March 13, 2015
SAN DIEGO - The No. 12 San Diego State women's water polo team remained unbeaten in Golden Coast Conference play, defeating No. 15 Pacific, 9-6, on Friday afternoon at Aztec Aquaplex.
SDSU (8-8, 3-0 GCC) got two goals apiece from senior Carina Carballo, sophomore Ioli Benekou and sophomore Alyssa Diacono in the victory, as the Aztecs took a 5-3 lead into half time and never relinquished it. Five different players also recorded an assist for San Diego State, and junior goalkeeper Rachel Mitchell recorded 10 saves.
Sophomore Caroline Israels' goal put SDSU on top early, and a turnaround shot from Diacono a minute into the second quarter extended the Aztecs' lead to 3-1 with seven minutes remaining in the half. Junior Taylor Gums' goal off a diagonal shot from the right side followed by Benekou's goal from the left side put San Diego State ahead, 5-2, with five seconds left before intermission, but Pacific senior Anna Kertes' desperation shot from the center of the pool skipped into the net past Mitchell to make it 5-3 at halftime.
The Aztecs regained control in the second half, however, starting with senior Anique Hermann's goal from straight on to put SDSU ahead by three. Hermann then followed it up with a pretty pass inside to Carballo for a goal from close range to make it 7-3 with 3:55 left in the third period.
Pacific (6-8, 0-1) cut San Diego State's lead to two in the fourth quarter, but another score inside by Diacono from short distance put the Aztecs on top, 9-6, with 1:40 remaining.
SDSU returns to the pool on Saturday, as it hosts the Aztec Invitational beginning at 7:45 a.m. PT. San Diego State plays its first game of the day against Wagner, which is scheduled to start at 10:15 a.m.
No. 12 SDSU 9, No. 15 Pacific 6
Aztec Aquaplex; San Diego, Calif.
UoP 1-2-3-0--6
SDSU 2-3-3-1--9
UoP goals: Adair, Smith, Kertes 2, Hlavata, Mann 1
SDSU goals: Israels, Benekou 2, Gums, Carballo 2, Hermann, Diacono 2
UoP saves: Realton 9
SDSU saves: Mitchell 10