Redshirt freshman goalie E.B. Keeve lifts her hands up to block a shot by Stanford. The No. 3 ASU water polo team learned why Stanford is No. 2 after the Cardinal won 17-7. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)Friday afternoon the ASU water polo was able to score at will.
On Sunday No. 2 Stanford (16-1) showed No. 3 ASU (18-5) just what it was like to be on the receiving end of a lopsided score.
Stanford put goal after goal past ASU’s goalies and six different Stanford players scored in the 17-7 Cardinal victory.
“Stanford is a very, very good team,” coach Todd Clapper said. “If you’re not executing the way you should, that’s what it’s going to look like.”
Stanford never trailed in the game and scored four times before the Sun Devils scored once. It was 4-1 early in the second quarter, and that was the closest the game would ever be.
The Cardinal played like the No. 2 country on Sunday in a near-flawless game. Their top-ranked defense was as advertised, allowing only three goals in the first half.
There were multiple times when Stanford’s defenders swarmed the Sun Devil attackers and forced an out-of-position shot as the shot clock winded out.
ASU’s first three shots of the game didn’t even reach Stanford’s senior goalie Kate Baldoni. A Cardinal defender was able to get a hand on it each time and harmlessly bat it away.
Some early mistakes cost the Sun Devils.
Stanford was awarded two penalty shots in the first quarter alone, both of which led to goals by freshman driver Maggie Steffens.
Steffens finished with a team-high three goals. Senior offensive player Melissa Seidemann, Stanford’s leading scorer, had two goals on the afternoon.
The lone bright spot of the game for the Sun Devils was senior center Shannon Haas continuing her recent hot streak. Haas recorded three more goals in Sunday’s game, giving her 10 in the three games this weekend.
Friday’s other standout, senior attacker Alicia Brightwell, was held scoreless Sunday afternoon. She had eight goals on the weekend.
It was ASU’s second loss of the season to Stanford. All five of ASU’s losses have come against teams ranked No. 3 or better in the country including two losses to USC and a loss to UCLA.
The Sun Devils are undefeated against teams ranked fourth or lower.
ASU returns to the pool Monday against No. 19 Hartwick. Despite the lower ranking, Clapper does not plan on taking the Hawks lightly.
“They’re better than they’re ranked,” Clapper said. “We need to come out playing well. They have a lot of weapons.”
The game against Hartwick will be the final game of ASU’s home tournament.
Reach the reporter at justin.emerson@asu.edu
