SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The fifth-ranked Sun Devil water polo team is slated to return to the pool this weekend at the Triton Invitational hosted in San Diego, Calif. Boasting a competitive field featuring 10 squads ranked within the CWPA Top-25, the tournament is set to get underway on Sat. Feb. 11. The Sun Devils will open the bracket style competition on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. MT taking on Sonoma State. The winner of that tilt will then face the winner of the contest between No. 18 UC Davis and Long Beach in the quarterfinals set for 3:40 p.m., while the respective losers will clash in the consolation bracket at 2:20 p.m.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Second-ranked USC spearheads the tournament's impressive field that features a number of perennial powerhouses including No. 6 California-Irvine, No. 7 Michigan, No. 9 Santa Barbara, and No. 10 San Diego. Grouped with No. 18 UC Davis, Long Beach, and Sonoma in Bracket B, the Sun Devils are not guaranteed any particular matchup beyond their opening contest with Sonoma State. Sonoma State who is currently 2-5 on the young season, enters the competition ranked outside the CWPA Top-25. Arizona State last met the Seawolves in 2015 at the Triton Invitational, earning a 20-2 route over the Northern California based squad.
Pacing the Seawolves' offensive charge has been Nicole Groat, an all-around standout, who with a team-best 22 points to her credit, has 12 goals and 10 assists early in the 2017 campaign. Carleigh Robinson who is arguably the team's most prolific scorer boasts a team-best goals tally of 15. Taylor Plorin has started all seven games for Sonoma State in the cage with an even split 51 saves to 51 goals on the season.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Score updates will be provided through the weekend via the UCSD Tournament home and are available HERE. Fans are encouraged to follow @ASUWaterPolo for updated news throughout the weekend.
GOALS ARE THE GOAL
Through three games this season, the fifth-ranked Sun Devils have outscored opponents 34-11, while netting goals at an impressive 11.33 goals per game clip. Leading the charge for the Sun Devils is sophomore Maud Koopman, who has already scored nine goals this season, including a five goal outing against San Diego State.
DEFENSE MAKING THE DIFFERENCE
The Sun Devils have exibited a knack for shutting down opponents through the 2017 season, holding opponents to just 3.67 goals per game. Mia Rycraw, again, ranks near the top of conference in saves, with 17 already this year. ASU has also been proficient at shutting out opponents late, allowing just three total goals in the second half of all games this season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Sun Devils got the 2017 season off on the right foot by scoring 34 goals en route a perfect 3-0 record and three ranked-victories Jan. 28-29, at the program-hosted ASU Invitational. The squad played host to No. 9 UCSB, No. 15 San Diego St., and No. 21 Wagner, exiting the competition unscathed and with their perfect record intact...
ASU 13, San Diego St. 4 (Jan. 28)
In their first game of the spring, the Sun Devil water polo team defeated San Diego State, 13-4, on Saturday morning at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
Sophomore Maud Koopman led the attack with five goals, two assists and six steals. The attacker showed no signs of rust, scoring her first goal early on in the second period and then tacking on three more in the fourth frame.
Junior Lena Mihailovic added three goals and two steals of her own, a feat head coach Todd Clapper praised.
"I'm really happy with, in particular, how Lena [Mihailovic] came out," Clapper said. "Sometimes in the past, she has second-guessed some of her shooting. She was really confident and really decisive today, offensively, and I was really proud of her."
On the other end of the pool, redshirt junior Mia Rycraw posted eight saves on the morning, allowing just three goals off of 23 attempts. The California-native posted critical saves early on in the match, including making two saves to allow the Devils to take the lead in the first frame.
Rycraw was backed up by her defense who posted 15 saves, collectively. Despite having a few new players on center defense, the defense came together to play aggressively.
"I felt like for the most part our defense was really good," Clapper said. "I was really happy and felt like our press defense played really well. People were blocking really well on the shots," Clapper added.
San Diego State struck first, putting one on the board in part by a penalty shot. The teams battled back-and-forth in scoring until junior Kayla Casas laced one into the pipes for a Devils lead, making the score 4-3. Mihailovic tacked on another goal to increase ASU's lead to two going into the second period.
Never surrendering their lead for the remainder of the game, ASU added two goals in the second period by Koopman and sophomore Peggy-Jean Allin. The Devils defense came back to shut out the Aztecs in the third frame while tacking on four goals, extending their lead 11-3.
Koopman and Mihailovic each fired one into the net in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Devils.
The Devils return to play tomorrow, Jan. 28, to take on Wagner College and Santa Barbara in a double-header at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
ASU 13, WAGNER 3 (Jan. 29)
In their first game of Sunday's doubleheader, the Sun Devil water polo team defeated Wagner College, 13-3, at the Mona Plummer Aquatics Center.
Employing a well-balanced attack, seven Devils scored against the Seahawks including senior Alkistis Benekou who led the attack with four goals. Sophomore Maud Koopman followed not far behind with three in the morning contest.
ASU got on the board early, exploiting the Wager defense to create a favorable one-on-one attack with the Sehawks' goalie. Junior Lena Mihailovic got the Sun Devils on the baord in the first period after she sprinted to the goal and muscled a shot into the back of the net. ASU would add three more points in the first frame as Koopman, Claudia Abad and Kayla Casas each netted a goal.
After adding three more goals in the second frame, and five in the third, the Sun Devils tacked on one in the final frame and held Wagner to just one goal over the last two periods of play to close out the, 13-3, victory.
ASU 8, SANTA BARBARA, 4 (Jan. 29)
In a hard-fought battle between two top-ranked teams, the Sun Devil water polo team defeated Santa Barbara, 8-4, on Sunday afternoon at the Mona Plummer Aquatics Center.
In a game dominated by defense, the Sun Devils held the Gauchos to their season-low four goals. Their previous low of four goals came last week against Michigan where they were defeated 7-4.
"Throughout the whole weekend, our defense was what carried us," head coach Todd Clapper said. "Our good defense, the play of Mia [Rycraw] in the goal. Those things are, really, what carried us through."
Junior Lena Mihailovic's offense starred in the back-and-forth affair, as she laced three between the pipes against the Gauchos to total four in the double-header.
A star in game one, senior Alkistis Benekou opened the scoring for ASU in the first frame. However, UCSB quickly struck back with an equalizer 15 seconds later. The two teams fought back-and-forth and went into half time tied at three.
The Devils broke through in the third frame in part by Bente Rogge, who scored two goals, Stephanie Contreras and Maud Koopman who scored one a piece, while holding UCSB scoreless in the third quarter.
Each team added one goal in the fourth quarter, to close out the Sun Devil's 8-4 victory.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Second-ranked USC spearheads the tournament's impressive field that features a number of perennial powerhouses including No. 6 California-Irvine, No. 7 Michigan, No. 9 Santa Barbara, and No. 10 San Diego. Grouped with No. 18 UC Davis, Long Beach, and Sonoma in Bracket B, the Sun Devils are not guaranteed any particular matchup beyond their opening contest with Sonoma State. Sonoma State who is currently 2-5 on the young season, enters the competition ranked outside the CWPA Top-25. Arizona State last met the Seawolves in 2015 at the Triton Invitational, earning a 20-2 route over the Northern California based squad.
Pacing the Seawolves' offensive charge has been Nicole Groat, an all-around standout, who with a team-best 22 points to her credit, has 12 goals and 10 assists early in the 2017 campaign. Carleigh Robinson who is arguably the team's most prolific scorer boasts a team-best goals tally of 15. Taylor Plorin has started all seven games for Sonoma State in the cage with an even split 51 saves to 51 goals on the season.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Score updates will be provided through the weekend via the UCSD Tournament home and are available HERE. Fans are encouraged to follow @ASUWaterPolo for updated news throughout the weekend.
GOALS ARE THE GOAL
Through three games this season, the fifth-ranked Sun Devils have outscored opponents 34-11, while netting goals at an impressive 11.33 goals per game clip. Leading the charge for the Sun Devils is sophomore Maud Koopman, who has already scored nine goals this season, including a five goal outing against San Diego State.
DEFENSE MAKING THE DIFFERENCE
The Sun Devils have exibited a knack for shutting down opponents through the 2017 season, holding opponents to just 3.67 goals per game. Mia Rycraw, again, ranks near the top of conference in saves, with 17 already this year. ASU has also been proficient at shutting out opponents late, allowing just three total goals in the second half of all games this season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Sun Devils got the 2017 season off on the right foot by scoring 34 goals en route a perfect 3-0 record and three ranked-victories Jan. 28-29, at the program-hosted ASU Invitational. The squad played host to No. 9 UCSB, No. 15 San Diego St., and No. 21 Wagner, exiting the competition unscathed and with their perfect record intact...
ASU 13, San Diego St. 4 (Jan. 28)
In their first game of the spring, the Sun Devil water polo team defeated San Diego State, 13-4, on Saturday morning at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
Sophomore Maud Koopman led the attack with five goals, two assists and six steals. The attacker showed no signs of rust, scoring her first goal early on in the second period and then tacking on three more in the fourth frame.
Junior Lena Mihailovic added three goals and two steals of her own, a feat head coach Todd Clapper praised.
"I'm really happy with, in particular, how Lena [Mihailovic] came out," Clapper said. "Sometimes in the past, she has second-guessed some of her shooting. She was really confident and really decisive today, offensively, and I was really proud of her."
On the other end of the pool, redshirt junior Mia Rycraw posted eight saves on the morning, allowing just three goals off of 23 attempts. The California-native posted critical saves early on in the match, including making two saves to allow the Devils to take the lead in the first frame.
Rycraw was backed up by her defense who posted 15 saves, collectively. Despite having a few new players on center defense, the defense came together to play aggressively.
"I felt like for the most part our defense was really good," Clapper said. "I was really happy and felt like our press defense played really well. People were blocking really well on the shots," Clapper added.
San Diego State struck first, putting one on the board in part by a penalty shot. The teams battled back-and-forth in scoring until junior Kayla Casas laced one into the pipes for a Devils lead, making the score 4-3. Mihailovic tacked on another goal to increase ASU's lead to two going into the second period.
Never surrendering their lead for the remainder of the game, ASU added two goals in the second period by Koopman and sophomore Peggy-Jean Allin. The Devils defense came back to shut out the Aztecs in the third frame while tacking on four goals, extending their lead 11-3.
Koopman and Mihailovic each fired one into the net in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Devils.
The Devils return to play tomorrow, Jan. 28, to take on Wagner College and Santa Barbara in a double-header at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
ASU 13, WAGNER 3 (Jan. 29)
In their first game of Sunday's doubleheader, the Sun Devil water polo team defeated Wagner College, 13-3, at the Mona Plummer Aquatics Center.
Employing a well-balanced attack, seven Devils scored against the Seahawks including senior Alkistis Benekou who led the attack with four goals. Sophomore Maud Koopman followed not far behind with three in the morning contest.
ASU got on the board early, exploiting the Wager defense to create a favorable one-on-one attack with the Sehawks' goalie. Junior Lena Mihailovic got the Sun Devils on the baord in the first period after she sprinted to the goal and muscled a shot into the back of the net. ASU would add three more points in the first frame as Koopman, Claudia Abad and Kayla Casas each netted a goal.
After adding three more goals in the second frame, and five in the third, the Sun Devils tacked on one in the final frame and held Wagner to just one goal over the last two periods of play to close out the, 13-3, victory.
ASU 8, SANTA BARBARA, 4 (Jan. 29)
In a hard-fought battle between two top-ranked teams, the Sun Devil water polo team defeated Santa Barbara, 8-4, on Sunday afternoon at the Mona Plummer Aquatics Center.
In a game dominated by defense, the Sun Devils held the Gauchos to their season-low four goals. Their previous low of four goals came last week against Michigan where they were defeated 7-4.
"Throughout the whole weekend, our defense was what carried us," head coach Todd Clapper said. "Our good defense, the play of Mia [Rycraw] in the goal. Those things are, really, what carried us through."
Junior Lena Mihailovic's offense starred in the back-and-forth affair, as she laced three between the pipes against the Gauchos to total four in the double-header.
A star in game one, senior Alkistis Benekou opened the scoring for ASU in the first frame. However, UCSB quickly struck back with an equalizer 15 seconds later. The two teams fought back-and-forth and went into half time tied at three.
The Devils broke through in the third frame in part by Bente Rogge, who scored two goals, Stephanie Contreras and Maud Koopman who scored one a piece, while holding UCSB scoreless in the third quarter.
Each team added one goal in the fourth quarter, to close out the Sun Devil's 8-4 victory.