Feb. 8, 2007
SAN DIEGO - Sophomore Anna Gonzales (Fresno, Calif.) scored three goals, while fellow teammates Erinn Greenwood (Sanger, Calif.) and Becca Ur (Lompoc, Calif.) added two scores apiece to lead the sixth-ranked San Diego State water polo team to a 9-8 triumph over No. 14 Hartwick College on Thursday afternoon at the Kroc Community Center pool. With the victory, the Aztecs won their sixth-straight season opener, while the Hawks fell to 4-5 on the year.
SDSU grabbed a quick 1-0 advantage as Ur tallied the Aztecs' first score of the season just 21 seconds into the contest. The Scarlet and Black widened it lead moments later when Greenwood found the back of the net, giving the home team a 2-0 cushion. Less than a minute later, Kirsten Hudson got Hartwick on the board with a goal, cutting the margin to 2-1. SDSU responded later in the period with Gonzales' first score of the day and Greenwood's second, which put the Aztecs up 4-1.
The Hawks narrowed the gap to 4-3 on a goal by Kimberley Sumich near the end of the first quarter, while teammate Ellen Sevigny notched the first of her two goals with a minute gone by in the second period. Right before halftime though, Gonzales tallied her second score of the game, giving SDSU a 5-3 lead at intermission.
Consecutive goals within a span of 66 seconds by Ur, senior Stacy Werner (Lodi, Calif.) and senior Elana Cervantes (Davis, Calif.) increased the Aztecs' advantage to 8-3 in the third period. Following a Hartwick score, Gonzales notched her third goal of the contest, which gave SDSU a seemingly safe 9-4 lead as the quarter wound down.
The Hawks made things interesting in the last eight-plus minutes, however, scoring four unanswered goals to pull within 9-8 with just over two minutes left in the game. Hartwick had an opportunity to tie the contest with 1:04 remaining, but Sevigny's shot hit the right post, and SDSU held on for the hard-fought victory.
Senior goalkeeper Sarah Kilgore made 10 saves for the Aztecs, while Gonzales and Cervantes added four steals and three assists, respectively.
SDSU returns to action this weekend when it travels across town to compete in the UC San Diego Triton Invitational, Feb. 10-11, in La Jolla. The Aztecs will square off against Bucknell in their opening game of group play on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. at Canyonview East pool.
No. 6 SAN DIEGO STATE 9, No. 14 HARTWICK 8
Kroc Community Center--San Diego, Calif.
Hartwick 2-1-2-3--8
SDSU 4-1-4-0--9
San Diego State goals: - Gonzales 3, Greenwood 2, Ur 2, Cervantes, Werner
Hartwick goals: Sevigny 2, Sumich 2, Amaro, Dahl-Smith, Hudson, Leonard