TEMPE – The No. 5 Arizona State University water polo team will come of its big sudden death victory over Californoa this weekend as its heads to the Bay Area for its first of three straight weekends on the road to close out the 2016 season. The Sun Devils will open things up with a Saturday doubleheader against 11th-ranked MPSF foe San Jose State on Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m. PT before taking part in a non-conference tilt against CSU Monterey Bay at 2 p.m. Both games will take place at The Aquatics Center in San Jose, Calif.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
This will be the second time the Sun Devils have faced the Spartans this season after a hard-fought 7-6 victory over SJSU at the UCI Invitational earlier this season in a game where Mia Rycraw had a career-best 18 saves. The lifeblood of the SJSU team is Rae Lekness. The Spartan career scoring leader, Lekness enters the weekend with 80 goals this season, 28 more than any other player in the contest and averaging 2.96 goals per game. She has 40 more goals than any other player on her team. A fairly potent offense because of Lekness, SJSU comes into the weekend averaging 9.81 goals per game and has reached double digit goals in six of their last eight contests.
In the cage, the Spartans have split duties between Alicia Magliocco and Taylor Peters. Both have appeared in 15 games and have nearly identical stats across the board with 88 and 93 saves, respectively and a 9.57 and 8.89 GAA.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Fans are encouraged to follow @ASUWaterPolo on Twitter for score updates throughout the day. There are no scheduled live stats or live streams for the weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
Daisy Carter scored her lone goal of the game with the shot clock winding down in the second sudden death overtime period, lifting the No. 5 Sun Devil water polo team (15-5, 2-2 MPSF) to a 7-6 victory over No. 7 California (19-5, 1-2 MPSF) in a game with potentially huge postseason implications. ASU got two goals from seniors Ao Gao and Abbey Kerth on Senior Day. Mia Rycraw was incredible in the cage, allowing just six goals while stopping 18 (75.0 save percentage) and added a steal in the process. Kerth was named the MPSF Player of the Week for her effort and Maud Koopman earned MPSF Newcomer of the Week for the third time.
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 99-39 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 98 career assists and ninth all-time with 123 career goals. Her 123 career steals are sixth in ASU history. She has 38 points this season (good for second on the team) with 21 goals and 17 assists - good for second on the Sun Devil roster - while she is the model of consistency in also posting 27 steals to date, just three 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 fourth on the team with 20 goals this season and has drawn a whopping 57 exclusions - largely surpassing her 2015 total, 40 more than any other Sun Devil and nearly half of the 130 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 21 goals coming on just 39 shots (53.8 percent) - the highest shot percentage on the team.
The junior was named the MPSF Player of the Week following the Cal victory, scoring twice with an assists and three kickouts drawn in the contest. It was the first weekly award of her career.
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 65 goals in her career, a total that ranks second on the team behind only Ao Gao’s 123 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 tied for second on the Sun Devils with 24 goals and is fourth on the squad with 34 points as well. A solid all-around player, Carter also has 24 steals to date and 17 kickouts drawn, totals good for fourth and second on the Sun Devils. Her efficiency has really set her apart as she has 24 goals on 59 shot attempts (40.7 percent), the third-best percentage amongst the team’s starters.
The Australian attacker notched the game-winner in double sudden death overtime against No. 7 Cal in her final game at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. Carter was fifth on the team with 17 goals last season and now has 62 career goals to her credit while her 35 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 as 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 198 saves and is averaging 11.0 saves per game - second in the MPSF in both categories - to just 5.53 goals allowed per game (94 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 72 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 is second on the team this season with 29 steals.
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 leads the team with 26 goals to date and she has added a team-leading 18 assists for 44 total points, seven more than any other player on the team. A solid defender as well, Koopman is also first on the team with 30 steals to date.
The Dutch attacker has been named the MPSF Newcomer of the Week in three of the last four weeks and is one of just three players in the league to earn the honor at least three times this season.
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 fifth on the team with 20 goals and has added 10 assists for 30 points to date. She’s also drawn 13 exclusions this season, a total that ranks third on the ASU roster while her 23 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 5.25 goals per game, two goals per game fewer than they averaged last season. The Devils held the two MPSF-leading offenses in Stanford and USC to well under their season averages, keeping both teams in single digits (USC twice) despite the squads coming in averaging about 13 goals per game. 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 five times through 20 games last season. Exceptional goalkeeping and a team defense that is averaging 10.7 steals per game this season have paced the revamped defensive effort.
GETTING OFF TO A HOT START
The Devils have outscored the opposition 52-20 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 2-5 when trailing or tied. The +32 goal differential in the first quarter is notable as ASU has just a +45 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 46-25 (+21) 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 40 goals on 122 6-on-5 advantages (32.8 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 30 goals on 108 chances (27.8 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 35-28 in all games decided by a single goal and 62-57 in all games decided by three goals or fewer. Since 2012, the Sun Devils are 31-22 in games decided by three goals or fewer and 17-10 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 3-2 in one-goal games.
#NEXTMANUP
The Sun Devils lost four All-Americans to either graduation or Olympic training following last season and put a sizeable dent in the returning statistics as a result. Izabella Chiappini (56 goals), Alkistis Benekou (41 goals) and Petra Pardi (37 goals) made up 53.8 percent of ASU’s 249 total goals last season. Three-time All-American E.B. Keeve started 20 games and finished with 239 saves in 2015 and 936 career saves - good for second in ASU history despite playing just three seasons - and the ASU will have to find a way to fill in the void left by that exodus. Fortunately, the pieces are in place.
WHO’S THE NEW GIRL?
Well, take your pick. The Sun Devil roster features seven freshmen and just three players that started regularly last season. With plenty of new faces in the pool, a couple to keep an immediate eye on are Maud Koopman, Rosie Huck and PJ Allin. Koopman brings plenty of international experience with her and is game-ready right out of the box. Koopman competed on the Dutch Youth and Junior National teams that competed in 2014 at the Youth World Championships and the European Championships. Koopman will take over as a weakside attaker, allowing Lena Mihailovic to move to a more comfortable strong side location. Huck, a freshman out of Great Britain, will come in and look to back up Kerth at center. Huck spent the last year competing with the Great Britain National Team and was the youngest player on the roster at the 2014 European Water Polo Championships in Budapest. Allin, out of British Columbia, is a competent left hander that can fill some of the void left behind by Petra Pardi’s graduation. Allin was a member of the 2013 Canadian U16 National team and captained her team in the Cadet National Club Championships in 2012.
LOOKIN’ BACK - 2015 SEASON
Seven members from the Arizona State University water polo team have earned recognition from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches for the 2014-15 campaign, with three nabbing All-America team honors and four achieving academic excellence in a season where the Sun Devils compiled a 16-10 overall record. Looking for the team’s second berth in the NCAA Tournament, the Sun Devils dropped six of their last seven games after a 15-4 start to the year and had their postseason dreams undone with an 0-2 finish at the MPSF Championships, both losses (to No. 4 Cal and No. 9 SJSU) coming by just a single goal.
Sophomore attacker Izabella Chiappini earned her first All-America selection with Third-Team honors while fellow sophomores E.B. Keeve and Alkistis Benekou received Honorable Mention nods. Chiappini played an impactful role on the Sun Devil squad, netting 56 goals and 23 assists on the year. She topped the team with 79 total points and 26 steals, helping her earn her first All-MPSF distinction as well. For Keeve, this is her third consecutive year nabbing an All-American title. Keeve logged 239 total saves and averaged 12.75 saves per game as netminder for the Sun Devils this past season. Benekou is also no stranger to the All-American team earning her second Honorable Mention. As a commanding center, Benekou led the team in exclusions drawn with 54 and finished with 41 goals on the season.
Like Chiappini, both Keeve and Benekou received All-MPSF honors. Chiappini’s selection made her the 14th Sun Devil in program history to be named to an All-America team. With three selections, ASU placed three or more student-athletes on the All-America team for the fifth consecutive season. Since 2011, the Sun Devils have posted 17 All-American honors compared to just 10 total in its history prior to the current run.