March 23, 2003
SAN DIEGO - No. 2 Stanford returned from a two-week break and its only loss of the season to hand the sixth-ranked San Diego State women's water polo team an 11-4 loss today at the Ray and Joan Kroc Center. Junior Brenda Villa tallied three goals and goalkeeper Jackie Frank made eight saves to lead the way for the Cardinal.
The seven-goal defeat was the worst of the season for SDSU (12-7 overall, 3-4 MPSF), which had its three-game win streak snapped. Stanford (11-1), which fell to now-No. 1 UCLA in its previous game March 9, matched a season-high by an Aztec opponent with 11 goals in improving to 3-0 in the MPSF.
The Aztecs set the pace early and scored two of the first three goals of the game. Junior Holly Hartzell (Vista, Calif./Fallbrook HS) scored her team-high 37th goal of the season just 1 minute, 15 seconds in. After a Lauren Faust's goal to answer, senior Amber Prestegard (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison HS) tallied her 35th score of the season to put SDSU up 2-1.
However, Stanford got its counter attack working late in the first period and ran off seven straight scores. Senior Julie Gardner started and ended the run with scores and junior Brenda Villa also had two goals in the run as the Cardinal took an 8-2 lead into the half.
Junior two-meter defender Kristin Moore (Sacramento, Calif./Sierra College), who has scored her first three goals of the season in the last two games, got the third period off to a good start for the Aztecs by cleaning up a loose ball with Frank out of the cage to bring SDSU within 8-3. But again, Stanford responded with a run, this time three straight goals from Laurel Champion, Hannah Luber and Villa to take an 11-3 lead after three.
Aztec junior utility Chelsy Smith (Roseville, Calif./Sierra College) capped the scoring at 11-4 by converting with 2:30 left in the game.
SDSU received scores from four different players and goalie Ashley Zabel (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS) made seven saves. Senior utility Casey Finnegan (Fresno, Calif./Clovis West HS) assisted on Smith's goal but was held scoreless this season for the first time in her 17 games.
Seven different players tallied scores for Stanford, which was led Villa's three scores and Gardner and Hannah Luber each added two. Frank's eight saves included four stops in the first quarter.
SDSU completes its six-game homestand at the Ray and Joan Kroc Center later this afternoon with a 4 p.m. game against No. 18 Brown.
March 23, 2003 - No. 2 Stanford 11, No. 6 SAN DIEGO STATE 4Ray and Joan Kroc Center, San Diego, Calif. 1 2 3 4 TotalSTAN 4 4 3 0 11SDSU 2 0 1 1 4
Stanford Goals: Villa 3, Gardner 2, H. Luber 2, Champion, Faust, Shafer, WatkinsStanford Goalie Saves: Frank 8
SDSU Goals: Hartzell, Moore, Prestegard, SmithSDSU Goalie Saves: Zabel 7