March 13, 2011
SAN DIEGO - The SDSU water polo team went down in heartbreaking fashion early Sunday morning, losing to No. 17 Indiana by a score of 4-3. The loss was the second consecutive for the Aztecs, who dropped to 11-9 (0-3 MPSF) on the season.
SDSU struggled as a team to find the back of the net in the first half against Indiana, going 0-for-14 from the field. Hoosiers goalkeeper Cassie Wyckoff did not make it any easier on the Aztecs, either. The junior from Los Altos, Calif., made seven of her eight saves in the first half, keeping SDSU offensive threat Amber Pezzolla in check for the entire game. Meanwhile, Indiana attacker Shae Fournier did all the damage the Hoosiers needed over the first 16 minutes of play, scoring in each of the first two quarters to give Indiana a 2-0 lead entering halftime.
Junior Leanne Ford was finally able to solve the Hoosier defense midway through the third quarter, cutting the lead in half on a put-away from three meters. On defense, All-American Kelly Campoli played a crucial role in keeping SDSU in the game, coming up with timely save after save to keep the Aztecs within striking distance. With under a minute to go in the third, a two-on-none breakaway led by Pezzolla and Alex Ford resulted in a Ford goal from inside two meters, tying the game at two.
The Aztecs continued to build momentum at the start of the fourth quarter, controlling the ball and working the perimeter of the Hoosier defense. Their hard work finally paid off when junior Meaghan Poland snuck a shot past Wyckoff, giving SDSU a 3-2 lead with 5:46 to go.
SDSU found itself in trouble late in the fourth, however, when two ejections resulted in a six-on-four power play for Indiana. The Hoosiers wasted little time, tying the game at three on a Lauren Wyckoff goal. The Aztecs would later faced their biggest scare of the game with just over a minute to go, when Fournier found a lane through the defense but hit the inside corner of the post. Then, with four seconds remaining, Lauren Wyckoff played the role of heartbreaker when she unleashed from ten meters and found pay dirt, giving Indiana the 4-3 victory.
The Aztecs will be back in action today at 4:15 p.m., when they take on CS Northridge at the Aztec Aquaplex.
No. 9 San Diego State 3, No. 17 Indiana 4
Aztec Aquaplex - San Diego, Calif.
Indiana 1-1-0-2--4
SDSU 0-0-2-1--3
Indiana goals: Shae Fournier 2, Lauren Wyckoff 2
SDSU goals: Alex Ford, Leanne Ford, Meaghan Poland
Indiana saves: Cassie Wyckoff - 8
SDSU saves: Kelly Campoli - 13