April 5, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Water Polo Weekly Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SAN DIEGO STATE WELCOMES CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE, UC SAN DIEGO TO THE AZTEC AQUAPLEX THIS WEEKEND
- Off to its best start in program history, the seventh-ranked San Diego State water polo team returns home to the friendly confines of the Aztec Aquaplex this weekend, playing host to No. 20 Cal State Northridge on Friday, April 6, before tangling with 14th-ranked UC San Diego in the sixth annual Harper Cup showdown on Saturday, April 7. The Aztecs' conference tilt with the Matadors is slated to get underway at 1 p.m., while their clash with the crosstown Tritons is set to begin at noon.
SDSU (21-5, 5-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) is coming off a second-place finish at the Arizona State Invitational, March 31-April 1, in Tempe, Ariz. After capturing the first three games of the tournament, the Aztecs dropped a heartbreaking 8-7 decision to the host Sun Devils in the championship final last Sunday as their school-record winning streak of 14 games came to a halt. Sophomores Anna Gonzales and Jenna Schuster combined for 19 goals on the weekend, while seniors Sarah Kilgore and Stacy Werner anchored the defense with 42 saves and 11 steals, respectively.
After this weekend's slate, San Diego State wraps up its homestand on Thursday, April 12, when it takes on UC Irvine in an MPSF contest, beginning at 3 p.m. at the Aztec Aquaplex. Two days later, the Scarlet and Black heads north to Los Angeles for another league match on Saturday, April 15 against third-ranked USC, starting at 5 p.m.
A LOOK AT CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
- The Matadors (12-13, 0-7 MPSF) have been on a roll lately, winning seven out of their last 10 games, including a 3-1 showing at the UC Davis Shootout last weekend. CSUN is led by junior utility player Allison Brookes, who has amassed 39 goals on the season, followed closely by fellow classmate Christine Cruz's total of 38. Minding the cage for the Matadors is true freshman Jillian Stapf, who ranks second in the MPSF with 229 saves. The Aztecs have won six of seven all-time meetings between the two schools. Last year, SDSU received goals from nine different players en route to an 11-5 victory at Matador Pool. CSUN's only win in the series came in 2005 when it registered a 10-9 upset at the Kroc Center in San Diego.
A LOOK AT UC SAN DIEGO
- The Tritons (11-11) also competed at the Davis Shootout, posting a 2-2 record, including a 6-2 triumph over Cal State San Bernardino in their last outing on Sunday. UCSD is paced by senior Sarah Bajorek, who has found the back of the net on 38 occasions this season, while fellow classmate Britta Nordstrom has 44 steals to her credit. The Aztecs and Tritons have locked horns 35 times since 1995, the second-most ever meetings against one opponent in program history, trailing only UC Santa Barbara (43). SDSU holds a 29-6 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last eight encounters in the intra-city rivalry. UCSD last defeated the Scarlet and Black on Feb. 10, 2002, when it came away with a 5-4 triumph on the second day of the Triton Invitational.
HARPER CUP HISTORY
- Saturday will mark the sixth Harper Cup matchup with SDSU owning a 5-0 advantage. The inaugural contest in 2002 featured a narrow 8-7 victory for the Scarlet and Black as goalkeeper Heather Stiles captured the game's most valuable player award. The following season, Amber Prestegard claimed the prize after SDSU prevailed by a 9-5 count. In 2004, San Diego State recorded a 9-4 conquest with four-time All-American Holly Hartzell earning game MVP honors. The 2005 edition showcased Dominique Delgado, who contributed three assists and added one goal and one steal en route to winning the MVP award in the Aztecs' 9-4 triumph at the Kroc Center. Last season, Stacy Werner took home the hardware after posting six steals, one goal and one assist in a 6-5 nail-biter on the road.
The Harper Cup is named for current UCSD men's water polo coach Denny Harper, who coached SDSU head coach Carin Crawford and UCSD women's head coach Larry Sanders while they were attending the La Jolla school. Harper, who graduated from SDSU in 1978, coached the Triton women's team to five collegiate national championships from 1985-1999.
WHAT SOPHOMORE JINX?
- The sophomore trio of Jenna Schuster, Anna Gonzales and Erinn Greenwood has provided much of the SDSU scoring punch thus far in 2007, scoring 137 of the Aztecs' 262 goals (52.3 percent). Schuster has caught fire in the past three weeks with 39 goals in 12 games. The Upland, Calif., native, netted a first-quarter hat trick at California on March 17, lifting the Aztecs to a 7-5 upset over the Golden Bears. She then combined for eight scores the nextÂÂÂ day in a doubleheader sweep over Pacific and Princeton. For her efforts, Schuster garnered her first career MPSF Player of the Week award for the period ending March 18.
Schuster continued her scoring spree the following week as her five-goal outburst at Long Beach State on March 22 propelled the Scarlet and Black to a 10-3 win. At the Aztec Invitational on March 25, she erupted for a career-high six goals, fueling SDSU's 20-6 rout of Cal State Bakersfield. With her nine tallies at the ASU Invitational last weekend, Schuster has now scored in 19 straight games and leads the team with 16 multiple-goal performances. She is also tops among Aztec starters with just 11 turnovers on the season and is second on the squad with 36 steals.
Gonzales, meanwhile, is second on the team with 52 scores and has found the back of the net in 24 out of 26 games this season. The Fresno, Calif., product has recorded 15 multiple-goal games, including a season-high four tallies against Santa Clara (Feb. 24), at Long Beach State (March 22), vs. Cal State Bakersfield (March 25) and against Cal Baptist (March 31). Gonzales has also been a force defensively, tying fellow classmate Greenwood for second with 33 steals.
Speaking of Greenwood, the Sanger, Calif., product has nine multiple-goal games to her credit this season - six more than her total for the entire 2006 season. She also leads the Aztecs with 58 ejections drawn and ranks third with 26 assists and is fourth with a .439 shooting percentage (29-for-66).
GETTING OFFENSIVE
- San Diego State has recorded double-digit goals in eight of its last 11 outings, averaging 12.5 scores per game. Prior to that stretch, the Aztecs tallied 10 or more scores on just three occasions with a goals-per-game average of 8.3. In addition, SDSU's 20-6 thrashing of Cal State Bakersfield on March 25 marked only the eighth time in the progam's 13-year history that the Aztecs have broken the 20-goal plateau.
MEANWHILE, ON DEFENSE...
- The Aztec defense has been equally impressive over the last 15 games, allowing just 4.7 goals per game since a 14-8 loss to top-ranked Stanford on March 2. For the season, San Diego State ranks fourth in the nation with a goals-against average of 5.7, trailing only UCLA (5.2), Siena (5.4) and Stanford (5.5). At the Aztec Invitational, March 24-25, SDSU limited four opponents to just 13 goals on 78 shots for a paltry 17 percent success rate.
WERNER CLIMBING THE CHARTS
- Stacy Werner is enjoying another productive season as the Aztec senior leads the team with 65 steals, is second with 31 assists and ranks third with 44 goals. As a result of her efforts this year, the Lodi, Calif., native has been steadily working her way up the school's all-time lists in the three aforementioned categories. With her three takeaways against Arizona State on April 1, Werner now ranks second in SDSU history with 221 steals, surpassing former Aztec standout Casey Finnegan. In addition, Werner is currently in fourth place with 99 career assists, while her 124 career goals rank eighth.
CERVANTES ALSO LENDS A HAND
- Senior co-captain Elana Cervantes also achieved a career milestone this year when she surpassed Dominique Delgado in the season opener against Hartwick to become SDSU's all-time leader in assists. The Davis, Calif., native has since added to her total and now has 171 career assists, including a team-high 46 this season.
KILGORE WAS HERE
Sarah Kilgore is in the midst of a spectacular season, amas>sing 230 saves through 26 games, which is fifth in the nation and tops in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Her 17 stops against Hawai'i on Feb. 16 tied her collegiate best established last year on April 22 at Arizona State. With her effort, the Aztec senior has recorded double-digit saves in 12 games, eclipsing her total of 10 set in 2006. Her 10 stops against Hartwick on Feb. 8 vaulted her into second place on the Aztecs' all-time career saves list, surpassing Ashley Zabel. With her 756 career stops, Kilgore trails only Curran Teigen, who holds the San Diego State record with 904 career saves.
CRAWFORD AT THE CONTROLS
- Head coach Carin Crawford is in her ninth year at the helm of the San Diego State women's water polo team. In each of her eight seasons on Montezuma Mesa, San Diego State has never finished below 11th place in the final national rankings. During her tenure, the Aztecs have garnered 11 All-America awards and claimed all-MPSF accolades on 13 occasions. Crawford's players have also earned 27 all-MPSF academic awards, as well as 27 AWPCA all-academic honors.
THE AZTEC AQUAPLEX - SAN DIEGO STATE'S HOME SWEET HOME
- With its prime location, the Aztec Aquaplex is one the final pieces of the puzzle for the San Diego State athletic department. The new facility is situated on the west side of campus nestled between San Diego State Softball Stadium and Aztec Tennis Center. The 112,000 square-foot complex was built a cost of $12 million and features an Olympic-sized pool for competitive swimming and diving, a 7,300 square-foot recreation pool with a beach-style entrance and a cloverleaf-shaped hydrotherapy spa that fits up to 20 people. The main competition pool measures 51 meters by 25 meters and includes a one-meter movable bulkhead along with two one-meter and two three-meter diving boards.
The nerve center of the Aztec Aquaplex lies in the 5,000 square-foot operations building, which contains showers, locker rooms, restrooms, administrative offices, guest services and storage. The facility, which will also serve as home for the San Diego State swimming and diving team, is equipped with an 8,000 square-foot solar water heating panel that doubles as a shading structure for spectators. The facility is operated by Associated Students of San Diego State University.