April 19, 2017
SAN DIEGO -
Game Week Preview
16th Annual Harper Cup
No. 18 UC San Diego (16-14) at No. 11 San Diego State (17-12)
Saturday, April 22 | Aztec Aquaplex | San Diego, Calif. | 1 p.m. PT
Storylines
- No. 11 San Diego State will close its regular-season schedule on Saturday afternoon when it plays host to No. 18 UC San Diego at Aztec Aquaplex. The 16th annual Harper Cup game, which coincides with Senior Day, is set for a 1 p.m. PT start. Admission is free.
- SDSU returns to action after winning three home games last week, the last two of which secured its fourth straight undefeated Golden Coast Conference campaign and regular-season title. The Aztecs navigated the league season by going unbeaten in seven outings to finish atop the standings after being picked second in the preseason coaches poll.
- Prior to winning its final two GCC games, San Diego State welcomed No. 22 CSU Bakersfield to Aztec Aquaplex last Tuesday and trailed, 5-2, midway through the third quarter. SDSU, however, recovered in time, scoring twice in the period to close to within, 5-4, and then twice more in the fourth to edge the Roadrunners, 6-5.
- Following the victory over CSU Bakersfield, the Aztecs moved up in the Collegiate Water Polo Association top-25 poll, rising from T-No. 14 to No. 11. The No. 11 ranking represented the highest San Diego State has been since February 2015 when it was 10th in the nation. This week, the Aztecs remained at No. 11.
- Sporting its new ranking, SDSU welcomed Azusa Pacific and Concordia to campus last Thursday. The Aztecs struggled offensively vs. APU, even though they enjoyed a 4-2 lead after three quarters. In the fourth, however, San Diego State pulled away with a 4-1 effort to win, 8-3. Ten minutes after the conclusion of the Azusa Pacific game, SDSU hopped into the pool with the Eagles and promptly led, 4-0, after one quarter. Things got interesting in the second as Concordia outscored the Aztecs, 3-1, to trail, 5-3, at halftime. San Diego State then scored four times in each of the final frames to ultimately earn the 13-7 decision and its fourth regular-season title in four years.
- San Diego State after four years in the Golden Coast Conference is now 26-0 all-time in league games. In all GCC competition, the Aztecs are 30-2 all-time, going 4-2 in six Golden Coast Championship games. The first two seasons San Diego State went 1-1 at the conference tournament before winning two games to hoist the trophy last year.
- Lost in the shuffle of playing three games in three days last week was Kate McDonnell earning Golden Coast Player of the Week honors. The junior goalkeeper made a career-high 18 saves to help the Aztecs defeat ninth-ranked Pacific, which came into the game with an unblemished 3-0 GCC record. The weekly award, which was a first for McDonnell, was San Diego State's fourth of 2017, tying the program's single-season record.
- SDSU's offense was slow to get going in two of its games last week, but the defense continued to be the story. The Aztecs allowed only 5.0 goals last week and continued a trend that has produced more wins than losses since the beginning of March. Since the calendar turned to March and into April, SDSU is 12-2 in its last 14 games when holding its opponent to nine goals or fewer. The Aztecs have allowed their foes to score 10 or more three times since the start of March and went 0-3 in those outings. San Diego State is 0-9 this season when allowing 10-plus goals.
- Saturday's match-up with UC San Diego will be the third of the season, but first since February. The Aztecs won the first meeting at the Triton Invitational, upsetting then-T-No. 9-ranked UCSD, 5-4. Thirteen days later at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine, the then-16th-ranked Tritons returned the favor by upsetting No. 12 SDSU, 10-1.
- Saturday's clash will have more on the line than the previous two meetings as the teams will play for the Harper Cup, which is named after UC San Diego men's water polo head coach Denny Harper. Harper played at San Diego State as an undergraduate and established the SDSU women's water polo club team. He graduated from the University in 1978.
- The Aztecs are 13-2 all-time in Harper Cup games, but are just 1-2 in its last three after winning the first 12. UC San Diego first captured the Cup in 2014 after earning an 8-5 win at Canyonview Aquatic Center and then for a second time last year, won in La Jolla, 6-5, in sudden-victory overtime.
- In Harper Cup games played at San Diego State, the Aztecs are 7-0, with their last win coming in 2015. Anique Hermann, who was named MVP, scored twice, as did Caroline Israels, in SDSU's 6-3 win.
- San Diego State is 44-10 all-time vs. UC San Diego. In games played at SDSU, the Aztecs are 10-1 vs. the Tritons. The only blemish occurred in 1995.
- Prior to the game, San Diego State will honor its seven seniors in Ioli Benekou, Sarah Crist, Makena Magro, Israels, Alyssa Diacono, Mikayla Vessey and Katy Schneider. The group never lost a Golden Coast Conference regular-season game and won five GCC titles (four regular season, one tournament), including the school's first conference tournament championship in 2016. They also led the Aztecs to the 2016 NCAA Championship, which was the third appearance in school history and the first since 2008.