March 24, 2013
ASU Invite Central
TEMPE, Ariz. - No. 2 Stanford women's water polo's first day at the ASU Invite ended in a sweep of No. 3 Arizona State and Colorado State Sunday.
The Cardinal (17-1, 3-0 MPSF) opened the day with a 17-7 rout of the third-ranked Sun Devils (17-5, 3-2 MPSF) then finished the sweep with a 16-6 win over Colorado State (7-15). Stanford closes out its trip to the desert Monday morning against No. 19 Hartwick at 10 a.m.
Melissa Seidemann led the Cardinal with seven goals over the two wins, Kaitlyn Lo scored five goals while Annika Dries, Kiley Neushul, Maggie Steffens and Anna Yelizarova each scored four times.
No. 1 goalie Kate Baldoni started against ASU, making 10 saves over the opening three periods. Emily Dorst started the afternoon contest against Colorado State, making three saves over the first three periods. Freshman Gabby Stone made a save in each game, playing the fourth period of each win.
Facing off first against the third-ranked Sun Devils, the Cardinal opened fast as a pair of five-meter penalties from Steffens book-ended a four-goal first period. The first came just 19 seconds into the frame, followed by goals from Seidemann and Neushul just 41 seconds apart at the 4:18 and 3:37 marks, respectively, while Baldoni and the Stanford defense held Arizona State scoreless over the opening eight minutes.
The teams traded goals thrice over the first 3:14 of the second period before Seidemann's 6-on-5 goal at the 4:17 mark began a 3-0 run for the Cardinal. Lo scored an even-strength goal with 3:04 to go in the half and Dries made it 9-3 at the break with a goal 16 seconds before the horn.
The Sun Devils scored twice against just one goal for the Cardinal to cut Stanford's lead to 10-5 entering the fourth period, but Stanford quickly slammed the door with seven goals over the final eight minutes. Neushul scored twice over the opening 1:04 to make it 12-5, and after a Shannon Haas goal for ASU, the Cardinal went on a 5-0 run featuring a pair of goals from Ashley Grossman to put things away.
Steffens and Neushul had hat tricks for the Cardinal in the opener, with Dries, Grossman, Lo, Seidemann and Yelizarova each scoring twice. Kaley Dodson added an additional goal.
Returning to the pool a few hours later, the Cardinal opened up a 4-0 lead once again during the first period. Seidemann netted the first three of her five goals in the game within the opening 5:26 while Lo added one. Shelby Schaefer got the Rams on the board with 2:23 to go in the period but Seidemann netted her fourth 30 seconds later to make it 5-1 in favor of the Cardinal.
Ariel Arcidiacono made it 5-2 at the 6:37 mark of the second frame to open a sequence of the teams twice trading goals before Steffens gave the Cardinal the last word of the half with a power-play score 1:02 before the break.
Stanford put things away with six goals in the third period, including a period-opening 4-0 run behind goals from Cory Dodson, Lo, Neushul and Gurpreet Sohi. Kelcy Barrett and Schaefer scored twice for the Rams but Seidemann and Lo answered each time to make it 14-5 to end the frame.
Dries and Yelizarova provided the Cardinal's two goals in the fourth period, sandwiching a goal from Stephanie Weed.
Seidemann led the Cardinal with five goals in the win, with Lo posting a hat trick, Dries and Yelizarova each scoring twice and additional goals scored by Cory Dodson, Neushul, Sohi and Steffens.
Stanford - 4 5 1 7 = 17
Arizona State - 0 3 2 2 = 7
Stanford Goal Scorers: Neushul 3, Steffens 3, Dries 2, Grossman 2, Lo 2, Seidemann 2, Yelizarova 2, Sohi
Arizona State Goal Scorers: Haas 3, Pardi 2, Enoka, Gao
Goalie Saves: Baldoni 10, Stone 1 (S); Keeve 10, Hutchinson 0 (ASU)
Colorado State - 0 3 2 1 = 6
Stanford - 5 3 6 2 = 16
Stanford Goal Scorers: Seidemann 5, Lo 3, Dries 2, Yelizarova 2, C. Dodson, Neushul, Sohi, Steffens
Colorado State Goal Scorers: Schaefer 2, Weed 2, Arcidiacono, Barott
Goalie Saves: Dorst 3, Stone 1 (S); Fisher 8 (CSU)