Feb. 9, 2013
SAN DIEGO - Seventh-ranked San Diego State women's water polo swept through first-day action at the UCSD Triton Invitational on Saturday. The Aztecs beat Santa Clara in their first game, 12-9, before returning to Canyonview Aquatic Center to down Long Beach State, 7-6, in overtime.
With the two wins, San Diego State improves to 8-1 for the second straight season and moves into the winner's bracket.
In the game vs. the Broncos, SDSU was forced to rally after facing a 4-3 deficit after eight minutes of action. The Aztecs, who trailed 3-0 early, received first-quarter goals from Taelor Moreno, Alex Ford and Tori Long to help them stay close.
San Diego State asserted itself in the second period by outscoring SCU, 4-2, in the frame. Samantha Voigt leveled the score at 4-4, only to have the Broncos answer 40 seconds later. SDSU then went Anique Hermann goal, Ford goal and Rachel Miller goal to spring ahead, 7-5. Unfortunately for the Aztecs, Santa Clara found the back of the net right before the half and San Diego State went into the mid-game break up, 7-6.
The Aztecs' defense got tighter in the third as they allowed just one goal, and the offense continued to score. The Broncos tied the score at 7-7, 51 seconds into the half. SDSU, however, scored three times (Bailey Wickliffe, Hermann, Amber Pezzolla) to end the period and took a 10-7 lead into the final eight minutes.
In the final quarter, both teams played even as both scored twice. For the Broncos, Claire Eadington scored her fourth of the morning to bring the Broncos to within 10-8. SDSU, however, answered with goals from Ford, her third, and Voigt, with 27 seconds left, to provide it with a four-goal cushion. Then right before the horn, SCU tacked on another goal to provide the final margin.
Against Long Beach State, the Aztecs were forced to rally once again as they fell behind, 3-1, after one quarter. The night looked promising as Pezzolla was the first player to put their shot past a goalkeeper. The 49ers were not phased as they scored three goals in the final 3:52 to take a two-goal lead.
In the second quarter, there was very little scoring. Pezzolla notched her second of the game only to have Kayla Robert erase the goal with her first. At the end of the two, LBSU still led by a pair at 4-2 and the score remained the same after three periods as both squads failed to dent the scoreboard.
Down two, San Diego State cut its deficit in half thanks to Voigt's goal with 5:26 left in regulation. Long Beach State's Claire Martin put her team back up by two with her second of the game. Then in the final four minutes, SDSU shut down the 49ers and received a pair of goals from Pezzolla and the game went into overtime.
In the first half of the overtime, each team notched single goals. Chelsea Parks picked a golden opportunity to score her first of the game as did Ford, who scored just 21 seconds after Parks. Following the switch, Hermann posted her first goal of the evening with 2:33 left in the extra frame and the Aztec defense did the rest as SDSU emerged with the one-goal win.
San Diego State will now move on to face second-ranked USC at 11:10 a.m. PT Sunday morning at Triton Pool.
No. 7 San Diego State 12, No. rv Santa Clara 9
Canyonview Aquatic Center - San Diego, Calif.
SCU 4-2-1-2--9
SDSU 3-4-3-2--12
SCU goals: Claire Eadington 4, Elle Surber 2, Laura Burtness 1, Julia Peters 1, Erin Sheridan 1
SDSU goals: Alex Ford 3, Anique Hermann 2, Samantha Voigt 2, Tori Long 1, Rachel Miller 1, Taelor Moreno 1, Amber Pezzolla 1, Bailey Wickliffe 1
SCU saves: June Afshar - unavailable, Stephanie Clements - unavailable
SDSU saves: Rachel Mitchell - unavailable
No. 7 San Diego State 7, No. rv Long Beach State 6 (OT)
Canyonview Aquatic Center - San Diego, Calif.
LBSU 3-1-0-1--1-0---6
SDSU 1-1-0-3--1-1---7
LBSU goals: Claire Martin 2, Kayla Robert 2, Chelsea Parks 1, Coriann Snyder 1
SDSU goals: Amber Pezzolla 4, Alex Ford 1, Anique Hermann 1, Samantha Voigt 1
LBSU saves: Kelly Ringel - unavailable
SDSU saves: Rachel Mitchell - unavailable