Los Angeles -- The Fourth-ranked Arizona State water polo team fell to No. 5 California in the first round of the 2017 MPSF Championships Friday afternoon at the Spieker Aquatics Center on the campus of UCLA.
The Sun Devils and Golden Bears traded jabs early, with each team scoring a pair of goals in the first quarter. For the Sun Devils, it was Kayla Casas and Bente Rogge who found the back of the net in the early going.
With the game knotted at 2-2, redshirt junior Alkistis Benekou fired a shot through the Golden Bear defense to make it a 3-3 game headed to the break.
The second half would not be kind to ASU, as they would be outscored six to four down the stretch to seal the Golden Bear, 9-7 win in the first round of the MPSF Championship.
In the game, Mia Rycraw recorded ten saves, marking her fourth game in the last five appearances to record double digit saves.
With the loss, the Sun Devils will advance to play in the tournament's fifth place game scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m. where they will face the winner of tomorrow's #7 CSU Bakersfield vs. #6 San Jose State game. Fans can stay up to date with the fourth-ranked Sun Devils' this postseason by following @ASUWaterPolo on Twitter.
The Sun Devils and Golden Bears traded jabs early, with each team scoring a pair of goals in the first quarter. For the Sun Devils, it was Kayla Casas and Bente Rogge who found the back of the net in the early going.
With the game knotted at 2-2, redshirt junior Alkistis Benekou fired a shot through the Golden Bear defense to make it a 3-3 game headed to the break.
The second half would not be kind to ASU, as they would be outscored six to four down the stretch to seal the Golden Bear, 9-7 win in the first round of the MPSF Championship.
In the game, Mia Rycraw recorded ten saves, marking her fourth game in the last five appearances to record double digit saves.
With the loss, the Sun Devils will advance to play in the tournament's fifth place game scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m. where they will face the winner of tomorrow's #7 CSU Bakersfield vs. #6 San Jose State game. Fans can stay up to date with the fourth-ranked Sun Devils' this postseason by following @ASUWaterPolo on Twitter.