After a 2-0 California road trip, the No. 3 ASU water polo team returns home for a four-game set.
While ASU (16-4) plays four games this weekend for the ASU Tournament, the one that matters more than the others.
Sunday's match is against No. 2 Stanford.
Stanford (14-1) came out on top in its only game against the Sun Devils early this season, a 10-3 decision in the UCI tournament on Feb. 24.
The strength of the Cardinal defense comes from its swimmers, not just the dominant goalie.
Senior goaltender Kate Baldoni only has 6.32 saves per game, which ranks sixth out of the seven MPSF goalies. However, she allows the fewest goals per game in the conference with 4.52.
In the other net will be ASU’s freshman goalie E.B. Keeve. Unlike Stanford, ASU leans on its goalie a little more.
Keeve leads the MPSF with 11.84 saves per game but allows 6.65 goals per game.
Stanford’s offense is led by senior Melissa Seidemann, third in the MPSF with 2.40 goals per game. In every season she has played at Stanford, she scored at least 50 goals and is on pace again this year.
ASU counters Seidemann with a top scorer of its own in senior Alicia Brightwell. Her 2.63 goals per game is the second highest average in the MPSF.
“She’s playing with a lot more confidence,” coach Todd Clapper said. “A lot of people look and say, ‘Well she’s always been good for us,’ but she wasn’t completely herself. She’s coming back, and that’s exciting to see.”
ASU’s other three games of the tournament will feature matchups against No. 19 Hartwick, Colorado State and Pomona-Pitzer.
ASU opens the weekend against Colorado State (6-10). The Rams have won three in a row, but dropped the last game they played against a ranked team, losing 16-7 to No. 14 Loyola Marymount.
Right after Colorado State, the Sun Devils will play Pomona-Pitzer (9-8). After a 3-6 start, the Sagehens have quietly played outstanding water polo to get their record to nine wins.
They do only have a 5-5 record away from their own pool, however. Like with Colorado State, Pomona-Pitzer should be considered as warm-up for the Sun Devils.
Outside of Stanford, Hartwick may be the only challenge for the Sun Devils. The Hawks (18-7) are riding a nine-game win streak and boast an impressive .720 win percentage.
However, only one of those wins have come against a ranked team, and Hartwick is 1-6 against teams ranked in the top-20.
A loss to any team other than Stanford would be considered a huge upset.
“We’re in good shape, playing (Stanford) at home, which is exciting,” Clapper said. “Stanford is obviously a talented team, so we still have to bring our A+ game, but I think playing at home helps us do that.”
Reach the reporter at justin.emerson@asu.edu
