April 18, 2009
SAN DIEGO - Seventh-ranked San Diego State received multiple goals from four players and scored the game's first six goals and never looked back as the Aztecs went on to post their eighth straight Harper Cup victory over UC San Diego, 14-7, Saturday afternoon at Aztec Aquaplex. With the Senior Day win, SDSU upped its record to 22-8, while the Tritons saw their record fall to 10-19.
Prior to the game, SDSU honored its five seniors - Katie Bentley, Erinn Greenwood, Anna Gonzales, Erin Lester and Jenna Schuster - and all five were significant contributors in helping the Aztecs win their final home game of 2009.
As mentioned earlier, San Diego State opened the game with six unanswered goals before the Tritons dented the scoreboard. During the run, the Aztecs received two goals apiece from Schuster and junior Ronni Gautschi and single tallies from Lester and Danielle Pelke. The Tritons finally got on the scoreboard after Sydney Gstettenbauer scored one of her four goals on the day, but SDSU later maintained its six-goal lead after Brooke Vessey scored with 21 seconds left in the quarter.
In the second period, UCSD outscored the Aztecs, 3-2, but San Diego State still enjoyed a 9-4 lead at halftime. Gonzales logged the first of her two scores just after three minutes had passed and added to her total with just over two minutes remaining to give the Scarlet and Black a 9-3 lead. Following an Aztec turnover with under a minute to play, UC San Diego's Gstettenbauer found the back of the cage with 25 seconds left to cut their deficit to five at the half.
After the break, Gautschi started the third quarter like she did the game, tallying her third goal of the day. UCSD responded with a score of its own and started a goal-matching trend for the rest of the stanza. In the final minute, sophomore Kierstin Hill notched the Aztecs' 11th goal of the game and the Triton's answered with a tally of their own to make the score 11-6 in favor of the home team.
In the fourth and final quarter, San Diego State's defense took control and limited UC San Diego to just one goal. The Aztecs, meanwhile, received goals from Lester, Schuster and Sarah Brady to put the finishing touches on a seven-goal win, the largest margin of victory in the eight-year history of the Harper Cup. SDSU's 14 goals, additionally, are also a Harper Cup single-game record.
Senior goalkeeper Katie Bentley was stellar again in net for San Diego State as she was credited with 11 saves.
Following the game, Lester became the eighth Aztec in as many years to earn most valuable player honors. She is one of three current seniors to have won the award, joining Schuster in 2007 and Gonzales in 2008.
San Diego State returns to the pool on Friday, April 24, as it begins Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship play on the campus of the University of Hawai'i.
#7 San Diego State 14, UC San Diego 7
Aztec Aquaplex (San Diego, Calif.)
UCSD 1-3-2-1--7
SDSU 7-2-2-3--14
UCSD goals: Sydney Gstettenbauer - 4, Kirsten Bates - 1, Stephanie Heinrich - 1, Nadine Shnayderman - 1
SDSU goals: Ronni Gautschi - 3, Jenna Schuster - 3, Anna Gonzales - 2, Erin Lester - 2, Sarah Brady - 1, Kierstin Hill - 1, Danielle Pelke - 1, Brooke Vessey - 1
UCSD saves: Unavailable
SDSU saves: Katie Bentley - 11