April 27, 2006
IRVINE, Calif. - The 10th-ranked and No. 9 seeded San Diego State water polo team upset eighth-seeded San Jose State, 5-3, Thursday afternoon in the first round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship in Irvine, Calif. With the victory, the Aztecs avenge an overtime loss to the Spartans earlier this month and improve to 21-10 overall. Eighth-ranked SJSU, on the other hand, falls to 11-14 on the season.
The contest was a low-scoring affair as San Diego State tallied the only goal of the half. Ashling Taylor gave the Aztecs the early lead when she scored her 28th goal of the season with 24 seconds left in the first quarter. Both teams shutout each other in the second period giving SDSU a one-goal lead heading into halftime.
The offense of both schools picked up in the third quarter as the Spartans tied the score 20 seconds into the period. The Aztecs, however, responded with a pair of goals as Cassie Zebisch and Anna Gonzales found the back of the net to take a lead they would not relinquish. San Jose State cut into the lead with 1:26 left in the third, only to have Rachel Serna net her 40th goal of the season, increasing SDSU's lead to 4-2 at the end of three.
In the fourth quarter, the game reverted to the first-half style as both schools scored only once in the final stanza. The Spartans made it a one-goal match with just under three minutes remaining when Katie Morgan scored her second of the contest. The Aztecs responded by adding an insurance goal when Erinn Greenwood put her shot past SJSU goalkeeper Krissy Hansell to give the game its final score.
San Diego State goalie Sarah Kilgore added six saves in a winning effort.
The Aztecs' upset win is the second in consecutive seasons at the MPSF Championship. Last year as the No. 10 seed, SDSU beat seventh-seeded UC Santa Barbara and moved on to play USC. Similar to 2005, San Diego State will play the top-seeded Women of Troy in the quarterfinals, Friday, April 28, at Anteater Aquatics Center on the campus of UC Irvine. The match is set for a 12:30 p.m. PDT start.
#10 (9)San Diego State 5, #8 (8)San Jose State 3
SDSU 1-0-3-1---5SJSU 0-0-2-1---3
San Diego State goals: Anna Gonzales 1, Erinn Greenwood 1, Rachel Serna 1, Ashling Taylor 1, Cassie Zebisch 1
San Jose State goals: Katie Morgan 2, Beth Harberts 1
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 6
San Jose State goalie saves: Krissy Hansell - 8