TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona State University water polo squad dropped a pair of matches to the Chinese National Team, 11-8 & 7-5, in an exhibition doubleheader Sunday at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
GAME ONE RECAP:
Sun Devil junior attacker Maud Koopman and sophomore defender Bente Rogge paced the ASU offensive attack all game — netting three goals each — but that wasn't enough to top China's balanced attack. Koopman scored three goals on just four total shot attempts, while Rogge had six shot attempts. The dynamic duo of Koopman and Rogge also played well on the defensive side of the ball, combining for four total steals.
The Sun Devils came out strong in the first and third quarters, scoring four goals in the first period and three in the third. Sun Devil goalkeeper Mia Rycraw made a few spectacular saves to keep the game close, recording eight saves on the day.
Deng Zewen proved to be the difference for China, posting three goals, an assist and two steals.
Kayla Casas and Rosie Huck both contributed to a balanced Sun Devil attack, each tallying one goal each with Casas adding an assists and two steals.
"I thought we were great. The physicality of the play, the speed of the game, we really stepped up to that level" Coach Todd Clapper remarked. "There are a lot of really nice things happening a lot of really good team play. Defense over eight quarters got better and better every quarter."
GAME TWO RECAP:
China jumped out to an early lead in the second half of Sunday's doubleheader, netting a pair of goals in the four minutes of play, but a pair of goals from Rogge and Mihailovic tied things up at two following the first quarter of play.
ASU would take the lead at the 7:15 mark of the second quarter when Rogge netted her second goal of the game, but the lead would be short lived as China would answer back with a pair of goals to send the game to halftime tied 4-4.
A defensive battle ensued in the third quarter, with both goaltenders finding their rhythm and making an impact. Goalkeeper Mia Rycraw picked up where she left off in the morning exhibition. Rycraw made up for defensive breakdowns with a pair of magnificent saves to stymie the Chinese attack.
Trailing 5-4 through three quarters, the Sun Devils were in need of a strong finish to end the game on top. After China went up two goals in the first minute of the fourth quarter, ASU bounced back with under a minute left thanks to a highlight reel goal from Alkistis Benekou who was fed by Bente Rogge to cut the lead to 6-5. China would tack on another goal with 16 seconds lef to extend their lead to the final score of 7-5.
Bente Rogge led the way offensively for the Sun Devils, finishing with a pair of goals and an assist. Lena Mihailovic, Alkistis Benekou and Maud Koopman all contributed a goals while Julia Reyes recoreded an assist and two steals.
"Our 5-on-6 was really good. I thought we did a great job at center defense and starting doing better in our zone. There was a lot of really good takeaways from today" Coach Clapper added.
For the Chinese National Team, Dunhan Xiong provided most of the offense, recording a hat trick in the victory.
The Sun Devils open regular season play on January 20th at the UCSB Tournament in Santa Barbara, California. The Sun Devils will open the home schedule by hosting the ASU Cross Conference Challenge Feb. 2-4 at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. The tournament will include Princeton, Hawaii, Loyola Marymount, and UCSD.
Meanwhile, the team prepares for a mid-December trip to Australia that will include competition against some of the best young water polo talent that Australia has to offer.
"This is going to be an unforgettable experience for them. We are going to train a lot, but we are going to be training in a completely different setting" Coach Clapper stated about the upcoming trip. "We will all be in the same hotel, so it is going to be really nice for us from a bonding standpoint. This is already a really close team and I think this is going to set our championship segment on the right track." Follow thesundevils.com in the upcoming month for more information on the trip.