After three days of intense play, the ASU water polo team has a perfect record, beating all six of its opponents, half of which are ranked teams, including No. 11 Cal State Northridge, No. 13 UC San Diego, and No. 14 UC Santa Barbara.
Sophomore center Alkistis Benekou and sophomore attacker Izabella Chiappini led the way in scoring this weekend, with Benekou scoring 19 goals, and Chiappini scoring 14.
Friday
ASU 9, CSUN 6
ASU 15, Cal Baptist 9
Benekou and Chiappini both scored hat tricks in the game against CSUN after a sluggish ASU start. All of Chiappini’s goals game in the second half. Benekou and Chiappini’s impressive scoring continued into the second game of the day against Cal Baptist, where both players again managed to score a hat trick. Freshman attacker Lena Mihailovic recorded her first collegiate in the victory against Cal Baptist.
Saturday
ASU 9, UC San Diego 5
ASU 16, Azusa Pacific 8
Chiappini scored her third hat trick in as many games in the win over San Diego. Redshirt junior goalkeeper E.B. Keeve’s stellar performance was a big reason why the Sun Devils were able to hold on for the win, with Keeve stopping nine shots in three quarters of play.
Seven of Benekou’s 19 goals came in ASU’s game against Azusa Pacific, where ASU won 16-8. Benekou became the fifth Sun Devil in history to score seven goals in a game, matching the ASU school record. Previously her highest scoring game had been six goals.
Sophomore attacker Stephanie Contreras attained her first career hat trick in the win against Azusa Pacific, supplementing Benekou’s scoring showcase.
Sunday
ASU 19, CSU Bakersfield 6
ASU 12, UC Santa Barbara 7
The Sun Devils saved the best for last, showcasing a powerful offensive onslaught against CSU Bakersfield, with 11 first half goals. Mihailovic scored a career high five goals to lead ASU in the 19-6 win over CSU Bakersfield, after scoring her first career goal in the 15-9 victory against Cal Baptist. Fellow freshman Taylor Bertrand and senior attacker Petra Pardi added their own hat tricks into the game. It was Bertrand’s first career hat trick.
ASU had a close call in the game against host UC Santa Barbara, trailing 7-6 with just over six minutes remaining in regulation. It was then that the team mounted an insurmountable comeback, scoring six unanswered goals in six minutes. Keeve stopped a season-high 16 shots in the win. The Sun Devils were able to hold on for a 12-7 victory to come out with a still spotless record on the weekend, a great start to their season.
The Sun Devils have two weeks off before they head back to California to take part in the UCSD Triton Invitational.
The Sun Devils play their first opponent of the UCSD Triton Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 7 in San Diego.
Reach the reporter at mtsteine@asu.edu or on Twitter @MarcTSteiner
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter
