Feb. 10, 2007
LA JOLLA, Calif. - The sixth-ranked San Diego State water polo team won two games on Saturday during the first day of competition at the UCSD Triton Invitational at Canyonview Aquatic Center on the campus of UC San Diego. The Aztecs (3-0) overpowered Bucknell, 11-3, in their morning game and followed it with a dramatic 8-7 victory over No. 16 UC Santa Barbara in the afternoon.
In its opening contest against the Bison, SDSU got a quick goal by sophomore Jenna Schuster just 19 seconds after the opening sprint and never looked back. The Aztecs took a commanding 7-0 lead into halftime, increasing the margin to 10-0 in the third quarter before Bucknell finally dented the scoreboard with two goals of its own. The two teams then traded scores over the final nine-plus minutes to provide for the final outcome.
The San Diego State barrage was led by sophomore Erinn Greenwood's hat trick, while fellow classmate Anna Gonzales and freshman Danielle Pelke each tallied two goals apiece. Also finding the back of the net for the Scarlet and Black were juniors Becca Ur and Tiphanie Elliott and freshman Ronni Gautschi.
The second game of the day was a completely different story as the Aztecs were forced to play catch-up throughout the first two-and-a-half quarters against the Gauchos. UCSB grabbed an early 4-1 advantage before SDSU began to chip away at the lead in the second period. Consecutive goals by Gonzales and seniors Elana Cervantes and Stacy Werner knotted things up at 4-4, but the Gauchos countered just moments later to take a 5-4 lead into intermission.
Schuster got the Aztecs back to even in the third period with a goal at the 4:45 mark. A little over two minutes later, Pelke found the back of the net to give the Scarlet and Black its first lead of the game at 6-5. The San Diego State defense kept UCSB off the scoreboard until a Gaucho goal tied the score at 6-6 with a minute gone by in the fourth quarter.
The Aztecs regained the upper hand at 7-6 on Werner's second goal of the contest with 6:30 to play. UCSB climbed off the ropes once again, however, scoring the equalizer just under three minutes later. Schuster then put an end to the seesaw affair as her score with 55 seconds remaining provided the winning margin.
SDSU will wrap up play at the Triton Invitational with two additional games on Sunday. The Aztecs will face ninth-ranked UC Davis in a semifinal showdown, beginning at 11:45 a.m. at Canyonview West pool. If SDSU wins, it will play for the championship against either Loyola Marymount or UC Irvine at 5 p.m. If the Aztecs falter, they will play for third place at 3:30 p.m.
UCSD TRITON INVITATIONAL
Group B--First Round
No. 6 San Diego State 11, Bucknell 3
Bucknell 0-0-2-1--3
SDSU 3-4-4-0--11
San Diego State goals: Greenwood 3, Gonzales 2, Pelke 2, Elliott, Gautschi, Schuster, Ur
Bucknell goals: Gins 2, Rozas
Group B--Second Round
No. 6 San Diego State 8, No. 16 UC Santa Barbara 7
UCSB 4-1-0-2--7
SDSU 1-3-2-2--8
San Diego State goals: Schuster 2, Werner 2, Cervantes, Gonzales, Pelke, Ur
UC Santa Barbara goals: Kovach 3, Stachowski 2, Knott, Kubas