April 11, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
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San Diego State Plays Host to UC Irvine, Travels to USC This Week
- The sixth-ranked San Diego State water polo team (23-5, 6-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) dives back into the pool this week when it plays host to No. 7 UC Irvine in an MPSF showdown on Thursday, April 12, beginning at 3 p.m. PDT at the Aztec Aquaplex. Following its clash with the Anteaters, SDSU makes its final road trip of the regular season when it travels to north to battle third-ranked USC in another league tilt on Saturday, April 14, starting at 5 p.m. PDT.
The Aztecs will be looking to build on their home sweep of Cal State Northridge and UC San Diego last weekend. After cruising to an 11-5 win over the Matadors on April 6, the Scarlet and Black outlasted the Tritons, 10-8, the next day to capture its sixth straight victory in the annual Harper Cup match. Sophomore Anna Gonzales scored six goals in the two games, while fellow classmate Jenna Schuster added five tallies of her own.
After Saturday's contest, SDSU returns home to close out the regular season with another pair of MPSF games at the Aztec Aquaplex. San Diego State will lock horns with second-ranked UCLA on Friday, April 20, before squaring off against No. 11 Arizona State as part of Senior Day festivities on Saturday, April 21.
UC Irvine at a Glance
- The Anteaters enter Thursday's game against the Aztecs with a 16-8 overall record and a 3-6 mark in the MPSF. After dropping a 7-6 heartbreaker to San Jose State in the first game of a doubleheader last Saturday, UC Irvine took out its frustrations in the nightcap with a 10-1 rout of Pomona-Pitzer. Individually, the Anteaters are led by the senior duo of Jackie Prine and Robyn Kaake, who have notched 37 and 33 goals, respectively. Minding the cage for UCI is junior Lauren Machanis, who is tied for fourth in the MPSF with 197 saves.
After capturing the first 14 meetings between the two schools, SDSU lost its first-ever game to the Anteaters earlier this season at the UCI Invitational on Feb. 24. Junior Becca Ur netted a hat trick in that contest, but the Aztecs were unable to overcome a two-goal deficit in the fourth quarter as the host school escaped with an 8-7 victory.
USC at a Glance
- The Women of Troy (14-4, 7-2 MPSF) had their season-long six-game winning streak snapped at the hands of cross-town rival UCLA , 8-7, last Saturday. Prior to that defeat, USC had knocked off six consecutive opponents by an average score of 17-6. Leading the charge offensively for the Women of Troy is senior Erika Figge, who has 35 goals thus far in 2007, followed closely by fellow classmate Brittany Hayes with 32. Redshirt sophomore Whitney Morgan (76 saves) and freshman Tumua Anae (46 saves) have both seen action in front of the net for USC this season.
The Women of Troy hold a 23-9 advantage in the all-time series, including a 16-11 slugfest at the Salvation Army Kroc Center last season. Elana Cervantes and Stacy Werner had two goals apiece in that contest, while Erinn Greenwood and Jenna Schuster each had single tallies. SDSU's 11 goals represented the highest scoring output by any one opponent against USC during the entire 2006 campaign.
One for the Ages
- Through 28 games this year, San Diego State (23-5, 6-2 MPSF) is off to its best start in program history and has already surpassed its season and conference victory totals from a year ago when it posted a 22-12 overall record and a 5-7 mark in league play. The 2007 Aztecs are also within striking distance of the 1996 squad, which established a school record with 27 wins that season.
What Sophomore Jinx?
- The sophomore trio of Jenna Schuster, Anna Gonzales and Erinn Greenwood has provided much of SDSU's offensive fireworks thus far in 2007, scoring 151 of the Aztecs' 283 goals (53.4 percent). Schuster has caught fire over the past month with 43 scores in 14 games. The Upland, Calif., native now has 62 goals for the season, which ranks 11th in the nation and second in the MPSF. In the Harper Cup against UC San Diego last Saturday, Schuster erupted for four goals during the second quarter en route to earning the game's most valuable player award. With her performance, Schuster has now scored in 21 straight games and leads the team with 17 multiple-goal performances. She is also tops among Aztec starters with just 13 turnovers on the season and is second on the squad with 41 steals.
Schuster also captured her first MPSF Player of the Week award last month after scoring 11 goals in a three-game sweep over California, Pacific and Princeton on March 17-18. 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.
Gonzales, meanwhile, is second on the team with 57 scores and has found the back of the net in 26 out of 28 games this season. The Fresno, Calif., product has recorded 17 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, notching 34 steals.
Completing the triumvirate is Greenwood, who has 10 multiple-goal games to her credit this season - seven more than her total for the entire 2006 season. The Sanger, Calif., product leads the Aztecs with 61 ejections drawn and is second with 35 assists. She also ranks third with a .444 shooting percentage (32-for-72) and 30 assists.
Getting Offensive
- San Diego State has recorded double-digit goals in 10 of its last 13 outings, averaging 12.2 scores per game since a 14-7 victory over Pacific on March 18. Prior to that stretch, the Aztecs tallied 10 or more scores on just three occasions with a goals-per-game average of 8.3. For the season, SDSU has amassed 283 goals and is well on pace to surpass last year's output of 298. 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 17 games, allowing just 4.9 goals per contest 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 5.8, trailing only UCLA (5.2), Siena (5.4) and Stanford (5.4). 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 69 steals, is second with 32 assists and ranks third with 48 goals. As a result of her efforts this year, the Lodi, Calif., native has been steadily working her way up SDSU's all-time lists in the three aforementioned categories. Werner recently moved past Casey Finnegan into second place with 225 career steals, while her 100 career assists rank fourth. With 128 goals to her credit, Werner also needs just two tallies to surpass Rachel Serna for seventh place in career scoring.
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 173 career assists, including a team-high 48 this season.
Kilgore Was Here
- Goalkeeper Sarah Kilgore is in the midst of a spectacular season, amassing 251 saves through 28 games, which is second 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 13 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 787 career blocks, 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.