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March 11, 2003
SAN DIEGO - Winner of six of eight games and coming off a sixth-place performance at the highly competitive UC Santa Barbara Invitational, the seventh-ranked San Diego State women's water polo team opens a six-game homestand with a three-day span of four games vs. ranked opponents beginning Saturday.
- The Aztecs (9-5 overall/2-2 MPSF) face off against the fifth-ranked California Golden Bears (8-4/1-1) for the second straight game on Saturday. The two teams met the previous Sunday at the UCSB tournament, a game won by Cal, 10-8. SDSU then faces No. 20 Pacific (5-9/0-3) on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. before welcoming in No. 16 Princeton (5-1) for a 5 p.m. non-conference match-up. The Aztecs' busy stretch concludes with a 3 p.m. game Monday versus CWPA team No. 12 Indiana (12-5).
Recapping The Action Thus Far
- The Aztecs began last week by evening its MPSF record at 2-2 with an impressive 12-4 win over No. 17 UC Irvine. SDSU ran out to a 9-0 lead after three quarters thanks to a balanced scoring effort - four players had two goals and four others each scored once - and six saves each from the junior goalkeeping tandem of Ashley Zabel (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS) and Sara Daseler (Lodi, Calif./Hartwick).
- SDSU then competed amongst the best in the country Sat.-Sun. at the UC Santa Barbara Invitational. Each of the nation's top 11 teams were in action at UCSB, and the Aztecs defeated two of them while faling to a pair of higher-ranked teams en route to a sixth-place finish that was one spot higher than the Aztecs' national ranking of seventh.
- The Aztecs scored five first-quarter goals and defeated host No. 11 UCSB in game one, 8-5, behind two goals each from Casey Finnegan, Sandy Onweller and Amber Prestegard. In game two, SDSU ran into the nation's second-ranked team and dropped a 10-4 decision to USC despite trailing 4-3 at the half.
- On day two, the Aztecs avenged an early season loss by defeating No. 6 Loyola Marymount 7-6 in overtime. Holly Hartzell scored the game-winner with just more than a minute remaining in the second overtime period, while Prestegard scored three goals and Zabel recorded a season-high 16 saves. The Aztecs then dropped the sixth-place game 10-8 to No. 5 Cal despite goals from seven different players and 11 saves by Daseler.
Aztec 2-Meter Shots
- While veterans Amber Prestegard, Casey Finnegan and Holly Hartzell are leading the way offensively for the Aztecs (combined 71 goals for 57.8 percent of the team's scoring), the team goal-scoring has become much more balanced of late. At least four different players have scored in each of the last nine games and different Aztecs have either led or shared the team lead in scoring in those games. For the season, 17 Aztecs possess at least one goal and nine have four or more scores.
- Junior goalkeeper Ashley Zabel has picked up her play of late. Over her last 17 quarters, she has made 44 saves while allowing 21 goals.
- After being forced into more of set-up role in which she recorded three assists in two games while being held off the scoreboard, senior utility Amber Prestegard has scored in five straight games and had a total of eight goals in last weeks' game. With 25 goals on the season, Prestegard is just four scores shy of second place on SDSU's career list (Shae Philpott 205).
- Utility Casey Finnegan's team-high 27 steals this season give her 175 for her career, just seven thefts shy of second place on SDSU's all-time list.
Scouting The Week's Opponents
- The No. 5 Cal Bears defeated the Aztecs on Sunday to take fifth place at the UCSB Invite. The Bears have now won five-of-six after alternating wins and lossess in the season's first six games. Cal is led by Jodie Needles' 23 goals, while goalkeeper Lauren Dennis has played all but one quarter this season and has 78 saves against 66 goals allowed. The Aztecs have lost eight straight to the Bears and are looking for their first win over Cal since 1999.
- Conversely, No. 20 Pacific has never beaten SDSU, which has won all 14 games against the Tigers. Pacific resides at the bottom of the MPSF with an 0-3 league mark and has dropped six-of-seven games after a 12th-place finish at UCSB.
- No. 16 Princeton is playing the Aztecs for the fifth time, with SDSU holding an all-time 4-0 mark. The Tigers won three straight against eastern opponents before they embark on their six-game West Coast swing beginning Saturday against UCLA and UC San Diego.
- No. 12 Indiana comes off a 3-1 performance at the first Collegiate Water Polo Association weekend, dropping only a 9-7 overtime decision to Michigan. The Hoosiers are also looking for their first all-time win over the Aztecs, who possess a 3-0 lifetime mark. Senior Kristin Stanford has been the Indiana offense this season with 44 goals in 17 games, while goalie Jessica Goldner has made 128 saves against 100 goals allowed.
Head Coach Carin Crawford
- In her fifth season leading the Aztec program, Crawford has guided the Aztecs to four straight top-eight national finishes and seasons of 18 or more wins while compiling an overall record of 93-71. She has coached six All-Americans, seven all-MPSF performers, 10 all-MPSF academic selections and 13 AWPCA all-academic honorees.