May 10, 2008
PALO ALTO, Calif. - The fourth-seeded San Diego State water polo team (30-7) downed No. 8 seed Pomona-Pitzer, 11-4, in the consolation round of the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship at Avery Aquatic Center on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Aztecs established an SDSU single-season record 30 wins.
Anna Gonzales led eight Aztec goal scorers with a hat trick, while Erinn Greenwood connected on both of her shot attempts. Along with an impressive offensive showing, SDSU's defense stepped up as Gonzales notched five steals and Heather Fenske racked up nine blocks in front of the cage.
"Overall we played amazing defense in holding (Pomona-Pitzer) to just four goals," said Aztec head coach Carin Crawford. "It was a great effort and I believe it will help us get back on track for the rest of the tournament."
San Diego State took an early 3-1 lead after the first eight minutes of action. Gonzales kicked off the scoring on the Aztecs' opening possession with a power play goal just 61 seconds into the game. After successfully defending two 5-on-6 situations, the Scarlet and Black came back down the pool to notch their second tally, this time with Becca Ur drilling a shot past Pomona-Pitzer goalkeeper Elana Peifer. Tiphanie Elliott then put SDSU up by three at the 2:41 mark before the Sagehens dented the scoreboard on their third man-up opportunity.
The Aztecs widened their lead to 5-1 with a solid defensive effort and a pair of goals in the second frame. Neither team was able to get a shot off in the first three minutes of the quarter, but Greenwood found the back of the cage during a 6-on-5 situation at the 5:00 mark. Jamie Vessey then skipped the ball past Peifer just 53 seconds later for her fifth goal of the season, giving the Aztecs a comfortable 5-1 advantage at the half.
Greenwood opened the third period with her second tally of the game before the Sagehens ended a 14 minute scoring drought when Nicole Rush connected on a breakaway. The Aztecs responded with Gonzales converting a penalty shot and Jenna Schuster scoring on a man-up opportunity to widen their lead to 8-2. Pomona-Pitzer was able to notch the final goal of the frame as Laura Condon found the back of the cage with 12 ticks left on the clock.
In the final stanza, SDSU outscored the Sagehens, 3-1, with Gonzales completing a hat trick before Erin Lester and Ronni Gautschi recorded their first strikes of the day for the 11-4 victory.
"This game was important for us to win," Crawford said. "We really needed to get back on track after a tough loss last night. I felt the team responded well and came out with great intensity."
San Diego State will return to action on Sunday, May 11, when it faces Michigan in the fifth-place game at 2:15 p.m. (PDT). This will mark the third meeting between the two teams this season as the Aztecs hold a 2-0 mark against the Collegiate Water Polo Association champions.
NCAA Championship: Consolation Round
(4)San Diego State 11, (8)Pomona-Pitzer 4
Avery Aquatic Center - Stanford, Calif.
May 10, 2008
PP 1-0-2-1 -- 4SDSU 3-2-3-3 -- 11
PP goals: Condon, Gyorffy, Ide-Foster, KingmanSDSU goals: Gonzales 3, Greenwood 2, Elliott, Gautschi, Lester, Schuster, Ur, J. Vessey
PP goalie saves: Peifer 2, Kingman 1SDSU goalie saves: Fenske 9, Bentley 3