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Women's water polo places fifth in the 2017 Barbara Kalbus Invitational.

The Sun Devils won three of four games in the tournament this weekend

ASU Women's Water Polo_apr 4_Burnton_6
Freshman Attacker Lena Mihailovic attempts to steal the ball from UCLA In ASU's Woman's Water Polo game against UCLA. The game ended in a score of 11-5, UCLA at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Complex in Tempe, Ariz. on Saturday. (Photo by Gretchen Burnton)

Friday, Feb. 24: ASU Edges Out Long Beach State

No. 5 Sun Devil water polo opened the 2017 Barbara Kalbus Invitational with a 9-5 win over Long Beach State Friday afternoon.

The team was led by juniors Claudia Abad and Lena Mihailovic with three goals each. Sophomore Maud Koopman was close behind, adding a pair of goals.

It was smooth sailing for the Sun Devils from the start as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period with Abad and Alkistis Benekou’s scores. After pressing hard in the second quarter, ASU was able to add another goal by Koopman to end the half.

Goalkeeper Mia Rycraw shut down Long Beach all afternoon, recording 13 saves on the day. Rycraw’s lockdown defense was an important component in the victory, but it was ultimately the offensive efforts by Abad, Benekou and freshman Aria Hueso in the second half that gave ASU the extra push.

"We pressed a lot in a really high pressure game," Head coach Todd Clapper said. "This worked really well for us."

Saturday, Feb. 25: ASU Splits Doubleheader

After coming out strong in their first contest, the Sun Devils split their second day of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational.

In the first game, the Sun Devils fought hard against No. 4 California. 

The Bears and ASU remained neck and neck heading into the second, and thanks to back-to-back goals by Lena Mihailovic and PJ Allin, the Sun Devils were able to take a 3-2 lead heading into the final minutes of play. Unfortunately, that lead would not last as Cal responded quickly with two unanswered goals in the final minute of the first half.

ASU had trouble fighting back in the second half, despite a goal in the third by Maud Koopman. The Bears would end up scoring seven unanswered goals to knock off the Sun Devils 10-4.

Later, ASU earned a much needed victory over No. 8 Michigan in the final game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The Sun Devils jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with goals by Bente Rogge and Alkistis Benekou. Michigan responded with a goal midway through the second period, but it was Stephanie Contreras that helped ASU back to a two goal lead heading into the half.

The Sun Devils and Wolverines traded goals throughout the second half, but it was a back-to-back goals by Michigan and a crucial fourth-quarter point by the Wolverines that forced the Sun Devils into their first overtime match of the year.

Michigan broke out first in extra time when Julia Sellers added a goal with two seconds remaining in the first overtime period. Mihailovic responded in the second overtime period with a much needed goal in the final two minutes of play, but it was Benekou’s game saving play with two seconds remaining that allowed the Sun Devils to swim away with a 7-6 victory. 

Sunday, Feb. 26: ASU finishes tournament strong with win over UC-Irvine

In their final matchup of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, the Sun Devils took on No. 6 UC-Irvine, who they faced earlier this season in a rainy day game.

Things started out strong for ASU after they were able to put up three scores in the first half to lead the Anteaters 3-2.

However, UC-Irvine staged a comeback and tied the game at four a piece. The Sun Devils were able to pull away in the fourth quarter after going on an 8-3 run to end the game.

This victory marked the third of the tournament and allowed the Sun Devils to finish fifth in what head coach Todd Clapper said was one of the most difficult tournaments. 

"Most of the weekend we were creating opportunities in the first three games," Clapper said. "But we weren't finishing very well, at times we lacked a little bit of confidence in those situations, but we liked the opportunities we were creating."

That confidence on the offensive and defensive side of the pool will continue to grow as the rest of the season continues. 

"The biggest difference between those first three games and the final one is that we were creating those opportunities," Clapper said. "Now we're starting to see them shoot with confidence."

The Sun Devils will now have a quick turnaround after this weekend with the Wolverine Invitational on March 4-5.

Reach the reporter at klbroder@asu.edu or follow @KellyB1459 on Twitter.

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