March 29, 2014
SAN DIEGO - No. T-20 San Diego State water polo improved to 2-0 in Golden Coast Conference action with its 20-1 victory over Fresno Pacific at Aztec Aquaplex Saturday morning. SDSU improves to 17-10 overall, while the Sunbirds fall to 7-17 and 0-3 in league play.
SDSU got off to a fast start by scoring four goals in under three minutes time. Makena Magro opened the scoring after she corralled a rebound off the post and put her shot past Kelsie Harvey. On its next possession, San Diego State's Anique Hermann utilized a skip shot to put the home side ahead by two. After a minute passed, Ioli Benekou squeezed her shot between Harvey and the post. Taylor Gums then capped the quarter with a 6-on-5 goal with six seconds left.
Up 4-0, the Aztecs added to their cushion quickly as Benekou scored her second of the game just 24 seconds into the second quarter. Alyssa Diacono followed with a pair of goals at two meters, which later led to a Hermann goal off a mid-pool turnover and Magro's second of the morning when she found the right corner. In the final minute of the half, Gums and Hermann added single tallies to lift San Diego State to an 11-0 lead.
The Aztecs continued to pitch a shutout in the third quarter while scoring four goals of their own. Diacono secured a hat trick with her goal at the 7:41 mark and Benekou followed suit with a long-range shot with 6:49 to play. Caroline Israels then joined in on the scoring with two goals as SDSU took a 15-0 lead into the final eight minutes.
SDSU received goals from Lesley Kerley, Hana-Elise Lambur and Nika Sedghi before Fresno Pacific was able to get on the board. The Sunbirds' Mallory Rettig scored with 3:29 left in the game and the Aztecs answered with another Lambur goal and a Risa Burke score to round out the scoring.
Emily Tylka received the start in net for the Aztecs and finished with four saves in three quarters of work. Melanie Merritt played the fourth period and made two stops.
San Diego State returns to the pool at 11:30 a.m., when it plays host to Brown.
No. T-20 San Diego State 20, Fresno Pacific 1
Aztec Aquaplex; San Diego, Calif.
FPU 0-0-0-1--1
SDSU 4-7-4-5--20
FPU goals: Rettig
SDSU goals: Hermann 3, Diacono 3, Benekou 3, Magro 2, Gums 2, Israels 2, Lambur 2, Kerley, Sedghi, Burke
FPU saves: Harvey 3, Hall 3
SDSU saves: Tylka 4, Merritt 2