(Photo courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
The first road trip of the season proved to be successful for No.12 Arizona State water polo (6-1) as it finished with a 2-1 record at the Rainbow Invitational in Honolulu.
The Sun Devils took care of business in their first matchup against Biola University on Friday night and split a pair against No.10 Loyola Marymount and No.5 Hawaii on Saturday.
Freshman attacker Itziar Almeda led the way with eight goals across all three games, along with junior attacker Millie Quin who poured in six goals of her own.
No.12 ASU 19, Biola 6
The Sun Devils got out to a rapid start in their first road game of the year, scoring eight goals in the first period. ASU evenly distributed the ball around the pool – six different players scored in that opening period.
ASU kept the pressure on and took an 11-3 lead into halftime with Quin, Almeda and freshman attacker Karly Frangieh accounting for two goals apiece.
The Sun Devils continued to pour it on in the second half as Biola had no answer for ASU’s relentless offense. ASU scored five goals in the third before closing it out 19-6 in the final period. \
Freshman attackers Layla Smith and Kinga Hnatyszyn, and redshirt junior defender Molly Glad combined for four goals, a testament to the roster depth.
Overall 10 different players recorded a goal for the Sun Devils and the early lead allowed head coach Petra Pardi to get a good look at some of the reserves.
No.12 ASU 12, No.10 LMU 11
A back-and-forth contest throughout, the ranked battle ended in a thrilling overtime victory. Quin and Almeda accounted for seven out of ASU’s 12 goals but junior defender Zoe Frangieh’s second goal of the day with 1:56 left in the second overtime proved to be the most important of them all.
LMU got on the board first with two early goals but ASU fought back with penalty shots from Glad and Quin.
The second period was another evenly matched contest as Almeda put two goals in the back of the net to hand ASU a 5-4 lead heading into halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, the Sun Devils looked to be in control. Quin, Almeda, Frangieh and Hnatyszyn all scored to give ASU a seemingly commanding 10-8 lead with under five minutes left to play.
But senior LMU attacker Ruth Arino Ruiz scored with 1:23 left in the final period, tying the game and sending it to extra time before Frangieh’s eventual game-winner.
Junior goalie Sanne Keijzer was pivotal in the Sun Devils win with five steals and nine saves, including zero in that all-important final two minutes of the second overtime.
No. 12 ASU 7, No. 5 Hawaii 14
Despite the positive win against a top-10 opponent, the Sun Devils were not able to maintain that momentum heading up against the tournament host. Hawaii got out to a blistering start and never looked back, taking a dominant 8-2 lead into halftime.
ASU did fight back in a competitive second half but the early damage proved to be too much to overcome as Hawaii closed out the game 14-7.
Almeda shined bright for the Sun Devils even in the loss with three goals but ASU simply was not efficient enough as a team. They converted just 31.8% of their 22 shots, their lowest percentage of the year and allowed Hawaii to cash in on 48.3% of their 29 shots, the highest percentage allowed by the Sun Devils all season.
Facing those 29 shots, the ASU goalie combo of Keijzer and freshman Keri Glad were able to save just 30% of their shots, another season low. Freshman Hawaii attacker Ema Vernoux was immaculate from the start and ended up with six goals on seven shots to lead her side.
ASU struggled against the elite teams last season and the start against a top-5 squad like Hawaii does not breed the most optimism but the early season experience could also be important down the line in conference play.