March 24, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
Updated Season StatsNo. 5 San Diego State Plays Host to Stanford and USC This Week in MPSF Play
The fifth-ranked San Diego State water polo team continues Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference play with two games this week as the Aztecs welcome the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal and No. 2 USC Trojans to Montezuma Mesa. The Aztecs will take on Stanford on Wednesday, March 25, with game time slated for 4 p.m. On Saturday, SDSU will face USC for a 1 p.m. contest. Both games will be played at the Aztec Aquaplex.
Scouting the Cardinal
Top-ranked Stanford heads to Montezuma Mesa boasting a 16-1 overall record and a perfect 3-0 count in MPSF play. The Cardinal recorded its 13th straight victory on Saturday with a 20-2 rout of Harvard in Palo Alto. Lauren Silver and heather West led 12 different scores as each posted hat tricks. Stanford will meet with UC San Diego on Tuesday before heading to the Aztec Aquaplex.
A Glance at the Trojans
Second-ranked USC won a tight MPSF contest at No. 4 Hawai'i last Tuesday, 7-6. Joelle Bekhazi and Alexandra Kiss scored two goals apiece. Michelle Stein scored the only goal in the fourth quarter, breaking a 6-6 tie with just under two minutes remaining for the game-winner. Freshman Ilse van der Meijden collected nine saves in the cage. For her game-winner effort, Stein earned co-MPSF Player of the Week honors. The Trojans will also take on UC San Diego on Friday before heading to The Mesa.
Aztecs Among the MPSF Leaders
For the third consecutive week, senior Anna Gonzales leads all scorers in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, averaging 2.84 goals per game. In the same category, senior co-captain Jenna Schuster is 11th (1.92 g/game). Freshman goalie Kelly Campoli remains ranked second among MPSF goal keepers, averaging 9.20 saves per game, right behind USC's van der Meijden (10.08). As a team, the Aztecs are ranked fifth in offensive production (11.88 goals per game) and sixth in team defense (7.68 goals allowed/game).
Greenwood Gets It
In the game against California on March 14, senior Erinn Greenwood drew 12 ejections, equaling former Aztec Holly Hartzell's 282 total career ejections drawn. The following day against UC Davis, Greenwood drew another six ejections, making her SDSU's all-time record holder for career ejections drawn. After this weekend's action, Greenwood now has 304 ejections drawn. In addition to ranking first in the SDSU record books for career ejections drawn, Greenwood has also moved up to number four all time on the career assists list with 115 assists.
Gonzales Getting There
After last weekend's games at the Aztec Aquaplex, Gonzales keeps getting closer to the all-time career goals scored record. After scoring 12 times last weekend, she remains second place on SDSU's all-time charts with 256 scores to her credit. She is only 22 goals shy of first place all-time. Gonzales maintained her second place ranking among career assists leaders with her 117 assists. She remains ranked seventh in the career steals category with 173 thefts to her credit and sixth among the leaders in career ejections drawn with 112.
Schuster Sneaking Up
Senior co-captain Jenna Schuster is also leaving her mark in the SDSU record books. After recording five goals last weekend, Schuster continues to close the gap on the all-time career goals chart. With 240 scores recorded, she is only 16 goals shy of Gonzales and maintains her third place position in the SDSU record book. In addition, Schuster has recorded 108 career ejections drawn, good enough for seventh place.
SDSU in the Polls
San Diego State remains ranked fifth in the National Collegiate Women's Top 20 Poll, released March 18 by the Collegiate Water Polo Association. Since the beginning of the 2006 season, the Aztecs have earned a top-10 ranking every week that the poll has been released.
Crawford at the Controls
Head coach Carin Crawford enters her 11th year at the helm of the San Diego State women's water polo team. In each of her 10 seasons on Montezuma Mesa, SDSU has never finished below 11th place in the final national rankings. In 2008, Crawford led the Aztecs to their second consecutive appearance at the NCAA championships, where SDSU finished fifth. During her tenure, the Aztecs have garnered 17 All-America awards and have also claimed 18 all-MPSF accolades. In addition, Crawford's players have earned 36 all-MPSF academic awards, as well as 30 AWPCA all-academic honors.