March 24, 2007
SAN DIEGO - The fourth-ranked San Diego State water polo team unleashed an offensive fury on Saturday, cruising to a pair of victories during the first day of action at the inaugural Aztec Invitational at the Aztec Aquaplex. SDSU (16-4) overpowered No. 19 Brown, 12-3, in its morning game before demolishing Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 18-1, in the afternoon.
The opener against the Bears had all the indications of a defensive struggle as the Scarlet and Black nursed a slim 1-0 lead through the first five minutes of the contest. The pace of the game changed, however, when consecutive goals by sophomore Anna Gonzales (Fresno, Calif.) and freshman Ronni Gautschi (Morgan Hill, Calif.) put the Aztecs in front by a 3-0 count at the end of the first quarter.
Brown managed to break the ice during its first possession of the second period on a backhanded shot by Elizabeth Balassone. The Aztecs then responded with three unanswered goals of their own as Gonzales, senior Stacy Werner (Lodi, Calif.) and sophomore Erinn Greenwood (Sanger, Calif.) each dented the scoreboard within a minute-and-a-half span, giving SDSU a 6-1 cushion. The Bears' Rory Stanton stemmed the Aztecs' momentum momentarily as her bar-down shot found its way past the goal line with 30 seconds remaining in the half. On the ensuing possession, however, junior Becca Ur (Lompoc, Calif.) snared her own missed shot and flipped the ball past Brown goalkeeper Stephanie Laing with only 15 seconds before intermission.
After Brown trimmed the lead to 7-3 early in the second half, the Aztec defense clamped down the rest of the way, while the offense countered with five unanswered goals to put the game out of reach. Sophomore Jenna Schuster (Upland, Calif.) keyed a third-quarter surge with a pair of scores, while Gautschi found the back of the net on a backhanded scoop, putting SDSU up, 10-3. The Aztecs closed out the scoring on fourth-period goals by Werner and sophomore Jessica Pace (Santee, Calif.), which gave the contest its final outcome.
Goalkeeper Sarah Kilgore (Rossmoor, Calif.) recorded her ninth double-digit save total of the season, turning back 10 shots before giving way to Heather Fenske in the fourth quarter. Elana Cervantes (Davis, Calif.) chipped in with four assists, while Gonzales added three steals.
In its afternoon tilt with the Athenas, San Diego State showcased its most balanced attack of the 2007 campaign as 11 different players lit up the scoreboard for the Scarlet and Black. After racing to a 10-0 advantage at intermission, the Aztecs increased their lead to 17-0 late the fourth quarter when Claremont spoiled SDSU's shutout bid with a goal at the 1:01 mark.
Freshman Danielle Pelke (Los Alamitos, Calif.) led the way with her first career hat trick, while the Aztecs received two-goal efforts from Greenwood, Schuster, Ur, Werner and sophomore Erin Lester (Lake Forest, Calif.). A pair of freshmen also got into the act as Hannah Klein (Calgary, Alberta) and Tristan Kennedy-Donohue (Oceanside, Calif.) each tallied their first collegiate scores. The Aztec defense cranked up the heat as well, recording a season-high 18 steals, including three apiece from Greenwood and Pace.
San Diego State closes out the Aztec Invitational with a pair of afternoon games on Sunday, squaring off against Pomona-Pitzer starting at 3 p.m., followed by a clash with Cal State Bakersfield at 5 p.m.
#4 SAN DIEGO STATE 12, #19 BROWN 3
Aztec Aquaplex
San Diego, Calif.
Brown 0-2-1-0--3
San Diego State 3-4-3-2--12
Brown goals: Elizabeth Balassone 2, Rory Stanton
San Diego State goals: Jenna Schuster 3, Ronni Gautschi 2, Anna Gonzales 2, Stacy Werner 2, Erinn Greenwood, Jessica Pace, Becca Ur
Brown goalie saves:Stephanie Laing - 8
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 10, Heather Fenske - 1
#4 SAN DIEGO STATE 18, CLAREMONT-MUDD-SCRIPPS 1
Claremont-M-S 0-0-0-1--1
San Diego State 4-6-4-4--18
Claremont goal: Danielle Welch
San Diego State goals: Danielle Pelke 3, Erinn Greenwood 2, Erin Lester 2, Jenna Schuster 2, Becca Ur 2, Stacy Werner 2, Elana Cervantes, Ronni Gautschi, Tristan Kennedy-Donohue, Hannah Klein, Jamie Vessey
Claremont goalie saves: Lanier Zimmer - 7
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 1, Heather Fenske - 3, Kristin Guissanie - 2