Sun Devils achieve program history with win

 by Steven Falkenhagen
 published on Monday, April 7, 2008

The ASU water polo team had a moment to remember Saturday with its 100th victory in program history.

The Sun Devils continued their recent string of success over the weekend, extending their winning streak to seven games.

The Sun Devils, ranked No. 7 in the National Collegiate Women's Poll, defeated No. 17 UC-Santa Barbara (4-15, 0-9) 5-4 in a game played in Santa Barbara, Calif.

ASU junior all-around Addison McGrath led all scorers with three goals and ASU senior goalie Caylinn Wallace contributed with seven stops to ensure the victory.

The game was a nail-biter from the beginning, with neither team holding a lead of more than two goals at any given time in the game.

The first quarter was scoreless until the waning moments when UCSB sophomore utility player Christie Clark scored a goal from 15 meters out to beat the buzzer.

ASU (18-9, 5-4) nodded the game up at 1-1 when sophomore center Kelly Phelps scored on a 6-on-5 player advantage 44 seconds into the second period. McGrath followed with her first goal of the game on a similar power play with 6:20 left in the second quarter to give the Sun Devils their first lead. The Gauchos countered with a goal from junior utility player Gillian Morgan with 3:25 left in the half.

Like the first quarter, the third quarter was scoreless for most of the period. That was until McGrath changed it with a five-meter penalty shot with 1:24 left, giving the Sun Devils a 3-2 lead.

The majority of the goals scored in the game came in the fourth quarter. Sophomore attacker Bonnie Miles found the back of the net with less than five minutes left in regulation to give ASU a 4-2 cushion. The Gauchos attempted to stage a rally as Morgan scored her second goal of the game with 3:12 left. The final two goals of the game came from McGrath scoring another penalty shot and Clark, who scored another goal of her own for the game's final goal.

Along with ASU hitting the century mark in the win column, the Sun Devils also made history with their string of seven victories — the longest such stretch in their seven-year tenure.

Overall, ASU has compiled a 100-111 record.

The Sun Devils play two conference games this weekend. ASU will host Cal State Northridge on Saturday and will follow with a match up against No. 1 UCLA on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Reach the reporter at: steven.falkenhagen@asu.edu.