Feb. 1, 2014
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Ninth-ranked San Diego State opened its 20th season of water polo at the Lancer Mini and posted wins over Concordia and CSU Bakersfield on Saturday. SDSU downed Concordia, 18-7, and CSUB, 14-6.
Ioli Benekou scored the first goal of the season for the Aztecs in their game with Concordia and San Diego State never looked back. SDSU enjoyed a 4-1 lead after one quarter and a 9-4 advantage at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Aztecs stretched their lead to 13-4 with four unanswered goals and closed the game by outscoring Concordia, 5-3, in the fourth period en route to their 12th season-opening win in the last 13 years.
Nine different Aztecs scored a goal with Anique Hermann leading the team with four. Alyssa Diacono and Taylor Gums added three goals apiece, and Benekou and Caroline Israels each scored twice. Nikole Ferrari, Frankie Libutti, Nika Sedghi and Katy Schneider, meanwhile, scored one goal. Rachel Mitchell earned the start in net and made eight stops.
Later in the day, SDSU returned to the pool vs. the Roadrunners and it was the same story for the Aztecs. San Diego State scored the first four goals of the game and was on its way to another convincing victory.
The Aztecs were ahead, 4-1, after one quarter and 7-2 after 16 minutes of action. In the third, SDSU continued to put pressure on CSU Bakersfield by outscoring them, 3-2, before ultimately pulling away for good and pocketing the eight-goal win.
Claire McKinnon scored two first-quarter goals and eventually finished with a game-high four. Taelor Moreno notched three goals with Israels posting two of her own. Benekou, Gums, Hermann, Sedghi and Diacono, meanwhile, each scored one goal apiece. Mitchell made another eight saves in the second game of the day.
SDSU returns to action on Sunday when it faces No. 12 Long Beach State on the road. First sprint is set for noon PT.