March 18, 2007
STOCKTON, Calif. - Fresh off of Saturday's upset of No. 4 California, the seventh-ranked San Diego State water polo team avoided a letdown on Sunday, posting a pair of victories over Pacific and No. 18 Princeton in a doubleheader at the Chris Kjeldsen Pool Complex in Stockton, Calif. The Aztecs began the day with a 14-7 rout of host school UOP in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation showdown before knocking off another squad nicknamed the Tigers, 13-8, in a non-conference clash in the nightcap. Sophomore Jenna Schuster (Upland, Calif.) continued her hot shooting, scoring four goals in both games to help SDSU (13-4, 4-2 MPSF) extend its winning streak to six in a row.
In the opener against Pacific (5-13, 0-9 MPSF), the Aztecs produced their highest scoring output of the season thus far, erupting for eight unanswered goals during the first 11-plus minutes of the game en route to a commanding 9-2 halftime lead. The sophomore trio of Schuster, Anna Gonzales (Fresno, Calif.), and Erinn Greenwood (Sanger, Calif.) contributed two scores apiece during the first-half barrage, while seniors Elana Cervantes (Davis, Calif.) and Stacy Werner (Lodi, Calif.) each added single tallies, along with sophomore Jessica Pace (Santee, Calif.).
After a Tigers' score early in the third quarter, SDSU reclaimed an eight-goal cushion as Cervantes and Schuster each found the back of the net, giving the Scarlet and Black an 11-3 lead midway through the period. Pacific tried to make a game of it after consecutive goals by Virginia McConnell and Alex Kutac brought the home team back to within six at 11-5 heading into the final frame.
Any hopes of a UOP comeback quickly evaporated, however, as Schuster connected for the fourth time at the 4:35 mark, while fellow classmate Erin Lester (Lake Forest, Calif.) notched her first goal of the season just under a minute later, putting the Aztecs out in front 13-5. The Tigers managed late two scores before Greenwood completed her third hat trick of the season with a goal at the buzzer to account for the final score.
Senior goalkeeper Sarah Kilgore (Rossmoor, Calif.) kept Pacific off the scoreboard, turning back four shots before giving way to junior Heather Fenske (Lompoc, Calif.) midway through the second quarter. Fenske recorded six saves off her own, while Werner came away with five steals and added three assists.
The San Diego State offense was once again geared up against Princeton (10-6) as the Aztecs scored double-digit goals in consecutive games for the first time this season. Along with Schuster's second four-goal outburst of the day, Gonzales and Werner also lit up the scoreboard with hat tricks of their own.
Unlike its earlier match though, SDSU's afternoon tilt was a much tighter affair as both teams traded goals throughout much of the first half. With the score knotted at 4-4, Werner converted a 6-on-5 opportunity, putting the Scarlet and Black out in front for good with 1:51 remaining in the half. Following another exchange of goals in the closing seconds, the Aztecs maintained a slim 6-5 lead heading into intermission.
SDSU began to pull away after the break thanks to Schuster, who notched three of her four scores during the third quarter, including a goal during a man-up situation at the 2:56 mark, which gave the visitors a 9-6 advantage. Princeton answered moments later, but was never able to close the gap the rest of the way as the Aztecs outscored the easterners 4-1 in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.
Kilgore came up huge once again in front of the cage, posting 11 saves, while Werner also produced another solid effort on the defensive side with four steals. Cervantes was a factor as well, chipping in with two goals and two assists.
The Aztecs will return to the pool on Thursday, March 22, when they hit the road to face No. 15 Long Beach State in an MPSF match at the LBSU Campus Pool. Opening sprint is set for 3 p.m. PDT.
#7 SAN DIEGO STATE 14, PACIFIC 7
Chris Kjeldsen Pool
Stockton, Calif.
SDSU 6-3-2-3--14
Pacific 0-2-3-2--7
San Diego State goals: Jenna Schuster 4, Erinn Greenwood 3, Anna Gonzales 2, Stacy Werner 2, Elana Cervantes, Erin Lester, Jessica Pace
Pacific goals: Sarah Harris 2, Virginia McConnell 2, Kellie Fletcher, Alex Kutac, Jocelyn Gray
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 4, Heather Fenske - 6
Pacific goalie saves: Jocelyn Gray ¬- 3, Jill Hauck - 3
#7 SAN DIEGO STATE 13, #18 PRINCETON 8
Princeton 2-3-2-1--8
SDSU 2-4-3-4--13
Princeton goals: Elyse Colgan 2, Jesssica Ajoux, Phoebe Champion, Claire Jacobson, Karina Reyner, Lauren Sabb, Samantha Shaughnessy
San Diego State goals: Jenna Schuster 4, Anna Gonzales 3, Stacy Werner 3, Elana Cervantes 2, Erin Lester
Princeton goalie saves: Shannon Devore - 8
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 11