SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State water polo team, which climbed to No. 16 in this week's Collegiate Water Polo Association top-25 poll, takes a break from tournament play this weekend for its 2020 Golden Coast Conference (GCC) opener at Concordia on Friday and then plays at No. 5 UC Irvine Anteaters on Saturday.
This Week
Friday, February 28
No. 16 San Diego State at Concordia* – 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 29
No. 16 San Diego State at No. 5 UC Irvine – 1 p.m.
Know This
Versus Concordia (3-2)
• After finishing the 2019 season with a 5-2 mark in the GCC, San Diego State opens the 2020 conference season with a road contest at Concordia.
• San Diego State leads the all-time series 7-0, which includes a pair of victories in the Eagles pool.
• For the second year in a row San Diego State opens league play against Concordia, having handed the Eagles an 11-4 defeat in its GCC opener last year.
• In the seven previous matchup,s the Aztecs have our scored Concordia by an average of more than eight goals per game (13.3-to-5).
• Emily Bennett has four goals in her two games against Concordia.
• Maddie Higginson, Sydney Hurst, Haley Hagerty, Karli Canale and Shelby Kraft have all scored two goals against the Eagles.
Versus No. 5 UC Irvine (12-5)
• This will be the 41st meeting between these two programs, dating back to the 1995 season, with San Diego State holding a 25-15 lead in the all-time series.
• San Diego State holds a 9-8 advantage in games played in the Anteater's pool but has come out on the short end of the decision in the last five played in Irvine.
• San Diego State won the first five matchups in the UC Irvine pool and at one point led the all-time series 9-3 as the away team.
• In its victories on the road against the Anteaters, SDSU is averaging 8.0 goals and holding UC Irvine to 5.1.
• In its losses in the UC Irvine pool, San Diego State is scoring 6.5 goals, but allowing 9.1.
• UC Irvine will be the 12th team ranked in the top-25, that San Diego State will have faced in its first 16 games.
• In each of the 17 matchups between these program that has occurred in the Anteaters pool, UC Irvine has been ranked in the top-20.
• On the current roster, Shelby Kraft has a team-high three career-goals against UC Irvine and Karli Canale has two tallies.
• San Diego State is 6-8 overall and No. 16 in the nation after going 2-2 last weekend and finishing in 13th place in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational.
• Jordann Heimback leads the team's goalies with 58 saves and minutes 240 and has a goals against average of 9.06.
• Emily Bennett leads the Aztecs offense with a team-high 21 goals.
• Maddy Parenteau and Isabelle Hastings have each scored 17 goals
• Three other San Diego State players have reached double-digits in tallies (Karli Canale – 15, Sydney Hurst – 13 and Haley Hagerty – 11).
• Head coach Carin Crawford has amassed 481 career victories in her now 21+ years at the helm of the San Diego State water polo program.