TEMPE – Entering today’s contest, six of the last eight games between the No. 5 Arizona State University water polo team and No. 7 California had been decided by a single goal. Saturday’s match in Tempe would prove to be no different.
Daisy Carter scored her lone goal of the game with the shot clock winding down in the second sudden death overtime period, lifting the Sun Devils (15-5, 2-2 MPSF) to a 7-6 victory over the Bears (19-5, 1-2 MPSF) in a game with potentially huge postseason implications.
The back-and-forth affair came on Senior Day for the Sun Devil water polo team and the seniors certainly made the most of their final game at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
Here it is, hot off the press! Take a look at @daisycarter8's lob to give the Devils a huge victory over the Bears!https://t.co/woBYNLxznO
— ASU Water Polo (@ASUWaterPolo) April 2, 2016
Abbey Kerth and Ao Gao each scored two goals with Gao’s second coming in the second overtime period to tie the game and send things to sudden death. After a scoreless first sudden death period, Carter – also a senior – lobbed a beautiful shot into the far corner past Cal’s Madeline Trabucco with one second left on the shot clock to cap things off.
In a game that featured five lead changes and fives ties, the ASU seniors scored the final four goals of the contest to fend back Cal rallies and to rally themselves in the eventual victory.
Trailing 6-5 after the first of two three-minute overtime periods, Kerth found Gao for an incredible lob shot with a defender in her face and Trabucco in the goal to square things at 6-6 with 1:38.
That sent the game into sudden death overtime but no team could find pay dirt despite ASU getting three shots on goal and the score remained even at 6-6 after the first three-minute period.
ASU won possession off the opening sprint in the second sudden death session but a turnover on its first possession gave Cal a chance to end it. But Mia Rycraw came to the rescue with her 18th save of the game – matching a career record – to keep ASU alive.
The ensuing offensive possession struggled to find a good look and Stephanie Contreras dumped the ball to Carter on the left side from three meters out as the shot clock wound down and the senior perfectly lobbed the shot over her defender and Trabucco into the far corner for the game-winner.
Freshman Maud Koopman added two goals for the Devils and added a steal and an assist.
The conference’s second and third-ranked defenses lived up to their billing on the afternoon. Cal held ASU to 0-for-6 shooting on the power play but the Devils responded right back as the Bears went 0-for-3 with a man advantage, not including Rycraw’s penalty shot stop in the first overtime frame.
ASU held Cal to three goals under its season average and absolutely shut down leading scorer Carla Carrega, who came in with the MPSF’s second-highest tally at 52 goals but was blanked on the scoresheet on Saturday.
Rycraw was incredible in the cage, allowing just six goals while stopping 18 (75.0 save percentage) and added a steal in the process.
ASU will now close out the regular season with three straight road games, the first coming next Saturday, April 9 at San Jose State at 11 a.m. PT.