April 5, 2008
LA JOLLA, Calif. - The fifth-ranked San Diego State water polo team (24-3) picked up wins No. 23 and 24 with a non-conference doubleheader sweep Saturday afternoon at Canyonview Pool on the UC San Diego campus. The Aztecs began the day with a 12-2 triumph over Division III foe Chapman, before edging the 19th-ranked Tritons, 6-5, to claim their seventh straight Harper Cup victory.
In the opener, Jenna Schuster led nine Aztec scorers with a game-high four goals. Kierstin Hill and Ashley Novack chipped in with their first tallies of the season, while Erinn Greenwood, Tiphanie Elliott, Anna Gonzales, Ronni Gautschi, Brooke Vessey and Becca Ur also found the back of the cage.
SDSU dented the scoreboard first with Schuster scoring twice to open the game. Gautschi then netted a goal late in the first quarter to put the Aztecs up 3-0. The Scarlet and Black carried its momentum into the second period, taking a 6-0 advantage on Hill's tally, before the Panthers were able to get on the board with 46 seconds on the clock.
San Diego State pulled away in the second half with six unanswered goals, five of which came in the third frame, to take its largest lead of the game at 12-1 with 4:32 remaining. Chapman scored once more before time ran out, giving SDSU the 12-2 victory.
The Scarlet and Black capped off the day with a narrow 6-5 triumph over the 19th-ranked Tritons in the seventh-annual Harper Cup. Anna Gonzales bolstered the Aztec offense with a hat trick, earning her most valuable player honors for the game. Schuster also notched a pair of tallies while Gautschi added a goal of her own.
SDSU jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the first eight minutes of play thanks to a pair of goals from Gonzales and Schuster. The Aztecs gave themselves more breathing room in the second quarter by adding two more tallies, while holding the Tritons scoreless to take a 4-1 advantage at the half.
UCSD then started to chip away as it came out of the break with three goals, cutting the Aztecs' lead to one (5-4). Gonzales was quick to put the visiting team back up by two, however, scoring at the 7:34 mark in the final stanza. The Tritons struck once more with 49 seconds remaining, but SDSU was able to hold them off the rest of the way for the 6-5 win.
San Diego State will return to the pool, Tuesday, April 8, as it resumes MPSF play with a key 3 p.m. (PDT) showdown against No. 4 Hawai'i in its final regular season home game at the Aztec Aquaplex. SDSU will honor its three seniors, Tiphanie Elliott, Heather Fenske and Becca Ur, before the start of the game.
#5 SAN DIEGO STATE 12, CHAPMAN 2
Canyonview Pool -- La Jolla, Calif.
April 5, 2008
Chapman 0-1-0-1 -- 2
SDSU 3-3-5-1 -- 12
Chapman goals: Katie MacLean, Kaitlyn Calhoun.
SDSU goals: Jenna Schuster 4, Erinn Greenwood, Tiphanie Elliott, Kierstin Hill, Anna Gonzales, Ronni Gautschi, Brooke Vessey, Becca Ur, Ashley Novack.
SDSU goalie saves: Heather Fenske 13.
#5 SAN DIEGO STATE 6, #19 UC SAN DIEGO 5
Canyonview Pool -- La Jolla, Calif.
April 5, 2008
SDSU 2-2-1-1 -- 6
UCSD 1-0-3-1 -- 5
SDSU goals: Anna Gonzales 3, Jenna Schuster 2, Ronni Gautschi.
UCSD goals: Judy Emaus 2, Nicole Hermann, Sydney Gstettenbauer, Stephanie Heinrich.
SDSU goalkeeper saves: Heather Fenske 11.