The No. 1 women’s water polo team in the nation visited Tempe this weekend in a battle between top-10 squads, and USC showed why it is the top-ranked team in the country.
The No. 9 Sun Devils were handed a 14-5 loss to fall to 0-6 in MPSF conference play.
“Overall, our defense was good. We had some defensive breakdowns we addressed,” ASU coach Todd Clapper said. “We fell apart on offense, and it prevented us from staying in the game.”
USC (18-1) jumped on the board with two first-quarter goals, and the Women of Troy defense lived up to its reputation by holding the Sun Devils (15-11) scoreless in the first period.
“When we are easy to read, we show we want to pass,” Clapper said. “When we shoot, they know. They read that, and they read two steps ahead of us, because they know how we handled the ball.”
The Sun Devils came out in the second frame and showed USC it wasn’t the only team capable of playing strong defense, as ASU held USC scoreless until 4:29 left in the half.
The Women of Troy offense then overcame the ASU defense and exploded for four goals to take a 6-1 lead into halftime.
“They are strong because they focus on being well-seasoned and keeping calm,” sophomore attacker Kelsey White said. “They have a lot of experience and drive to keep going.”
It was the Shannon Haas show on offense for the Sun Devils. The freshman center scored ASU’s lone first half goal, then after two USC goals early in the third quarter, she added her second goal of the game. Haas was not finished there, as she netted two more goals to finish with four in the game.
“Shannon is a very strong player, and she has improved so much and taken all the advice from the girls and Todd,” White said. “Whenever you give her the ball, she wants to put it in the back of the net.”
The USC offense continued its attack with five third-quarter goals to extend its lead to 11-2 heading into the final quarter.
After the Trojans won the sprint to begin the fourth, ASU regained possession, and 39 seconds into the final frame, Haas scored her third goal of the game. Junior attacker Sarah Harris added another score for ASU on a penalty shot.
As the game clock wound down to 17 seconds, Haas netted her fourth goal for the Sun Devils.
USC tacked on three goals in the final quarter of play.
“They are nonstop until the end of the game,” White said. “In the end, they deserved to win. We need to work on our corrections so they come automatically and we don’t panic.”
Clapper said he hopes his team will take each game as a growing experience and to build toward the future.
“We need to create an environment in practice and push each other to get to the next level,” Clapper said. “So when the pressure is on, it doesn’t take us by surprise.”
Reach the reporter at gregory.dillard@asu.edu
