BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—No. 7 Arizona State defeated CSU Bakersfield 10-5 in the MPSF water polo opener for both school Saturday afternoon.

The Sun Devils, who defeated CSUB 19-6 earlier this season at the UC Santa Barbara Winter Invite, took a 4-1 lead at halftime and outscored the 'Runners 3-2 in both the third and fourth quarters.

“We have improved so much over the last few weeks,” said CSUB head coach Jason Gall. “To hold a team like ASU to 10 goals is a good achievement for us.”

ASU's Petra Pardi led all scorers with three goals. Aikistis Benekou and Lena Mihailovic both scored twice for the Sun Devils. Five different CSUB players scored. Roadrunner goalie Brittany Tyra (Jr., Grass Valley, Calif., Sierra College) made 11 saves.

“Offensively we had some great opportunities but we failed to convert,” Gall said. “We need to build on this as the road ahead doesn't get any easier. I'm really proud of the fight and work that we showed today.”

The Roadrunners host a tri-dual on Wednesday at the Hillman Aquatics Complex. At 9:30 a.m., CSUB hosts Wagner. At 1 p.m. Wagner faces Azusa Pacific. The day concludes at 4:30 p.m. with the Roadrunners facing Azusa Pacific. Admission is free for all CSUB water polo matches.

 ~www.GoRunners.com~

ASU        2 2 3 3    10
CSUB     1 0 2 2      5

ASU Goals-Pardi 3, Mihailovic 2, Benekou 2, Casas 1, Kerth 1, Bertrand
CSUB Goals-Barrett 1, De Leon 1, Souza 1, Helberg 1, Benson 1.

ASU Saves-Keeve 6
CSUB Saves-Tyra 11