SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State water polo team, which remained at No. 17 in this week's Collegiate Water Polo Association top-25 poll, opens the home portion of its 2021 schedule with three games this weekend. The Aztecs host No. 10 UC San Diego on Friday and then play No. 4 UC Irvine Anteaters in a doubleheader on Saturday.
This Week
Friday, February 19
No. 17 San Diego State vs. No. 10 UC San Diego – 11 a.m. PT at the Aztec Aquaplex, San Diego, Calif.
Saturday, February 20
No. 17 San Diego State vs. No. 4 UC Irvine – 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. PT at the Aztec Aquaplex, San Diego, Calif.
Know This
Versus No. 10 UC San Diego (0-0)
• Friday will mark the 59th meeting between the programs with San Diego State holding a 44-14 lead in the all-time series, but SDSU hasn't defeated the Tritons in the last five matchups.
• In games contested in the Aztecs home pool, San Diego State is 11-3 against the Tritons, but have dropped the last two meetings.
• In its 11 home wins against UC San Diego, the Aztecs have an average margin of victory of 4.5 goals and only twice, in 2007 and 2013, were the games decided by two goals or less.
• This will be the first meeting between the programs, not related to the Harper Cup, since a neutral site game on Feb. 25, 2017 in Irvine, Calif.
• Karli Canale has three career goals in as many games against UC San Diego.
• Emily Bennett has scored two goals against the Tritons and Delaney Binette and Haley Hagerty each have one tally against UC San Diego in their college careers.
• After finishing the 2020 season with a 13-7 mark, including 1-1 in the Big West, UC San Diego opens the 2021 season at San Diego State.
Versus No. 4 UC Irvine (2-1)
• This will be the 42nd and 43rd meetings between these two programs, dating back to the 1995 season, with San Diego State holding a 25-16 lead in the all-time series.
• Surprisingly, San Diego State trails UC Irvine 4-to-5 in games played in the Aztecs' pool and after starting the home portion of the series 4-1, SDSU has dropped the last four to the Anteaters on The Mesa.
• San Diego State won the first 15 matchups, and 20 of the first 21, regardless of location, against UC Irvine. But since Feb. 28, 2019, the Anteaters are 15-5 against SDSU.
• In its home victories against UC Irvine, SDSU is averaging 7.4 goals and holding UC Irvine to 5.3.
• In its losses in the Aquaplex, San Diego State is scoring 7.4 goals, but allowing 9.4 to the Anteaters. In SDSU's four wins, it has reached double digit-goals in three games. In its five losses, four games were decided by one goal and two of those went to overtime.
• UC Irvine will be the third team ranked in the top-25 that San Diego State will have faced among its first three opponents.
• In each of the nine matchups between these programs that has occurred in the Aztecs' pool, UC Irvine has been ranked in the top-20.
• On the current roster, Karli Canale has a team-high five career-goals against UC Irvine, including a hat trick in last year's game. Emily Bennett has a pair of goals and Delaney Binette and Sydney Hurst have each scored once against the Anteaters.
San Diego State
• San Diego State is 0-3 overall and No. 17 in the nation after opening the season iwith a three-game set at No. 6 Arizona State.
• Karli Canale leads the Aztecs offense with a team-high 8 goals. She recorded her seventh career hat trick in the season opener at ASU and scored multiple times in each of the three games in Tempe.
• Emily Bennett has found the back of the cage four times. Jessica Leckich has three goals and Lucia Carballo and Rory Nuuhiwa have each scored twice.
• Spencer Samuel has assisted on a team-best five goals.
• Zoe Morgan leads the team's goalies with 17 saves and 80 minutes.
• Kori Bento, a freshman, picked up her first collegiate goal at No. 6 Arizona State.
• Head coach Carin Crawford has amassed 484 career victories in her now 21+ years at the helm of the San Diego State water polo program.
Aztecs Open Home Slate Versus UC San Diego & UC Irvine
