Feb. 26, 2012
IRVINE, Calif. - Ninth-ranked San Diego State finished in fifth place at the 16-team UC Irvine Invitational after it upset No. 5 Arizona State, 9-8, and defeated 10th-ranked Loyola Marymount, 9-5. The Aztecs completed the two-day tournament with a 3-1 record and are now 11-3 on the season.
SDSU and the Sun Devils were tied at 2-2 after one quarter and ASU enjoyed a 4-3 lead at halftime. Both schools were even in the third quarter as each team scored twice and the game moved to the final period with Arizona State leading, 6-5. The fourth quarter, however, belonged to the Aztecs as they scored four times, while allowing two goals themselves, to emerge with the one-goal victory.
Meaghan Poland scored a game-high three goals to lead San Diego State. Amber Pezzolla and Anique Hermann scored two goals apiece, and Emily Whalen and Taelor Moreno added single tallies. Goalkeeper Kelly Campoli made 12 saves to anchor the defense.
In the fifth-place game vs. LMU, San Diego State was faced with a 2-1 deficit after the first eight minutes. The rest of the game, however, was all Aztecs as they scored seven goals over the next two quarters to take an 8-4 lead into the fourth period. In the final frame, each squad scored once and SDSU claimed its second win of the season over the Lions. Earlier this year, San Diego State defeated LMU, 8-7, in the final game of the UCSD Triton Invitational.
Poland led the team again with four goals and the Aztecs received one goal apiece from Moreno, Whalen, Hermann, Samantha Voigt and Tori Long. Campoli was solid once again, stopping 12 LMU shots.
San Diego State returns to the pool on Saturday, March 3, when they step back into conference action at Arizona State. The MPSF contest is set to start at 1 p.m. PT.
No. 9 San Diego State 9, No. 5 Arizona State 8
SDSU 2-1-2-4--9
ASU 2-2-2-2--8
SDSU goals: Poland - 3, Pezzolla - 2, Hermann - 2, Whalen, Moreno
ASU goals: Carter - 3, Haas - 2, Kertes, White, Salloum
Saves: Campoli (SDSU) - 12, Hutchinson (ASU) - 7
No. 9 San Diego State 9, No. 10 Loyola Marymount 5
SDSU 1-3-4-1--9
LMU 2-0-2-1--5
SDSU goals: Poland - 4, Moreno, Voigt, Whalen, Long, Hermann
LMU goals: Ki. Benedetti - 2, Manke, Honny, Delgado
Saves: Campoli (SDSU) - 12, Ponce (LMU) - 9