Feb. 25, 2007
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - The eighth-ranked San Diego State water polo team swept its two games on Sunday to finish in ninth place at the 16-team UC Irvine Invitational in Newport Beach, Calif. The Aztecs (7-3) wrapped up consolation play at Corona Del Mar High School with an 8-5 triumph over No. 12 UC Santa Barbara in its morning matchup and then pulled off a dramatic 8-6 victory in overtime against seventh-ranked Loyola Marymount in the nightcap.
SDSU never trailed in its opener against the Gauchos after first-quarter goals by Erinn Greenwood, Becca Ur and Stacy Werner gave the Scarlet and Black an early 3-1 advantage. Jenna Schuster added to the lead in the second period with a score following a UCSB ejection. The Gauchos then countered with two goals of their own over a half-minute span, cutting the margin to 4-3. However, Greenwood found the back of the net with 37 seconds left in the half for her second score of the contest, which provided the Aztecs a little more breathing room heading into intermission.
After a defensive struggle throughout most of the third quarter, SDSU reclaimed a three-goal advantage thanks to an Anna Gonzales goal of the game at the 1:44 mark. UCSB fought back once again with two quick scores, closing the gap to 6-5 with 6:19 remaining in the game. The Aztecs pulled away, however, as Werner converted a penalty shot three minutes later, while Greenwood completed her second hat trick of season with a goal at the 2:20 mark to account for the final score.
San Diego State's win set up a showdown with Loyola Marymount, pitting the two finalists from the UCSD Triton Invitational where the Lions pulled off an 8-6 come-from-behind victory on Feb. 11 to capture the tournament crown. Sunday's rematch with LMU was also a closely contested affair as both teams fought to establish control throughout the game. Two goals by Schuster and another by Werner provided the Aztecs' first-half scoring output in a 3-3 stalemate.
Both offenses were shut down for the majority of the third quarter after Cara Colton's early goal gave the Lions a 4-3 lead. Werner finally got SDSU back on track after flipping a shot past LMU goalie Kaylee Caster with 23 seconds gone by in the fourth period.
The Lions went back out in front, 5-4, on a goal by Nicole Hughes at the 3:51 mark and were seemingly in position to win their second straight over the Scarlet and Black this season. However, Gonzales put that notion to rest, drilling home the equalizer with just 18 seconds remaining in regulation.
In the first overtime period, Werner notched her third goal of the game, while Ur added another to give the Aztecs a 7-5 cushion as the two teams traded sides. After LMU pulled to within one at 7-6, redshirt freshman Jamie Vessey notched her first goal for SDSU to provide the clinching score with 18 seconds remaining in the second extra session.
The Aztecs will be back in action on Friday, March 2, when they play host to No. 2 Stanford in their Mountain Pacific Sports Federation home opener at the brand-new Aztec Aqauaplex. Game time is set for 3 p.m. PST.
UC IRVINE INVITATIONAL
Corona Del Mar High School
Newport Beach, Calif.
Consolation Bracket
#8 San Diego State 8, #12 UC Santa Barbara 5
UCSB 1-2-1-1--5
SDSU 3-2-1-2--8
UC Santa Barbara goals: Amanda Tipton 2, Sarah Kovach 2, Gillian Morgan
San Diego State goals: Erinn Greenwood 3, Stacy Werner 2, Anna GonzalesJenna Schuster, Becca Ur
UC Santa Barbara goalie saves: Jenny Gonzales - 10
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 8
Ninth-Place Game
#8 San Diego State 8, #7 Loyola Marymount 6 (OT)
LMU 1-2-1-1-0-1--6
SDSU 2-1-0-2-2-1--8
Loyola Marymount goals: Cara Colton 2, Daisy Fish, Dora Szabolcsi, Claire Linney
San Diego State goals: Stacy Werner 3, Jenna Schuster 2, Anna Gonzales, Jamie Vessey, Becca Ur
Loyola Marymount goalie saves: Kaylee Caster - 8
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 12