"This tournament is always a great one," head coach Todd Clapper said. "All of the games are competitive and I think that the team can really grow through it. We created a lot of opportunities on offense throughout the weekend, but our conversion rate wasn't what we expected until the second half of the game vs UCI. I was really proud of how hard they fought and how committed they were to getting better throughout the weekend."
The Anteaters broke through first in the opening quarter, netting the game's first goal at the 5:13 mark. The Sun Devils would respond with back-to-back goals to end the quarter, off the hand of Claudia Abad and Lena Mihailovic, sending the game to the second with ASU up 2-1.
The two teams traded goals in the second as Maud Koopman and Rosie Huck both broke through the UCI defense, but a late run by the Anteaters tied the game at 4-all as the first half came to a close.
Following the halftime break, ASU jumped out in front collecting three unanswered scores in the first three minutes of the second half. UCI responded with a goal of their own at the 4:19 mark, but ASU would power in four more goals in the quarter, to carry a 10-6 lead into the final frame.
The Sun Devils would outpace the Anteaters again in the fourth, as junior Kayla Casas and Koopman would combine for a pair of goals to close out the 7-12 ASU victory.
In the cage, Mia Rycraw anchored the Sun Devil defense, combining for 18 saves. The Walnut, Calif., native ended the weekend with 51 total saves, including three games with ten or more saves.
In total, ten different Sun Devils recorded goals on the weekend. Lena Mihailovic led the way for ASU with seven goals, while Claudia Abad followed with six goals on the weekend.
The Sun Devils will be back in action next weekend at the 2017 Wolverine Invitational hosted by the University of Michigan. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2017 season by following @ASUWaterPolo on Twitter.
No. 5 ASU Water Polo Tops UC Irvine, 12-7
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