(Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
TEMPE – Arizona State Water Polo picked up two more convincing wins on Sunday at the Cross Conference Invitational. The No. 10 Sun Devils (13-3, 0-1) shared the wealth all day getting elite performances from a multitude of players against Cal State Fullerton and Iona.
The action picked up quickly with the Titans scoring a quick five-meter shot from Senior utility Destiny Hernandez. Junior 2-meter defender Millie Quin answered back with what would be the first of her three goals on day, a skip shot that beat the CSUF goalkeeper evening the score at one a piece. Both teams traded goals with freshman attacker Karly Frangieh scoring for the Sun Devils.
A huge save from freshman goalkeeper Keri Glad on a CSUF breakaway proved to be a large momentum-shifting point as CSUF would only go on to score a singular goal after the fact. The poise from Glad in such big moments is so rare to see of somebody her age. Freshman attacker Ani Pamp added a goal before the first quarter ended with the Sun Devils holding a one-score lead by the thinnest of margins.
“A big part of building a program and developing a program is the young players that we bring in, we won’t necessarily be able to raise our floor until we raise our ceiling,” ASU head coach Petra Pardi said.
The ASU offense continued to add goals in the second quarter but at the same time tightened up its defense. Freshman attacker Itziar Almeda fired a shot that beat the CSUF goalie at her near post. It was immediately followed up by an incredible team goal finished off by freshman attacker Layla Smith. Both teams added a goal before the half and it would be the last goal CSUF would score in the game.
The second half was a masterclass from ASU. Its defense stifled the Titan attack giving them no quality looks on Glad’s goal. Quin added her second five-meter goal of the game and after forcing a turnover, junior center Sophie Shorter-Robinson lobbed a shot into the back of the net extending the lead to 8-3.
“We finally figured out how to play defense together, I will say that it was a very rough in the first half,” Pardi said. “But like I said, a win is a win, and I’m happy with that.”
ASU scored twice more before Quin finished off her hat trick after a beautiful outlet pass from Glad. The passage of play highlighted the impressive passing ability of the freshman and the potential which Glad holds not just as a shot stopper, but also as an outlet passer. The Sun Devils led by eight goals heading into the fourth and outscored CSUF by five in the third.
Freshman attacker Lelia Meraz finished her second of the game to make the score 12-3 and that would be how the game would end. Both goalies exchanged saves as the game winded down and the Sun Devils ended what would be a defensive masterclass poetically by forcing CSUF into yet another turnover as the clock expired.
“If you see us on the bench we’re moving around, we’re having a good time but when you’re in the water you’re at work,” Pardi said. “You have to do the job that your teammates and the people around you require you to do.”
The second game of the day against Iona was much more of the same for the Sun Devils. They dominated their opponents from the other side of the country wire to wire. It started on the first two possessions of the game when Quin scored on each giving ASU a quick multiple-goal lead.
Senior goalkeeper Marie Rudasics got the start, her first of the season and stood tall making multiple nice saves. Karly Frangieh added a season high six goals in the game providing the ASU offense with a much needed jolt. At one point in the game, she scored three goals in succession which at the point meant she was outscoring Iona.
[Karly] is a very special person,” Pardi said. “She is so athletic and she really is just a sponge for information, she continues to get better.”
Not to be outdone, sophomore attacker Alison Kokorowski added four goals of her own, scoring twice in the third and fourth periods. One of her goals involved a sequence in which she passed it with her teammates around the perimeter before firing a no-look shot into the top right corner. It was one of the nicest individual efforts made by an ASU player today.
ASU finished the first half with a 12-2 lead. Its defense, like in the CSUF game, was shutting down its opposition and making it easy on its offense in turn. The second half followed suit,
Frangieh and Kokorowski continued to dominate and so did the Sun Devils. They coasted to the end of the game trading blows with Iona in the fourth and the game would eventually end with a score of 21-9.
“The expectation of this tournament was for us to go 4-0,” Pardi said. “We have such a young team with 10 freshmen and it takes a certain level of maturity to not lower your standards and show up in each game.”
ASU heads west to participate in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational next weekend, with a chance to continue establishing itself as one of the elite teams in the country.
