Los Angeles – The No. 4 Arizona State University water polo team (19-6, 3-3 MPSF) will open up postseason play this weekend at the 2017 MPSF Conference Championships in Los Angeles, Calif., beginning Friday, April 28. ASU will be the four-seed in the tournament and will open things up in a pivotal contest against No. 5 California - the five-seed in the tournament - at 2:30 p.m. PT. The victor of that contest will greatly improve their chances of moving on to the 2017 NCAA Championships in Indianapolis in May.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The battle between the Sun Devils and Golden Bears should be an epic one, if recent history is any indication. nine of the last 11 games between ASU and Cal have been decided by a single goal and just one of the last 12 games have seen more than a three-goal differential. ASU split the regular season meetings between the two teams, dropping the first meeting, 4-10, before defeating the Bears, 7-6 in a road upset later in the season.
Friday's contest will feature two of the top defensive teams in the country with Cal coming in ranked fifth in the MPSF with just 8.71 goals allowed per game and ASU one spot ahead allowing just 8.24 goals allowed per game. The Bears have held opponents to five goals or less in six games this season and held USC to its lowest scoring output of the season in a tough 3-6 loss earlier this year. .
That defense is anchored by goalie Madeline Trabucco. Trabucco is currently ranked sixth in the MPSF in allowing just 5.37 goals per game, one spot ahead of ASU's Mia Rycraw. The lifeblood of the Bear offense has been Dora Antal who has racked up 45 goals in just 20 games played heading into the ASU series. The Sun Devils shut her down, holding her to just one goal in the last meeting between the two teams. The Bears have, however, found an answer for their scoring future in freshman Emma Wright, who came on strong in her first season of collegiate water polo to net an impressive 32 goals in 20 games played.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Each game this weekend will be streamed live through Flo Swimming.
Fans are encouraged to visit the Tournament Central page for more information
LAST TIME OUT
The fourth-ranked Arizona State water polo team defeated No. 15 San Jose State, 11-3, Saturday afternoon at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
In what would develop into a physical matchup, the Sun Devils jumped out to an early lead thanks to execution and teamwork. Center Rosie Huck opened the scoring for ASU with a goal before Bente Rogge followed with a goal of her own to give the Sun Devils the early, 2-0, lead.
Attacker Lena Mihailovic would double the ASU lead, scoring twice in the final minute of the first quarter to push the Devils out in front 4-0 after one period.
The Spartans struck for their first goal of the game and the only goal of the half with 5:54 left in the second. ASU responded in a big way, holding the SJSU attack without a goal until only 33 seconds remained in the game.
ASU tallied three goals and continued to play suffocating defense in the third period, pulling ahead of the Spartans by a score of 7-1. Two of the goals were provided by senior Stephanie Contreras, the second of which beat the third period buzzer by a second. Fellow senior Taylor Barrett entered the game in goal for the Sun Devils in the fourth period.
Both Rosie Huck and Alkistis Benekou added a pair of goals each in the final period to cement the win for the Sun Devils.
RECENT SUCCESS
The Sun Devils have established themselves as one of the elite teams in the country in the last couple years. Since 2012, the Sun Devils have compiled a 118-42 record under head coach Todd Clapper. In that time, the team has posted 14 All-America honors while earning the first victory over UCLA in program history, beating Cal on the road for the first time ever and matching a program best upset with a victory over second-ranked USC last season. ASU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history in 2014, taking fifth overall with a victory over UC Irvine. The Sun Devils posted a program-best fourth-place finish in the MPSF Championships and CWPA Final Coaches Poll in 2013 (peaking at a program best No. 3 in the 2013 regular season) and set school records in wins in two of those seasons as well.
GREAT WALL OF MIA:
The Sun Devils have made a name for themselves on the defensive end. The Sun Devils have allowed just 156 goals this season through 25 games played. Redshirt junior Mia Rycraw has played a huge part in anchoring the Sun Devil defense. In her 73 quarters played, Rycraw has amassed 182 saves, including double-digit saves in her last four outings.
GAME OF GOALS:
Assisting the defensive effort for the Sun Devils in 2017, has been the teams ability to score goals in bunches. This season, the Sun Devils have netted at least ten goals in ten different games. So far this season, the Sun Devils have outscored opponents 237-153, netting goals at a 9.9 goals per game average. Through 24 games, five different Sun Devils have reached the 20 goal plateau, with Lena Mihailovic leading the way for ASU with 43 goals already this season.
MILESTONE MINDSET:
Mihailovic, with her team-leading 43 goals this season, is quickly approaching the 100 career-goal mark. The Belgrade, Serbia, native enters this weekend with 98 career goals, needing just two more to reach the 100 goal plateau. Sophomore Maud Koopman has also made a move in 2017, matching her goal output from last season, 39, to bring the sophomore's total career goals to 78.
UPSET STATE OF MIND:
The Sun Devils face a daunting task this weekend in trying to find a way to snap the longest winning streak in NCAA water polo history, but it isn't a position that ASU is a stranger to. In ASU water polo history, the Sun Devils have recorded 41 upset victories, including the team's win in last week's contest against No. 4 Cal. Of those 41 upsets, 16 of those have come against teams ranked in the top-5, with their last win coming against No, 5 Michigan last season. While the Sun Devils have never defeated a No. 1 ranked team, they have beat a No. 2 ranked team. That win came in 2008 against then second-ranked USC.
'LYMPIANS LURKING - MPSF POWER ON DISPLAY
Some of the best women's water polo teams and players in the country are set to battle for the MPSF Championship at the Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkeley, CA, over the course of three days.
In the last stop for the sun Devils before potentially taking on the NCAA field for the third straight season, fourth-ranked ASU will have to navigate an MPSF field that features all five of the nation's top-5 teams.
The top-three teams in this weekend's MPSF Championship should all make the NCAA tournament, but teams are fighting for seeding this weekend in Berkeley. Additionally, the Arizona State and Cal matchup in round one is significant in terms of securing an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, as Conference Championships earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The UCLA Bruins have been on a tear recently, defeating both USC (11-7) and Stanford (10-9) to take over the No. 1 spot in the rankings the first team other than Stanford or USC to to earn the top spot since week four of this season.
An interesting point to remember is how stacked the MPSF conference is with current U.S. national team and Olympic team members. UCLA's roster boasts four active players who are currently on the national team, two of whom represented the United States at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Stanford has three active players who are currently on the national team, two of which represented the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
There are also multiple Olympians from foreign countries on the ASU, UCLA and Cal squads making this weekend's championship a must watch for all level of Water Polo fans.