TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 6 Arizona State Water Polo team opened up MPSF competition with a narrow, 6-3, loss to No. 1 California Saturday afternoon at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
Arizona State would go into the halftime break tied at one and into the fourth period tied at three with the nation's top-ranked team, before the Golden Bears scored three fourth period goals that would prove to be the difference. Mia Rycraw showed flashes of brilliance during her 12-save performance, keeping the Sun Devils in the match and the potent Golden Bears offense off the board the entire first period. Offensively, the Sun Devils got contributions in the scoring column Maud Koopman, Kayla Casas, and Julia Reyes.
Arizona State (14-5) would hold a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period on the strength of goaltender Mia Rycraw. The senior looked sharp in net, recording four saves in the first period alone. Maud Koopman would give the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead with a long-range, perfectly placed shot that beat the California goalkeeper just 45 seconds into the game. Both defenses settled in the remainder of the period, with the score remaining 1-0 through the first eight minutes.
The Golden Bears (15-3) would even things up with their first goal of the game 45 seconds into the second period. Rycraw would prevent Cal from taking the lead with several highlight-reel saves, displaying her quickness and athleticism to keep the game tied at one. The Sun Devil offense would create several dangerous scoring opportunities, but the Golden Bear's goalkeeper Madison Tagg stopped two shots that would have put the Sun Devils ahead before half. Rycraw finished the first half with six saves and was the main reason the ASU would go into the break tied with No. 1 California.
After Cal opened the third period with a pair of goals to take a 3-1 lead, Arizona State would control the rest of the period. The offensive pressure would finally allow the Sun Devils to break through with a pair of goals over the final 1:42 of the period to knot things up at three. Coming out of a timeout, Kayla Casas would score the first of those goals after good ball movement lead to an open lane. Just over a minute later, Julia Reyes would get the crowd to their feet by converting on a power play opportunity to tie the match at three. Rycraw continued her strong play in throughout the second half, as she was ASU's best defender keeping the match close while the offense found a rhythm.
With the game hanging in the balance heading into the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears proved why they shared the top spot in this week's CWPA Top 25 poll. Cal would go on to outscore the Sun Devils 3-0 in the final period, pushing them to a 6-3 victory.
The Sun Devils have proved they can compete with any team in the country, as all five of their losses have come at the hands of teams currently ranked in the Top-5 by a total of nine goals.
Up next, the Sun Devils will face another test when they take on their second consecutive Top-5 conference foe in No. 3 USC next Saturday at 1:00 P.M. MT. It will be a special occasion, as the Arizona State Water Polo program will recognize a decorated and impactful senior class in their final home match of the season. Kayla Casas, Lena Mihailovic, Alkistis Benekou, Mia Rycraw, and Taylor Bertrand will all be honored in the ceremony. We will have more information regarding senior day festivities throughout the coming week. The match can be viewed live through the ASU Digital Stream (http://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university-2) and live stats can be accessed via thefosh.net.
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Twitter: @SunDevilWP | Facebook: Sun Devil Water Polo | Instagram: @SunDevilWaterPolo
Goals: Casas, Koopman, Reyes
Assists: Koopman
Steals: Casas (2), Van Buren, Allin, Rogge, Rycraw
Saves: Rycraw (12)
Arizona State would go into the halftime break tied at one and into the fourth period tied at three with the nation's top-ranked team, before the Golden Bears scored three fourth period goals that would prove to be the difference. Mia Rycraw showed flashes of brilliance during her 12-save performance, keeping the Sun Devils in the match and the potent Golden Bears offense off the board the entire first period. Offensively, the Sun Devils got contributions in the scoring column Maud Koopman, Kayla Casas, and Julia Reyes.
Arizona State (14-5) would hold a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period on the strength of goaltender Mia Rycraw. The senior looked sharp in net, recording four saves in the first period alone. Maud Koopman would give the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead with a long-range, perfectly placed shot that beat the California goalkeeper just 45 seconds into the game. Both defenses settled in the remainder of the period, with the score remaining 1-0 through the first eight minutes.
The Golden Bears (15-3) would even things up with their first goal of the game 45 seconds into the second period. Rycraw would prevent Cal from taking the lead with several highlight-reel saves, displaying her quickness and athleticism to keep the game tied at one. The Sun Devil offense would create several dangerous scoring opportunities, but the Golden Bear's goalkeeper Madison Tagg stopped two shots that would have put the Sun Devils ahead before half. Rycraw finished the first half with six saves and was the main reason the ASU would go into the break tied with No. 1 California.
After Cal opened the third period with a pair of goals to take a 3-1 lead, Arizona State would control the rest of the period. The offensive pressure would finally allow the Sun Devils to break through with a pair of goals over the final 1:42 of the period to knot things up at three. Coming out of a timeout, Kayla Casas would score the first of those goals after good ball movement lead to an open lane. Just over a minute later, Julia Reyes would get the crowd to their feet by converting on a power play opportunity to tie the match at three. Rycraw continued her strong play in throughout the second half, as she was ASU's best defender keeping the match close while the offense found a rhythm.
With the game hanging in the balance heading into the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears proved why they shared the top spot in this week's CWPA Top 25 poll. Cal would go on to outscore the Sun Devils 3-0 in the final period, pushing them to a 6-3 victory.
The Sun Devils have proved they can compete with any team in the country, as all five of their losses have come at the hands of teams currently ranked in the Top-5 by a total of nine goals.
Up next, the Sun Devils will face another test when they take on their second consecutive Top-5 conference foe in No. 3 USC next Saturday at 1:00 P.M. MT. It will be a special occasion, as the Arizona State Water Polo program will recognize a decorated and impactful senior class in their final home match of the season. Kayla Casas, Lena Mihailovic, Alkistis Benekou, Mia Rycraw, and Taylor Bertrand will all be honored in the ceremony. We will have more information regarding senior day festivities throughout the coming week. The match can be viewed live through the ASU Digital Stream (http://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university-2) and live stats can be accessed via thefosh.net.
Join the conversation all season
Twitter: @SunDevilWP | Facebook: Sun Devil Water Polo | Instagram: @SunDevilWaterPolo
Goals: Casas, Koopman, Reyes
Assists: Koopman
Steals: Casas (2), Van Buren, Allin, Rogge, Rycraw
Saves: Rycraw (12)