The ASU water polo team was a dominating force at the Triton Invitational last weekend. The Sun Devils extended their perfect record and won the championship in San Diego.
This season marks the program’s best start in its 11-year history, and the No. 5 Sun Devils (12-0) don’t plan on hitting the brakes any time soon.
The UCSD tournament was the first championship-style tournament ASU played, and the team looked forward to intense competition.
Coach Todd Clapper said the team “rose to a championship level,” instead of allowing nerves to settle in.
“They are a very strong team and excelled in pressure moments,” he said.
The relentless work and focus on defense in practices has certainly paid off for the team last weekend. Players are stepping up in a big way this season, which proved true against the four competitors they faced.
“Defense was pretty good for most of the tournament, but there were definitely moments when we could have done better,” Clapper said. “Defense will always be the foundation.”
The Sun Devils started the tournament by defeating CSU Bakersfield (16-7). ASU senior Annabelle Carter scored four goals in the victory.
Clapper said the team hasn’t worked a lot on its attack, but they did a good job of responding in each quarter.
The game against No. 16 UC Santa Barbara (7-5) marked the second time the two teams met this season, and ASU played unstoppable defense.
Seniors Alicia Brightwell and Kelsey White led the team with two goals apiece, followed by one goal each for Carter, senior Mariam Salloum and freshman Anna Kertes.
Clapper said teams are beginning to strategize which players to look out for, which gives others the opportunity to step up and make something happen.
After sending the Gauchos home, the Sun Devils took on No. 12 Loyola Marymount in the semifinals. Brightwell lit up the scoreboard with four goals, while sophomore goalkeeper Ianeta Hutchinson remained resilient in the net, securing the 10–9 victory.
The championship game was played against No. 6 UC Irvine, but nervousness and anxiety were not in the minds of the Sun Devils.
“Going into the game, it was a gut test for us,” Clapper said.
Brightwell, Kertes, Salloum and White were on a mission to score, and Hutchinson impressively denied 13 attempted shots, only allowing four goals by the Anteaters.
The Sun Devils pulled out an 8–4 win and earned the Triton Invitational title.
“The greatest thing for me to see was Ianeta (Hutchinson), watching her work through the weekend and put on a great performance in the championship game,” Clapper said.
He said it was exciting for the team to play in this tournament, and he is excited to have the next two weeks off to practice.
The Sun Devils are looking forward to facing the top four teams in the country. The team will face Stanford, USC, UCLA and Cal without the pressure of conference play.
“(It’s a) great opportunity to get action in conference before going to conference play,” Clapper said.
Reach the reporter at fawade@asu.edu
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