Picking up a pair of victories over CWPA Preseason Top-25 competition on Sunday, the Sun Devils went 3-0 on the weekend at the UCSB Winter Invational. Read a recap of Sunday's action below:
GAME TWO RECAP:
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 5 Arizona State University water polo team defeated No. 8 Michigan, 5-3, in the second of two matches on the day for the Sun Devils at the UCSB Winter Invitational Sunday afternoon. The Sun Devils moved to 3-0 at the Invitational, coming away with two victories over CWPA Preseason Top-25 teams.
It was a defensive battle from the beginning, with both teams struggling to find a rhythm early offensively. Mia Rycraw would shine, showing her athleticism and confidence throughout the afternoon. The All-American kept the Sun Devils in the game, recording 14 saves in the contest. Rycraw allowed only seven goals in eleven quarters during the Invitational.
After only managing two goals through the first three periods, the ASU offense found it's footing in the fourth quarter, scoring three goals to put the sun Devils ahead. Alkistis Benekou continued her consistent play on the weekend, recording her second hat trick of the weekend. She finished with nine goals over three games at the Invitational.
The ASU defense was locked in early in the first period, not allowing a goal to keep the game scoreless after one. The Sun Devils allowed only two goals in the first quarter over three games at the UCSB Winter Invitational.
Michigan would strike first midway through the second period, getting on the board to put the Sun Devils behind for the first time this season. Looking for a spark offensively, ASU had to look no further than reliable senior Alkistis Benekou. Benekou would make sure the Sun Devils responded to the Wolverines goal, adding a goal of her own to knot the score at one in the second period.
With the game still tied late in the second period, Bente Rogge would give the Sun Devils their first lead of the game with her third goal of the day. ASU head into halftime with a 2-1 lead.
To begin the half, Michigan would find the back of the net to tie things up at two with 7:22 left in the third period. This would represent the only tally for either side, as both defensive continued to dominate.
It would only take 30 seconds into the fourth period for the Sun Devils to take the lead back, this time courtesy of a Kayla Casas goal. Alkistis Benekou would take over the game from there. As she had done all weekend, Benekou continued to pace the ASU offense. Benekou would score a pair of goals over a two minutes span, giving her three goals in the contest. These goals would prove to be crucial, as the Sun Devils managed to stymie the Michigan attack for the rest of the match. Michigan was held scoreless over the final 4:26 seconds, giving ASU a 5-3 victory in the Top-10 showdown.
The Sun Devils return to action Feb. 2nd - Feb. 4th when they will play host the ASU Cross Conference Challenge. ASU competes in four matches over the three-day Challenge, the first of which is scheduled for Friday, February 2nd at 12:00 p.m. MST against Princeton. On Saturday, the Sun Devils will take on Hawaii at 11:00 a.m. followed by a match later in the day against Loyola Marymount at 4:30 p.m. The ASU Cross Conference Challenge concludes on Sunday with one final match pitting ASU against UC San Diego. All games will take place at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. Follow along for updates on our Facebook and Twitter page and check out our website for more information.
Goals: Benekou (3), Rogge, Casas
Assists: Reyes, Rogge
Steals: Allin, Reyes, Casas, Huck, Koopman, Rogge
Saves: Rycraw (14)
GAME ONE:
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 5 Arizona State University water polo team defeated No. 13 Indiana, 10-3, in the first of two matches on the day for the Sun Devils at the UCSB Winter Invitational Sunday morning.
The Sun Devils extremely balanced attack featured multi-goal performances from Alkistis Benekou, Bente Rogge, and Maud Koopman. Six different players recorded a goal, including the first on the season for Kayla Casas, Julia Reyes, and Meghan Beaudet. Mia Rycraw was dominant in net, recording nine saves to help the ASU defense hold Indiana scoreless over the final 13:32 of the contest.
Kayla Casas would put the Sun Devils on the board first, scoring a goal with six minutes left in the first period to give ASU the early 1-0 lead. Not even a minute later, Alkistis Benekou continued her outstanding play with a goal to double the ASU lead to 2-0.
The Sun Devils boasted a balanced attack throughout the game, sharing the ball helping to get everyone involved in the offense. With ASU leading 2-0, Bente Rogge tallied her thrid goal of the season to push the lead to 3-0 with 3:45 to go in the first period.
A stingy ASU defense kept Indiana off the scoreboard until three minutes were left in the first period. It would not take the Sun Devils long to respond to the Indiana goal, as Alkistis Benekou stayed red hot adding a goal on a difficult backhand shot to make it 4-1 ASU with 2:53 left in the first period. Both teams remained scoreless the rest of the period, giving ASU back-to-back strong starts defensively where they allowed one goal in the first period.
After a back-and-forth first few minutes of the second period with both teams being held off the scoreboard, the Sun Devils would strike first to add to their lead. Bente Rogge netted her second goal of the game, this one coming with 5:49 left in the second period to give ASU a 5-1 lead.
An Indiana goal cut the lead back down to three, with the score sitting at 5-2. The Sun Devils defense would be the story of the rest of the half, holding the Indiana attack scoreless over the final 3:36 minutes while the offense extended the lead. First, coming off a four-goal performance in yesterday's victory, P.J. Allin picked up right where she left off, scoring a goal with 3:02 left in the second period. Next, Julia Reyes registered her first goal of the season, coming with only 46 seconds left in the half. ASU would take a 7-2 lead into the break.
Indiana would break an over six-minute scoreless drought, scoring a goal with 5:32 left in the third period to get the scoring underway in the half. That would prove to be their only goal of the period, as the stingy ASU defense made it difficult for the Hoosiers to get good looks at the net.
The Sun Devils would increase their lead back to five shortly after, thanks to a Maud Koopman goal with 5:13 left in the third period. She wasn't done there, as later in the period Koopman buried a penalty shot with 1:18 left in the third to push the lead to 9-3.
Freshman Meghan Beaudet tallied her first career goal to get the ASU offense going in the final period, providing the Sun Devils with a 10-3 lead. That would represent the only goal for either team in the period, as the ASU defense finished the game strong. After Indiana scored with 3:32 left in the second period, the Hoosier would go on to score only one goal over the final 19:36 of the game, including being held scoreless over the final 13:32. ASU moves to 2-0 at the UCSB Winter Invitational, outscoring opponents 22-6 over the first two games.
Goals: Benekou (2), Rogge (2), Koopman (2), Casas, Reyes, Beaudet, Allin
Assists: Casas (2), Koopman, Rogge
Steals: Allin (3), Simko (2), Reyes, Waters, Casas, Benekou, Koopman, Rycraw
Saves: Rycraw (9)