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In a Back-and-Forth Battle, #9 Water Polo Falls to #4 Stanford 10-9

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In a Back-and-Forth Battle, #9 Water Polo Falls to #4 Stanford 10-9In a Back-and-Forth Battle, #9 Water Polo Falls to #4 Stanford 10-9
Sun Devil Athletics
Stanford, Calif – A day after defeating San Jose State, No. 9 Sun Devil Water Polo traveled north to take on the two-time reigning national champions No. 4 Stanford (14-3, 2-0 MPSF) but were unable to notch the upset in a hard-fought battle, falling to the Cardinal, 10-9 Sunday Afternoon at Avery Aquatic Center.

Arizona State (20-5, 1-2 MPSF) kept up with Stanford's fierce offense. The Cardinal lead never got past three goals, as the Sun Devils managed to take the reigning national champions toe-to-toe until the final whistle. ASU posted nine goals on the day, the most allowed by Stanford in a game since Feb. 24.

The Sun Devil defense forced 10 steals, and 11 Stanford turnovers on the day, including 12 blocks.

Seven different Sun Devils scored during the game, Luca Petovary and Sophie Shorter-Robinson each leading the team with two goals apiece. For Petovary, it's her 24th multi-goal game, and for Shorter-Robinson, it's the 18th straight game with a goal and her 12th multi-goal game of the year.

Lara Kiss recorded a goal for the second time in three games, as Millie Quin had two steals on the day, her second straight game with 2+ steals. She also recorded a goal and an assist on the day. 

Alba Olivé-Martí, Jasmijn Dikmans each recorded goals on the day, Lastly, Sanne Keijzer made eight blocks in the cage, and scored her second goal of the season late in the fourth quarter.

?? GOALIE GOAL ??

Sanne keeps us in with her second goal of the year with about 90 seconds to play!#ForksUp pic.twitter.com/rxOcTs6U6U

— Sun Devil Water Polo (@SunDevilWP) March 24, 2024


Goalscorers:
Luca Petovary 2, Sophie Shorter Robinson 2, Alba Olivé-Martí 1, Millie Quin 1, Jasmijn Dikmans 1, Lara Kiss 1, Sanne Keijzer 1, 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
  • Stanford managed to strike first giving them an early 1-0 at the 5:06 mark, however, Alba Olivé-Martí knotted the game at one for the Sun Devils 20 seconds later. Stanford would re-took the lead on a successful penalty shot, then added another giving the Cardinal a 3-1 lead after the first frame.
  • In the opening minute of the second quarter, Shorter-Robinson cut the Cardinal lead in half, bringing the Sun Devils within one at the 7:02 mark.
  • About three minutes later, the Cardinal extended their lead back to two, taking a 4-2 lead. Quickly after, Petovary scored her first goal, however, the Cardinal struck back to take a 5-3 lead.
  • Petovary managed to find success on a penalty shot, but Stanford quickly struck back taking a two-goal lead, and leading 6-4 at halftime.
  • Both sides played fierce defense, but Stanford scored the first goal of the second half to extend their lead to three. But, Millie Quin answered with a goal of her own to cut the deficit to two with 4:02 remaining.
  • Coming out of a timeout, Jasmijn Dikmans successfully guided a skip shot past the Cardinal goalie, cutting the lead to one, 7-6. But, Stanford answered with another goal, keeping their two-goal lead, 8-6 entering the fourth quarter.
  • The Cardinal struck first to open the fourth frame, extending the lead to three. But the resilient Sun Devils crept the deficit back to two after Lara Kiss succeeded on a lob shot.
  • Stanford then came out of a timeout and extended their lead back to three with three minutes left in regulation. After being called for a penalty, Keijzer saved the penalty shot and the rebound, on the ensuing possession, she netted a goal cutting the Cardinal lead to two, 10-8.
  •  After a Petovary steal and a Petra Pardi timeout, Sophie Shorter-Robinson converted on the power play to bring the Sun Devils within one, 10-9. But they were unable to find the equalizer as Stanford ran out the clock.
UP NEXT
The Sun Devils will look to rebound next week when they return to Mona Plummer Aquatic Center with a matchup against MPSF opponent California at 12 p.m. AZT, then their second game against Ottawa-AZ at 3 p.m on March 30. Coverage can be seen on ASU Live Stream-2 and live stats are available on 6-8 sports.

HOW TO FOLLOW:
Continue following Sun Devil Water Polo on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook all season long during the 2024 season @SunDevilWP for coverage of the team. Live stats can be found on 6-8 sports and TheFosh along with other MPSF Conference teams.