Oct. 19, 2006
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State water polo head coach Carin Crawford announced the team's 2007 schedule on Thursday. Twelve home games - the most since the 2000 campaign - highlight a busy spring as the scarlet and black moves into its new home, the Aztec Aquaplex, for the upcoming season.
The soon-to-be-completed facility is scheduled to be christened Thursday, Feb. 8, with a game against Hartwick College at 3 p.m. SDSU will be looking to avenge a 9-7 defeat to the Hawks two years ago at the 2005 Long Beach State Invitational.
The Aztecs then hit the road for three weeks, making their first stop across town at the UCSD Invitational in La Jolla, Feb. 10-11. SDSU opens Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play the following week with a conference tilt against Hawai'i in Honolulu on February 16. The road trip concludes back on the mainland with the Aztecs taking part in the UC Irvine Invitational, Feb. 24-25.
San Diego State returns home the following weekend, welcoming Stanford to the Aztec Aquaplex for its conference home opener on Friday, March 2, beginning at 3 p.m. The next day, San Jose State invades Montezuma Mesa (March 3) for another MPSF showdown to be contested at noon. Immediately following the clash with the Spartans, SDSU will hold its annual alumni game at 2 p.m.
The brief homestand then gives way to another lengthy road trip as the Aztecs play six straight games away from "America's Finest City." On March 10, SDSU ventures up the coast to Santa Barbara for a doubleheader, battling MPSF rival UCSB at 10 a.m. before taking on Marist in a non-conference match at 2 p.m.
San Diego State continues its trek northward for a St. Patrick's Day skirmish against California in Berkeley on March 17, starting at noon. Another twin bill awaits the scarlet and black the next day in Stockton as the Aztecs look to tame a couple of Tiger squads - Pacific and Princeton. SDSU then wraps up its longest excursion of the season with a date against Long Beach State on March 22.
After a short rest, the Aztecs return to The Mesa for a four-game weekend slate, beginning Saturday, March 24. That morning, SDSU squares off against Ivy League opponent Brown at 11:30 a.m., before facing Claremont College in the afternoon at 2 p.m. The following day on March 25, the homestand concludes with another pair of non-conference encounters as the scarlet and black tangles with Pomona College and Cal State Bakersfield at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
The Aztecs will then partake in their final regular-season tournament when they travel to Tempe, Ariz., for the ASU Invitational, March 31-April 1. After its visit to the Grand Canyon State, SDSU will play five out of its final six regular games at home.
The stretch run opens with an MPSF clash against Cal State Northridge on April 6, beginning at 1 p.m. Local bragging rights are on the line the following day in the sixth annual Harper Cup, which pits San Diego State against UC San Diego. The 2007 edition will be held at the Aztec Aquaplex for the first time ever, starting at noon on April 7. The match is named after current UCSD men's water polo coach Denny Harper, who coached Crawford and UCSD women's head coach Larry Sanders while both were attending the La Jolla school.
The following week, SDSU will look to continue its mastery over UC Irvine on Thursday, April 12, starting at 3 p.m. The Aztecs have never lost to the Anteaters in 15 all-time meetings between the two schools. Two days later, the scarlet and black head up Interstate 5 for the final time during the regular season when they travel to Los Angeles for noon start against USC on April 14.
The regular season concludes with UCLA and Arizona State both paying visits to The Mesa. The Aztecs square off against the four-time national champion Bruins on April 20 at 3 p.m., while the Sun Devils arrive at the Aztec Aquaplex the following day for a noon contest, April 21.
This year's MPSF tournament takes place in Tempe, Ariz., April 26-29, as SDSU looks to earn the league's automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.