Despite holding leads in all three scrimmages against the Canadian National Team, the ASU water polo team couldn’t find a way to win.
The Sun Devils were impressive and showed that their No. 8 national ranking was deserved; however, the Canadians were equally impressive, and showed why they are the second-ranked team in the world.
“I don’t think we will face a more hard and brutal team than Canada,” sophomore Shannon Haas said. “They are second in the world, it was a nice experience to play them and [now] we are ready for the season, ready to show everyone what we’ve got.”
ASU was able to compete closely with Team Canada throughout the series, but each individual game had at least one quarter, or stretch, where the Canadians took control.
On Monday, it was Canada’s six-goal third quarter that boosted them to a 12-6 victory, despite ASU only trailing by 4-3 at the half.
Then after taking a 1-0 lead on Tuesday, the Sun Devils allowed nine straight goals before losing 15-4.
It was the same story again on Wednesday as the Canadians, who won 12-5, scored five unanswered goals after ASU scored to open the second half.
Allowing offensive spurts to the opponents is something the Sun Devils will fix as they improve their defense.
“We’re getting to the point where 75 percent of the time we are [on the same page], but the 25 percent that we’re not is costing us in these games,” ASU coach Todd Clapper said.
While the results of the three scrimmages were not in the Sun Devils’ favor, ASU was able to gain valuable experience for both the veterans and newcomers.
“We’re going to go to [the Stanford Invitational] expecting a hard time and it’s not going to be as hard as this,” ASU senior Sarah Harris said. “I feel like this has been the most awesome buildup for our tournament.”
In her first game at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center, freshman goalie Ianeta Hutchinson recorded 12 saves.
While she played well over the three game series, she left Wednesday night’s contest with an injury in the fourth quarter, but it is not believed to be serious.
“She’s a tough kid,” Clapper said. “It looked bad at first, but I think it’s OK.”
In addition to Hutchinson’s strong play, Harris also took advantage of the preseason scrimmages, as she scored five goals over the three games.
Haas also scored five goals, four coming on Wednesday night, and was very pleased with her performance.
“[Wednesday] was one of my best games,” she said.
The Sun Devils’ next games aren’t until Feb. 5, when they will participate in the Stanford Invitational and begin play against the No. 1 Cardinal.
Despite the losses, Clapper is happy with where his team stands and is excited for what this season has to offer.
“I feel like we finished off [the scrimmages] with our best effort,” Clapper said. “I’m really excited about that.”
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu
