April 21, 2007
SAN DIEGO - The fifth-ranked San Diego State water polo team wrapped up its regular season slate on Saturday with a hard-fought 10-7 triumph over No. 11 Arizona State during Senior Day festivities at the Aztec Aquaplex. SDSU (25-7, 8-4 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) erased a 5-4 deficit in the third quarter with four consecutive goals to seize control of the game. With the victory, the Aztecs sent their three seniors, Elana Cervantes (Davis, Calif.), Sarah Kilgore (Rossmoor, Calif.) and Stacy Werner (Lodi, Calif.) out on a winning note in their last home game of the year and avenged a tough 8-7 loss to the Sun Devils (12-12, 5-7 MPSF) at the ASU Invitational on April 1.
Much like the previous meeting between the two schools, Saturday's clash was another closely contested affair, featuring five ties and three lead changes. Arizona State drew first blood at the 6:26 mark of the opening period, but SDSU fought back with consecutive strikes to build a 2-1 advantage. Werner got the home team on scoreboard with a shot into the right side of the net during a 6-on-5 situation. Then on the ensuing Aztec possession, junior Becca Ur (Lompoc, Calif.) found daylight after corralling an entry pass from sophomore Anna Gonzales (Fresno, Calif.). The Sun Devils knotted the score two minutes later, but Gonzales converted a man-up opportunity with 49 seconds left in the quarter, giving the Scarlet and Black a 3-2 cushion.
The usually high-powered SDSU offense was short-circuited in the second stanza, however, as ASU forged a 4-3 lead at intermission thanks to tallies by Katy Lawlor and Amanda Stepp.
The two teams traded scores three minutes into the third period before the Aztecs caught lightning in a bottle with four goals over a span of 2:14 to regain the momentum. Gonzales connected on her third power play chance of the day at the 3:56 mark, while sophomore Erinn Greenwood (Sanger, Calif.) put SDSU ahead to stay less than a minute later when her shot from two meters found the back of the net. Shortly thereafter, fellow classmate Jenna Schuster (Upland, Calif.) got into the act by converting a cross-court pass from Werner, which extended her scoring streak to 25 games. Greenwood then capped off the pivotal stretch with a score after beating Sun Devil goalkeeper Cailynn Wallace for a loose ball. ASU finally answered on a goal by Katie Hedley at the 1:23 mark, pulling the visitors to within 8-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
SDSU added some insurance in the final frame as Schuster tipped in a shot during a 6-on-5 opportunity at the 6:18 mark, while Gonzales notched her fourth goal of the day just over a minute later. The Sun Devils trimmed the lead to 10-7 on Hedley's third score with 1:46 left in the game, but it was too little too late as the Aztecs ran out the remaining clock to ice the victory.
On the defensive side, Kilgore turned away 10 ASU shots in front of the cage, while Gonzales and Werner added three steals apiece. Meanwhile with her two tallies, Schuster became SDSU's first 70-goal scorer since Holly Hartzell (90) in 2001.
San Diego State returns to the pool next week when it travels to Tempe, Ariz., for the MPSF Championships, April 26-28, at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center on the campus of Arizona State. The fifth-seeded Aztecs will open tournament play on Thursday, April 26, when they square off against 12th-seeded UC Santa Barbara starting at 11:20 a.m.
#5 SAN DIEGO STATE 10, #11 ARIZONA STATE 7
April 21, 2007
Aztec Aquaplex--San Diego, Calif.
Arizona State 2-2-2-1--7
San Diego State 3-0-5-2--10
Arizona State goals: Katie Hedley 3, Katy Lawlor 2, Addison Doud, Amanda Stepp
San Diego State goals: Anna Gonzales 4, Erinn Greenwood 2, Jenna Schuster 2, Becca Ur, Stacy Werner
Arizona State goalie saves: Caylinn Wallace - 9
San Diego State goalie saves: Sarah Kilgore - 10