is notable as opponents had reached double digits against the Devils four times through 18 games last season. Exceptional goalkeeping and a team defense that is averaging 11.0 steals per game this season have paced the revamped defensive effort.
GETTING OFF TO A HOT START
The Devils have outscored the opposition 52-18 in the first quarter of games this season and hot starts have been ASU’s bread and butter as they are 13-0 when leading after the first quarter and 1-4 when trailing or tied. The +34 goal differential in the first quarter is notable as ASU has just a +43 goal differential in the other three quarters COMBINED.
Another area of improvement this year has been third quarter scoring. Last season ASU was outscored in the third quarter of games, 64-58 (-6). So far this year, ASU is outscoring opponents 43-22 (+19) in the third quarter of contests.
ASU did much of its damage in the first half last season, outscoring the opposition 58-34 (+24) in the first quarter and 69-49 (+20) in the second quarter. The numbers are a far cry from the second half where ASU trailed 64-58 in third quarter scoring and held only a +22 overall second half scoring advantage compared to its +44 first-half scoring edge. Getting ahead early was key for the Devils in 2015, as they were 12-0 when leading after the first quarter last season and 16-1 when leading at halftime. ASU was 0-5 when getting outscored in the first quarter and 0-8 when trailing or tied at half time.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE MAN ADVANTAGE
Much like the game of hockey, water polo provides teams with a great opportunity with the exclusion rule for hard penalties and the Sun Devils did a good job last season of taking advantage of the situation in 6-on-5 advantages while limited opponents in their own chances. ASU has scored 39 goals on 111 6-on-5 advantages (35.2 percent). While ASU would certainly like to get more done on the offensive end in those situations, they have been exceptional when down a player. The Devils have held the opposition to just 26 goals on 99 chances (26.7 percent) when in 5-on-6 situations.
ASU outscored the opposition 67-35 last season in 6v5 goals and limited opponents to just 27 percent scoring in those situations (35 129 chances).
CLUTCH PERFORMERS
In head coach Todd Clapper’s career, he is 34-28 in all games decided by a single goal and 61-56 in all games decided by three goals or fewer. Since 2012, the Sun Devils are 30-21 in games decided by three goals or fewer and 16-10 in games decided by only a single goal. In 2013, ASU was 5-0 in games decided by a goal but dropped to a 1-4 mark in such games during the 2015 campaign and will look to get back to the clutch finishes it had become accustomed to this season, currently at 2-2 in one-goal games.