Senior center Shannon Haas positions herself in front of a Hartwick defender on March 25. Haas has been an offensive force for the Sun Devils scoring 50 goals this season. (Photo by Dominic Valente)Shannon Haas is feeling it.
Senior center Shannon Haas led the ASU water polo team's scoring on the weekend. Haas recorded a hat trick in all four games in the ASU Invitational, totaling 14 goals.
“I know what I have to do in there,” Haas said. “I just have to eye it up and put it in the back of the net."
Her season total now sits at 50. It is the first time in her career she achieved that milestone, a fact she keeps in mind.
“Actually, the other day I was just looking at my career goals,” Haas said. “It means I’m doing something right, and it’s my senior year, so I need to go out with a bang.”
ASU has next weekend off before traveling to Rhode Island to participate in the Brown Tournament, which begins April 5.
On pace for national tournament
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, home of ASU, is the best conference in collegiate water polo.
It currently boasts all of the top five teams in the NCAA rankings, as well as the No. 10 team.
The winner of the six conferences and two at-large bids will gain an automatic invite.
The way the rankings currently stand, the final two spots will go to MPSF teams, the No. 2 and No. 3 team in the nation. If the season ended today, USC would win the MPSF with Stanford and ASU earning at-large bids.
ASU currently ranks No. 3. Its remaining seven games feature only one conference game, San Jose State on April 13. The MPSF tournament then runs at the end of April.
A win over San Jose State and a strong showing in the MPSF tournament should give ASU a spot in the NCAA tournament. A must-win game for the Sun Devils would a be a potential tournament matchup against UCLA.
A Bruins win would give them a 2-1 record over the Sun Devils on the season, which would presumably give them the No. 3 spot and the final at-large bid.
Trouble against the best
The Sun Devils’ record is 19-5 with all five losses coming against higher-ranked teams. They fell to No. 1 USC and No. 2 Stanford twice each and then-ranked No. 3 UCLA once. ASU lost those games by a combined score of 65-20.
Its biggest wins of the season came against then-ranked No. 4 Cal on Feb. 23 and then-ranked No. 3 UCLA on March 2.
Those were ASU’s only wins against higher-ranked opponents. Both of those wins were by one goal each.
ASU is 2-5 in games against higher-ranked opponents, being outscored 78-35. ASU must play better against the best teams in order to make a deep tournament run.
The good news is that ASU has not lost to a team with a lower ranking than itself, compiling a 17-0 record.
Reach the reporter at justin.emerson@asu.edu
