March 24, 2006
LOS ANGELES - The seventh-ranked San Diego State water polo team tallied a pair of victories on the first day of the LMU Invitational at Burns Recreation and Aquatics Center on the campus of Loyola Marymount on Friday. The Aztecs kicked off their six-game weekend slate by defeating CS Monterey Bay, 20-3, and Colorado State, 16-0.
In the first match of the invitational, SDSU set the tone early as it scored six goals in the first quarter. Among those who helped the Aztecs overwhelm CS Monterey Bay were Rachel Serna, Anna Gonzales, Elana Cervantes, Jenna Schuster, Cassie Zebisch and Ashling Taylor. The aforementioned group each scored a goal apiece and their efforts would be all the offense San Diego State would need as it only allowed three goals for the game.
Over the following 21 minutes, SDSU would score 14 more goals, including five in both the third and fourth quarters to give the contest its final margin. Taylor led all scorers with four goals, while goalkeepers Sarah Kilgore and Heather Fenske combined to make eight saves.
The 20-goal game is the second of the year for the Aztecs and is just the third time in school history that an SDSU team has recorded two 20-plus goal games in a single season joining the 1995 and 1996 squads.
In the second contest of the day, San Diego State, again, started hot as they scored four goals in the first period and five in the second to take a 9-0 halftime lead. In the game's first 14 minutes, seven different Aztecs scored, highlighted by Taylor's three consecutive goals during a 1 minute, 14 second span in the second quarter.
The second half was much like the first with SDSU tallying seven goals while limiting the Rams to zero. In the third quarter, Becca Ur, Gonzales, Serna and Stacy Werner posted goals in succession, only to have Ashley McCullum, Susan Stivers and Jessica Pace wrap-up the scoring for San Diego State.
Kilgore and Fenske each stopped four shots apiece in net for SDSU.
The shutout is the second of the season, fourth in school history, and the first time an Aztec squad has recorded two shutouts in a single year.
SDSU (14-5) will conclude the two-day LMU Invitational Saturday, March 25, with matches against Redlands (9:35 a.m. PST) and Chapman (3 p.m.).
#7 San Diego State 20, CS Monterey Bay 3
CSMB 0-2-0-1---3SDSU 6-4-5-5---20
CS Monterey Bay goals: Chelsea Laning 2, Alex Davis 1
San Diego State goals: Ashling Taylor 4, Elana Cervantes 2, Jessica Pace 2, Jenna Schuster 2, Rachel Serna 2, Susan Stivers 2, Stacy Werner 2, Cassie Zebisch, Anna Gonzales, Ashley McCullum, Becca Ur
CS Monterey Bay goalie saves: Peri Shaghaghi - 2
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 4, Heather Fenske - 4
#7 San Diego State 16, Colorado State 0
CSU 0-0-0-0---0SDSU 4-5-4-3---16
Colorado State goals: none
San Diego State goals: Ashling Taylor 3, Anna Gonzales 2, Ashley McCullum 2, Becca Ur 2, Stacy Werner 2, Elana Cervantes, Jessica Pace, Jenna Schuster, Rachel Serna, Susan Stivers
Colorado State goalie saves: Holly Stanfill - 3, Andrea Lugo - 4
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 4, Heather Fenske - 4