The Sunday Mail
CHELSEA Karimazondo could very well be the new face of Zimbabwe water polo!
The Chisipite Senior School alumna has been making waves in the United States of America, where she is a senior at Arizona State University, and currently leads her team and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference with 101 saves at the goalie position.
Karimazondo’s prowess were on full display last weekend when Arizona State’s water polo team almost stunned second seed University of California (UCLA) to their second defeat, as the Sun Devils took the Bruins to a sudden death.
The Sun Devils eventually lost the tie 11-10, with a UCLA goal in the final seconds of the seventh period.
Defensive efforts were strong for both teams, with ASU leading 5-2 at the half.
UCLA battled back, picking up six goals in the third to ASU’s three.
In the fourth quarter, each team scored one and prompted two overtime periods.
UCLA picked up their only OT goal in the fifth period, while ASU scored with under two minutes remaining in the sixth period to take it to sudden death.
UCLA’s game-winner came with just 15 seconds remaining in the seventh period to seal the deal.
However, Karimazondo – daughter to former Zimbabwe Rugby Union president Russell Karimazondo – would end the match as one of the major talking points.
She started in goal for the Sun Devils for the second straight game against UCLA, recording 15 saves and holding UCLA to 11 goals on 40 shots, a 0,275 shooting percentage.
Karimazondo’s saves put her at 101 on the season, which currently leads the team and all goalies in the MPSF.
Offensively, Bente Rogge, Luca Petovary and Amira Van Buren all had a multi-goal performance against the Bruins, with Petovary recording three and Rogge and Van Buren tacking on two apiece.
Petovary’s three goals passes Lieke Rogge (37) for eighth all-time in programme history as goals scored as a freshman (38) with two games to go in the regular season.
Rogge now sits on 144 goals in her career, and is six shy of the 150 goal milestone in the maroon-and-gold.
With this series split, ASU drops to 12-7 on the season and 6-3 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference play. – Sports Reporter/Sundevils.com
