Clapper & Sjoholm Score Pairs to Power Arizona State Past Texas A&M 6-5 in National Collegiate Club Championship First Round

John Fitzgerald

ATHENS, Ohio --  Texas A&M University goalie John Fitzgerald (Jr., Singapore City, Singapore) made 17 saves to earn Player of the Game honors, but No. 3 nationally ranked Arizona State University received pairs of goals from Todd Clapper (Gr., Altoona, Pa.) and Wesley Sjoholm (Jr., Albuquerque, N.M.) as ASU survived a scare to hold off the Aggies 6-5 in the opening round of the 2008 National Collegiate Club Championship at Ohio University.

In a game which featured an Olympic caliber goalie duel between Fitzgerald and 2008 Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame inductee and Olympic silver medalist Betsey Armstrong (Gr., Ann Arbor, Mich.), the story of the game was both goalies ability to stymy the opposing team's offense as the pair combined for a 2008 tournament game high 22 saves.

The Aggies appeared ready to open the game with a flurry of scoring as Brian Carey (Sr., Belvidere, N.J.) beat Armstrong with 5:13 left in the first period to put Texas A&M ahead 1-0. However, Armstrong anchored down a ASU defense which locked down the Aggies scorers until the 3:56 mark of the second period, while the Sun Devils' offense torched Texas A&M for a pair of goals in the first and one to open the second to take a 3-1 lead with 6:32 left in the first half.

Trailing 1-0 following Carey's marker, ASU went to work as Tyler Oakes (Gr., El Cajon, Calif.) split the Aggies' defense for the equalizer at the 2:23 mark before Sjoholm gave his team the lead for good with 51 seconds left in the first period for a 2-1 lead after seven minutes of play.

ASU expanded the margin to 3-1 28 seconds into the second period thanks to a blast by Clapper.  A&M answered with a score by Matt Davis (Sr., San Antonio, Texas) at the 3:56 mark to pull back to within a score at 3-2.  The teams traded goals until the final horn as Matt Sussdorf (Fr., Brea, Calif.) found the back of the cage for the Sun Devils at 1:11 and Texas A&M's Brandon Lawver (Sr., San Antonio, Texas)  responded with 16 seconds on the clock for a 4-3 ASU lead at halftime.

The game turned on a goal in the third period as Clapper cashed in at the 2:52 mark to put the Sun Devils in front 5-3.

Ahead 6-3 entering the final seven minutes of play, the Sun Devils caught a break with 4:41 remaining as A&M's Kyle Mendez (Sr., Houston, Texas) was whistled for a penalty, allowing Sjoholm to put home the ensuing penalty shot for a 6-3 lead.  The Aggies returned the favor 22 seconds later as Arizona State's Andrew Lowe (Jr., Culver City, Calif.) received a penalty allowing Carey to cash in on the penalty shot opportunity and pull the Aggies to within 6-4 with 4:19 on the clock.

Although leading by two goals with an Olympic medalist in cage, Arizona State had to sweat out the final minutes as Lawver struck again with 2:40 on the clock to make it a one goal game at 6-5.  Needing a stop to hang on for the win, the ASU defense responded shutting down A&M the rest of the way to hang on for the one-goal victory. 

Texas A&M will continue the tournament on November 14 at 6:20 p.m. versus the loser of a first round matchup between No. 6 Grand Valley State University and No. 18 the University of Minnesota, while Arizona State will take on the winner of the GVSU-Minnesota game at 10:10 a.m. on November 15.

Texas A&M Goals: Brian Carey (2); Brandon Lawver (2); Matt Davis

Arizona State Goals:  Todd Clapper (2); Wesley Sjoholm (2); Tyler Oakes; Matt Sussdorf

Saves:  Texas A&M - John Fitzgerald (17) ; Arizona State - Betsey Armstrong (5) 

Ejections:  Texas A&M - 4 ; Arizona State - 4