SAN DIEGO – Senior Emily Bennett was nearly all the offense the Aztecs needed on Saturday afternoon at the Aztec Aquaplex. She scored a season-high four times, matching the entire offensive output of Loyola Marymount, and led San Diego State water polo to an 11-4 win in a Golden Coast Conference game.
In addition to Bennett, Maddie Higginson and Delaney Binette each scored twice, and Karli Canale, Faith Cerussi, and Laurene Padilla added a goal apiece. Raquel de Pinho made seven saves to run her record to 3-4 on the year.
Trailing 1-0, Higginson put the Aztecs on the board with 2:40 left in the first quarter and just over a minute and a half later, Bennett gave SDSU a 2-1 lead.
Early in the second the Lions tied it at 2-2, but before the period ended the Aztecs would string together three straight goals. Cerussi put San Diego State up 3-2 with 5:48 to go before the half and Binette scored slightly less than three minutes later to make it 4-2. Bennett finished the run, and scored the eventual game winner with 36 seconds left in the quarter to send the home team to intermission with a 5-3 lead.
It took seven minutes into the third quarter for any scoring, but in the final minute Padilla gave SDSU a 6-3 advantage only to see LMU get the goal back 25 seconds later, and the teams went to the fourth with the Aztecs up 6-4.
The last period was all Aztecs. Bennett scored with 7:18 left in regulation and then struck again 26 seconds later to make the score 8-4. Higginson, Canale and Binette finished things off with goals in the final 5:19 to give SDSU an 11-4 victory.
THE NOTE
San Diego State improves to 5-1 all-time, in its home pool, against LMU.
STAT OF THE DAY
Emily Bennett's four goals are the most for her this season as are her nine shots.
Loyola Marymount... 1-1-2-0 - 4
San Diego State... 2-3-1-5 - 11
Loyola Marymount Goals: Sanchez (2), Ickes (1), Moore (1)
San Diego State Goals: Bennett (4), Binette (2), Higginson (2), Canale (1), Cerussi (1), Padilla (1)
Loyola Marymount Saves: Bradley (10)
San Diego State Saves: de Pinho (7)
-SDSU-
Bennett Leads No. 15 Aztecs To 11-4 Win Over LMU
