The ASU water polo team added five wins to its record over the weekend after it swept its five opponents in the Cal Lutheran Spring Classic.
The No. 6 Sun Devils (11-5) made their presence known in Thousand Oaks, Calif where they outscored their opponents 75-21.
“We got a chance to work on some different defenses which was good,” ASU coach Todd Clapper said. “Several teams that we played ran a different style of offense, which was good for us to have to adjust to, but at times limited what we were going to work on.”
ASU faced No. 10 Cal State Northridge (14-5) in the first round of play on Saturday. The Sun Devils held a 6-4 lead at halftime and would hold on for the 10-8 victory over the Matadors.
“Northridge played well against us and I was impressed with how they bounced back from their loss against us last week," Clapper said. "They are a strong team and are probably the favorite to win the Big West this year. We did some really good things in that game but we didn't execute on our 6-on-5, and that really hurt us.”
Freshman center Shannon Haas and junior attacker Lynlee Smith each scored two goals.
No. 19 Cal State East Bay (13-7) was next on the list for the Sun Devils, and ASU opened the game with four goals in the first quarter. Haas added five more goals of her own in this matchup, and the Sun Devils routed the Pioneers 20-2.
“Shannon is developing into a very strong player for us and had a great weekend,” Clapper said. “She has a lot of talent and really takes on the instruction and practice and keeps getting better each week.”
In the third game of the Cal Lutheran Spring Classic, the Sun Devils squared off against No. 7 Whittier (3-5). The offense exploded for six goals in the first quarter alone, and it did not stop there. Four goals in the second and third quarters followed by a two-score fourth quarter capped off a 16-1 victory for the Sun Devils.
Junior center Nikki Unbehaun led the scoring attack for ASU, as she netted four goals in the game.
ASU then opened up play on Sunday against Cal State Monterey Bay. With both teams locked in a 1-1 tie after one quarter of play, the Sun Devils jumped ahead with four goals in both the second and third quarters. A three-score fourth quarter sealed the 12-4 victory for the Sun Devils.
Smith’s four goals along with Haas’ hat trick helped guide the ASU scoring attack.
ASU’s fifth win came against the Division III No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer in its final game of the weekend. ASU took an early 6-1 lead and never looked back, going on to win 17-6.
Unbehaun dominated for her second four-goal game on the weekend and finished with 11 total goals in the invitational.
There was no shortage of offense for ASU, as 11 other Sun Devils put points on the board.
“We got some younger players some playing time this weekend to help them gain experience and to further evaluate them,” Clapper said. “They did a nice job throughout the weekend.”
