Feb. 21, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format
NO. 6 SDSU WATER POLO PUTS 10-0 RECORD ON THE LINE AT UCI INVITATIONAL
The sixth-ranked San Diego State women's water polo team will look to improve on its unblemished 10-0 record this weekend when the Aztecs make the short trip north for the UC Irvine Invitational (Feb. 23-24). The two-day, 16-team tournament will be held at both Anteater Pool on the UCI campus and at Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach, Calif. SDSU will open pool play with a 12:45 p.m. (PST) match-up with No. 11 UC Davis. The Aztecs and the Aggies will be joined in Bracket C by third-ranked USC and No. 15 Michigan. If the Scarlet and Black wins the tournament opener, it will take on the victor of the USC/Michigan game at 4:30 p.m. If the Aztecs falter, they will play the loser of that same game at 5:45 p.m. SDSU will play both of its matches at Anteater Pool on Saturday.
With an elite field that includes top-ranked UCLA and No. 2 Stanford, the UC Irvine Invitational will be San Diego State's toughest tournament to date. All 16 teams participating are nationally ranked.
AZTECS WIN FIVE AT PRINCETON INVITE
San Diego State was not affected by the time change during its trip back east as the Aztecs picked up five wins to improve to 10-0 on the season. SDSU opened the Princeton Invitational with a narrow 10-9 victory over No. 15 Michigan before downing Bucknell, 13-8. The Scarlet and Black ended the first day of competition with an 11-6 triumph over host and No. 19th-ranked Princeton. The Aztecs carried their momentum into Sunday, taking a 12-6 decision over No. 18 Indiana before claiming an 11-3 win over George Washing-ton.
Junior Erinn Greenwood had an outstanding tournament, notching 10 goals and 17 ejections drawn on the weekend. The Sanger, Calif., native drew a career-high eight ejections vs. Michigan, while adding two tallies and four steals. Greenwood also had a career-best four goals vs. Indiana.
Junior Anna Gonzales had another stellar weekend, with a team-high 11 goals over the course of the two-day tournament. Classmate Jenna Schuster added eight scores, while senior Becca Ur found the back of the net seven times. On the defensive end, senior Heather Fenske turned away 34 shots in four games played and junior transfer Katie Bentley made the most of her first start as an Aztec, notching a season-best eight saves versus George Washington.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
No. 11 UC Davis has a 7-3 overall record after splitting a pair of games on Sunday, Feb. 17. The Aggies began the day with a 10-5 loss to second-ranked Stanford, before downing Pacific, 15-7. Earlier in the year, UC Davis finished fifth at the UCSD Triton Invitational after defeating Long Beach State, 6-4. The senior duo of Christi Raycraft and Laura Uribe lead the Aggies' offense with 14 and 12 goals, respectively, while redshirt sophomore Casey Hines has directed the defense with 34 saves.
A LOOK AT USC AND MICHIGAN
No. 3 USC (6-2 overall) opened Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play last weekend with wins over eighth-ranked Arizona State (11-5) and No. 10 UC Irvine (10-3). Junior Michelle Stein, who was named the MPSF player of the week on Feb. 18, and senior Veronika Bartunkova are tied for the team lead with 15 goals apiece. Last year, the Aztecs dropped a 17-5 decision at USC in league play, before falling to the Women of Troy at the NCAA championships.
There will be familiar faces in the pool if SDSU is to face No. 15 Michigan (5-7) this weekend, as the two teams battled it out at the Princeton Invitational on Feb. 17, with the Aztecs topping the Wolverines, 10-9. Junior Julie Hyrne and freshman Alison Mantel have paced the UM offense so far with 15 goals apiece.
FAMILY TIES
It will be a family reunion this weekend as the Aztecs' Erinn Greenwood will square off against her older sister, Ashley, who is a senior on the UC Davis water polo team. The sibling competition is a familiar one for the Greenwood sisters as they were on the opposite side of the ball last year in SDSU's 8-4 victory over the Aggies in the semifinals of the UCSD Triton Invitational.
AND THEY'RE OFF...
San Diego State has been quick out of the gates this year as the Aztecs hold a 28-9 advantage over their competition in the first eight minutes of play. The Scarlet and Black has tallied three or more goals in the first frame in six out of 10 games, while holding their opponents scoreless four times. SDSU has trailed after the first quarter only once this season, as LMU took a 2-0 advantage in the championship game of the Triton Invitational. Overall, the Aztecs have outscored their opponents, 110-67.
AZTECS AMONG THE MPSF LEADERS
As of Feb. 18, Gonzales leads all scorers in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with a 2.78 goals per game average. In the same category, Greenwood is tied for 10th (2.10 g/game), while Schuster is tied for 13th (1.89 g/game). Fenske ranks fifth among the league's goalkeepers, averaging 8.89 saves a game. As a team, the Aztecs are fifth in offensive production (11.00 goals/game) and also in defense (6.70 goals allowed/game).
MOVING ON UP
After last weekend's play at the Princeton Invitational, Gonzales moved up to eighth on SDSU's all-time charts with 129 career goals, while Schuster jumped to 10th with 125 scores to her credit. Gonzales (6th, 77 assists) and Greenwood (8th, 66 assists) also improved their rankings among the career assists leaders. Lastly, Ur remained second in school history with 197 career ejections drawn, while Greenwood made her way to No. 4 (136 ejections drawn).
CRAWFORD IN CHARGE
Head coach Carin Crawford enters her 10th year at the helm of the San Diego State women's water polo team. In each of her nine seasons on Montezuma Mesa, the Scarlet and Black has never finished below 11th place in the final national rankings. In 2007, Crawford led the Aztecs into the national spotlight with a fourth-place finish in SDSU's first-ever appearance at the NCAA championships. During her tenure, the Aztecs have garnered 15 All-America awards and have also claimed 15 all-MPSF accolades. In addition, Crawford's players have earned 31 all-MPSF academic awards, as well as 27 ACWPC all-academic honors.