March 2, 2007
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State water polo team got two goals apiece from three different players, but it wasn't enough as the ninth-ranked Aztecs (7-4, 0-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) fell to Stanford, 14-8, on Friday in the inaugural game at the brand-new Aztec Aquaplex. In front of a capacity crowd, SDSU was forced to play catch-up throughout the day after the top-ranked Cardinal (13-1, 6-0 MPSF) jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.
Stanford set the tone for the afternoon, scoring two goals in the first 65 seconds of the game before Elana Cervantes recorded SDSU's first-ever score in the new facility at the 6:24 mark. Two minutes later, the Cardinal's Katie Hansen found the back of the net, restoring the visitors' two-goal cushion. On the ensuing possession, Stacy Werner found an opening in the middle and drilled a shot past Stanford goalkeeper Meridith McColl, cutting the deficit to 3-2. That would be as close as the Aztecs would get as the Cardinal scored three unanswered goals to pull ahead, 6-2, early in the second quarter.
After the two teams traded goals, SDSU converted consecutive penalty-shot opportunities by Anna Gonzales and Werner, which brought the Scarlet and Black to within 7-5 shortly before halftime. Stanford derailed the Aztecs' momentum, however, when Hansen scored with just 19 seconds left in the period, giving the Cardinal an 8-5 advantage at intermission.
The frantic pace of the game was slowed somewhat in the third quarter as both defenses clamped down for the first few series of the period. The scoring spree resumed when Cervantes beat the shot clock with a long-distance heave from the left side that got past McColl, trimming Stanford's lead to 8-6 at the 5:15 mark. Moments later, the Cardinal boosted the margin back up to three on a Jessica Steffens goal during a 6-on-5 situation. On SDSU's next possession, Jenna Schuster corralled a missed Becca Ur shot that hit the left post and skipped the loose ball past the goal line, pulling the Aztecs to within two scores at 9-7.
Any hopes of an Aztec comeback were soon squelched after Hansen's two goals gave the visitors a comfortable 11-7 advantage early in the fourth quarter. Stanford tacked on three additional scores in the period before Gonzales' second tally of the day with 1:40 remaining provided the contest with its final outcome at 14-8.
SDSU wraps up its homestand at the Aztec Aquaplex tomorrow when it plays host to No. 6 San Jose State beginning at noon, followed by the annual San Diego State alumni game at 2 p.m.
#1 STANFORD 14, #9 SAN DIEGO STATE 8
March 2, 2007
Aztec Aquaplex-San Diego, Calif.
Stanford 5-3-2-4--14
SDSU 2-3-2-1--8
Stanford goals: Katie Hansen 4, Christina Hewko 3, Jessica Steffens 3, Kelly Eaton, Jacquelyn Gauthier, Kira Hillman, Lauren Silver
San Diego State goals: Elana Cervantes 2, Anna Gonzales 2, Stacy Werner 2, Erinn Greenwood, Jenna Schuster
Stanford goalie saves: Meridith McColl - 3, Kate Heddleston - 1
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 5