Feb. 16, 2007
HONOLULU - The eighth-ranked San Diego State water polo team suffered its second straight heartbreaking loss on Friday, falling to No. 4 Hawai'i in double overtime, 10-9, in the Aztecs' conference opener at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Center in Honolulu. With the loss, SDSU falls to 4-2 overall (0-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation), while the Rainbow Wahine improve to 4-3 (2-1 MPSF).
Hawai'i got on the board first as Kelly Mason's penalty shot found the back of the net at the 5:16 mark of the first quarter. However, the Aztecs stormed back with a vengeance, taking a 3-1 lead on two goals by sophomore Anna Gonzales (Fresno, Calif.) and another score by senior Stacy Werner (Lodi, Calif.) as the period drew to a close.
In the second stanza, the Rainbow Wahine answered with goals by Angela Turnbull and Kristy Bagnall during a span of 41 seconds to tie the score at 3-3 with 5:56 left. SDSU reclaimed the lead just moments later as sophomore Erinn Greenwood (Sanger, Calif.) converted a 6-on-5 opportunity. However, Hawai'i knotted things up at 4-4 shortly before halftime thanks to Turnbull's second score of the day with 2:08 remaining.
Junior Becca Ur's (Lompoc, Calif.) goal with just 32 seconds elapsed set the tone for a frenetic third period as both teams combined for seven scores. Trailing 5-4, Bagnall tallied her second goal of the day, while Amy Logan added another score to give the Wahine a 6-5 lead. Junior Tiphanie Elliott (Porterville, Calif.) provided the equalizer on the Aztecs' next possession, but Mason notched her second goal of the game just over a minute later, giving Hawai'i a 7-6 advantage. Following a Wahine ejection, Werner scored on a penalty shot for her second goal of the day to bring the Scarlet and Black back to even at 7-7 with at the 1:14 mark.
Hawai'i wasted no time recapturing the lead, however, as Lisa van Raalte scored twice over a span of 1:08, giving the home team a 9-7 cushion as the fourth quarter got underway. The SDSU defense clamped down to keep the Wahine off the scoreboard for the rest of the period, while goals by sophomore Jenna Schuster (Upland, Calif.) and Greenwood tied the score for the sixth time in the contest. Hawai'i had an opportunity to win the game in regulation but with time expiring, van Raalte's shot hit the top of the crossbar.
After both teams went scoreless in the first three-minute overtime session, Mason completed the hat trick for the Wahine, finding the back of the net at the 2:26 mark of the second overtime on a 6-on-5 play. The Aztecs then threatened with three shots of their own in the final minute, but could not convert as Hawai'i held on for the 10-9 victory.
San Diego State returns to action next weekend when it competes in the UC Irvine Invitational, Feb. 24-25.
#4 HAWAII 10, #8 SAN DIEGO STATE 9 (2OT)
Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Center--Honolulu, Hawaii
SDSU 3-1-3-2-0-0--9
Hawai'i1-3-4-1-0-1--10
San Diego State goals: Anna Gonzales 2, Erinn Greenwood 2, Stacy Werner 2, Tiphanie Elliott, Jenna Schuster, Becca Ur
Hawai'i goals: Kristy Bagnall 3, Kelly Mason 2, Angela Turnbull 2, Lisa van Raalte 2, Amy Logan
San Diego State goalkeeper saves: Sarah Kilgore 17
Hawai'i goalkeeper saves: Meike De Nooy 14