TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 6 Arizona State Water Polo team fell to No. 3 USC, 12-6, in their second MPSF match of the season Saturday afternoon at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
The five-member senior class was honored in a pre-match ceremony, recognizing their accomplishments and achievements as members of the Arizona State Water Polo program. Despite the loss, the senior class finished their careers with a 25-9 record at home, the best four-year record at home in school history.
"There is not enough room on the website to list everything that they have done or the program" Coach Clapper stated. "It is hard to capture the emotional sentiment of how much those players mean to me and to the program."
It was a back-and-forth affair a majority of the first half, as Arizona State continued to prove they can compete in the pool with any team in the country. The match would end up tied through one period and the Sun Devils would trail by just three goals at half, before No. 3 USC took control of the match in the second half.
Standouts throughout the match fittingly included the seniors, as they stepped up and contributed significantly during their final match at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. Senior goalie Mia Rycraw finished the afternoon with nine saves, keeping the Trojans from pulling away in the match with several spectacular saves. Leading the way offensively, Lena Mihailovic saved some of her best play for last, as the senior scored a pair of goals against the Trojans and was a force on the offensive end. Fellow senior Alkistis Benekou opened up the scoring in the match, giving the Sun Devils an early 1-0 lead over the No. 3 Trojans. The final senior competing for Arizona State, Kayla Casas, was tremendous on the defensive end and added one assist.
"They've all had such a direct impact on what we have done in the pool, but also what they have done as teammates to help grow this culture" Coach Clapper added. "We love them very much and they made such an impact. The team we will be in four or five years will be a direct result of the things they have done now."
Once Benekou opened the scoring with a goal a little over a minute into the match, the Trojans would respond with a goal of their own to tie the match at one. Lena Mihailovic would score her first goal, under 30 seconds later, as the Sun Devils would re-take the lead by a score of 2-1. USC would once again tie the match, adding a goal after that with 3:35 left in the first period to a 3-2 lead, their first of the match. With under a minute left in the period, Bente Rogge would find the back of the net off cashing in on a great feed from from Kayla Casas, tying the match at three at the end of the first.
With both sides settling in, the second period featured a slower pace with both teams playing excellent team defense. USC struck first in the second period with a goal from Denis Mammolito at the 5:52 mark. P.J. Allin provided a strong answer to the Trojans goal, as she scored with 3:39 left in the half to knot things up back up at four. The Trojans would go on to score three unanswered goals before the break to talk a 7-4 lead into halftime.
A quick start on offense for the Trojans resulted in USC extending their lead to five goals. With the Sun Devils in need of a spark, Lena Mihailovic stepped in and gave them what they needed. The senior scored her second goal of the match with 4:34 left in the third period, cutting the Trojans lead to 9-5.
Trailing 10-5 going into the final period, the Sun Devils continued to battle behind the strength of goalie Mia Rycraw. In her final home match, Rycraw displayed the attributes that have made her one of the best goaltenders in school history. The senior kept the Sun Devils in the match with several athletic and timely saves, finishing the afternoon with nine saves. To cap the match, Maud Koopman beat the Trojans goalkeeper with a rocket of a shot. It would be the final tally for either side, with the match ending at a score of 12-6.
The Sun Devils have proved they can compete with any team in the country, as all six of their losses have come at the hands of teams currently ranked in the Top-5.
Up next, the Sun Devils will hit the road to Los Angeles, as they will take on No. 3 UCLA at 5:00 P.M. MST time. The Bruins represent the Sun Devils third consecutive Top-5 conference foe and their seventh overall. Arizona State Water Polo will be making their television debut next Saturday, as the match against UCLA will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network. Stayed tuned to our website and social media platforms throughout the week for more information.
Seniors on Senior Day:
Twitter: @SunDevilWP | Facebook: Sun Devil Water Polo | Instagram: @SunDevilWaterPolo
Goals: Mihailovic (2), Allin, Benekou, Koopman, Rogge
Assists: Casas, Mihailovic
Steals: Reyes, Koopman, Rogge
Saves: Rycraw (9)
The five-member senior class was honored in a pre-match ceremony, recognizing their accomplishments and achievements as members of the Arizona State Water Polo program. Despite the loss, the senior class finished their careers with a 25-9 record at home, the best four-year record at home in school history.
"There is not enough room on the website to list everything that they have done or the program" Coach Clapper stated. "It is hard to capture the emotional sentiment of how much those players mean to me and to the program."
It was a back-and-forth affair a majority of the first half, as Arizona State continued to prove they can compete in the pool with any team in the country. The match would end up tied through one period and the Sun Devils would trail by just three goals at half, before No. 3 USC took control of the match in the second half.
Standouts throughout the match fittingly included the seniors, as they stepped up and contributed significantly during their final match at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. Senior goalie Mia Rycraw finished the afternoon with nine saves, keeping the Trojans from pulling away in the match with several spectacular saves. Leading the way offensively, Lena Mihailovic saved some of her best play for last, as the senior scored a pair of goals against the Trojans and was a force on the offensive end. Fellow senior Alkistis Benekou opened up the scoring in the match, giving the Sun Devils an early 1-0 lead over the No. 3 Trojans. The final senior competing for Arizona State, Kayla Casas, was tremendous on the defensive end and added one assist.
"They've all had such a direct impact on what we have done in the pool, but also what they have done as teammates to help grow this culture" Coach Clapper added. "We love them very much and they made such an impact. The team we will be in four or five years will be a direct result of the things they have done now."
Once Benekou opened the scoring with a goal a little over a minute into the match, the Trojans would respond with a goal of their own to tie the match at one. Lena Mihailovic would score her first goal, under 30 seconds later, as the Sun Devils would re-take the lead by a score of 2-1. USC would once again tie the match, adding a goal after that with 3:35 left in the first period to a 3-2 lead, their first of the match. With under a minute left in the period, Bente Rogge would find the back of the net off cashing in on a great feed from from Kayla Casas, tying the match at three at the end of the first.
With both sides settling in, the second period featured a slower pace with both teams playing excellent team defense. USC struck first in the second period with a goal from Denis Mammolito at the 5:52 mark. P.J. Allin provided a strong answer to the Trojans goal, as she scored with 3:39 left in the half to knot things up back up at four. The Trojans would go on to score three unanswered goals before the break to talk a 7-4 lead into halftime.
A quick start on offense for the Trojans resulted in USC extending their lead to five goals. With the Sun Devils in need of a spark, Lena Mihailovic stepped in and gave them what they needed. The senior scored her second goal of the match with 4:34 left in the third period, cutting the Trojans lead to 9-5.
Trailing 10-5 going into the final period, the Sun Devils continued to battle behind the strength of goalie Mia Rycraw. In her final home match, Rycraw displayed the attributes that have made her one of the best goaltenders in school history. The senior kept the Sun Devils in the match with several athletic and timely saves, finishing the afternoon with nine saves. To cap the match, Maud Koopman beat the Trojans goalkeeper with a rocket of a shot. It would be the final tally for either side, with the match ending at a score of 12-6.
The Sun Devils have proved they can compete with any team in the country, as all six of their losses have come at the hands of teams currently ranked in the Top-5.
Up next, the Sun Devils will hit the road to Los Angeles, as they will take on No. 3 UCLA at 5:00 P.M. MST time. The Bruins represent the Sun Devils third consecutive Top-5 conference foe and their seventh overall. Arizona State Water Polo will be making their television debut next Saturday, as the match against UCLA will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network. Stayed tuned to our website and social media platforms throughout the week for more information.
Seniors on Senior Day:
- Lena Mihailovic – two goals
- Alkistis Benekou – one goal
- Mia Rycraw – nine saves
- Kayla Casas – one assist
Twitter: @SunDevilWP | Facebook: Sun Devil Water Polo | Instagram: @SunDevilWaterPolo
Goals: Mihailovic (2), Allin, Benekou, Koopman, Rogge
Assists: Casas, Mihailovic
Steals: Reyes, Koopman, Rogge
Saves: Rycraw (9)