ASU Water Polo Shines to Start the Season

(Photo courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)

TEMPE – Offense was hot under the Tempe sun at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center as Arizona State Water Polo won its first two games of the season, beating Cal Lutheran and No. 23 San Diego State as part of the ASU Invitational.

The Sun Devils (2-0) brought the heat, scoring 19 goals in each of their games, winning 19-6 against CLU and 19-13 against SDSU. The offense was complemented by solid goalkeeping.

“We are trying and testing out a lot of different things,” ASU head coach Petra Pardi said. “Different lineups, different matchups, different tactics, different goalies.”

The Maroon and Gold squad spread the offense around and let their stars shine. They had 13 different players score across the two games, with six scoring in both matches. Five different players scored hat tricks, and junior 2-meter defender Zoe Frangieh, along with junior center Sophie Shorter-Robinson, netted a hat trick in both games.

“I think on the perimeter, we are very deep this year,” Pardi said. “People playing both sides of the ball and sides of the field.”

In the first match against Cal Lutheran, the team had a run of 11 consecutive goals. However, the first period was more of a struggle, and at one point, the Sun Devils were down 4-2. The team was nervous, and it took a while for them to settle in.

“I really think it was the nerves. I subbed a lot,” Pardi said. “Every 1:30, I was subbing to try to rotate, get all the freshmen in, to kind of get them to shake out the nervousness and then give them an opportunity to settle into the game in the first quarter rather than just dragging it out over the first half.”

The offense was fast-paced, with players quickly finding the back of the net. Frangieh, Shorter-Robinson, freshman attacker Karly Frangieh, and freshman attacker Itzair Almeda highlighted team scoring, with each of the quartet scoring a hat trick.

“I was kind of nervous the first game,” Almeda said. “I can see that they trust me, and I think that gave me confidence in myself.”

In the second match against San Diego State, the team played a more competitive, back-and-forth game. The offense took more time, with players passing the ball and finding the open player before shooting. The New Zealand duo of junior attacker Millie Quin and Shorter-Robinson were scorching hot, accounting for nine of the 19 goals in the game. Quin had five goals, and Shorter-Robinson had four. At one point, Quin scored four goals in a row for the Sun Devils as the Aztec defense had no answers for her. Zoe Frangieh also had a hat trick.

“It was absolutely a conscious decision [to pass the ball around more],” Pardi said. “You can’t grow our offense if you don’t play a full offense.”

The Sun Devils used different strategies in each game with their goalkeepers. Against CLU, the Devils played three different goalies, whereas in the game against SDSU, they played only one. They opened with senior goalkeeper Marie Rudasics, who struggled, allowing four goals with a 20% save percentage. Midway through the second period, Pardi swapped her for junior goalkeeper Sanne Keijzer. Keijzer looked strong, allowing two goals with a 75% save percentage. As the game got more lopsided, Pardi pulled Keijzer in favor of freshman goalkeeper Ashley Byron, who did not have a shot attempt against her.

Against SDSU, Pardi played freshman goalkeeper Keri Glad. Glad looked solid with a 42.9% save percentage, allowing 13 goals in her first career collegiate game. Glad also scored on a shot late in the game that spanned nearly the full distance of the pool.

“In the first half, you saw some goals go in that Keri’s more than capable of saving,” Pardi said. “She’s an incredible goalie.”

Moving forward, expect to see a mixture of Keijzer and Glad, as Pardi has yet to determine who her first-choice goalie will be.

“We have not decided who our starting goalie is,” Pardi said. “We are trying them back and forth as I have practices, and they are equally capable.”

The Sun Devils are looking forward to tomorrow’s games in the ASU Invitational, where they play No. 15 UC Davis and California Baptist University.

“Considering half of our team is brand new, I think the future is bright, and I’m excited about what’s to come,” Pardi said.

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