LA JOLLA, Calif. – No. 21 San Diego State water polo, after surrendering a combined 20 goals in the first half of its two Friday games in the 2023 Triton Invitational, limited the No. 12 UC Davis Aggies to just four in the first 16 minutes on Saturday. But struggling to score in the second half, SDSU lost to UC Davis 11-5 at the Canyonview Pool on the campus of UC San Diego.
No. 12 UC Davis 11, No. 21 San Diego State 5
San Diego State (2-5) was ready to go from the start of its Saturday afternoon contest and after the first eight minutes was tied 3-3 against the No. 12 UC Davis Aggies.
Kendall Houck, a junior from Roseville, Calif., opened the scoring with a strike 2:31 into the game to stake the No. 21 Aztecs to a 1-0 lead.
SDSU took a 2-1 advantage when senior defender Samantha Loughlin found the back of the cage halfway through the period. And, sandwiched around a UC Davis tally, freshman Shannon Murphy's goal with 1:05 to go gave the Scarlet and Black a 3-2 lead. However, the Aggies got the last score of the opening stanza and the teams went to the second period tied 3-3.
The second quarter turned into a defensive struggle. With 4:03 to play ahead of the intermission, Klara Goldstein. A sophomore out of Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, Calif., scored the Aztecs lone goal of the period. UC Davis scored its only goal with just over two minutes to play, making it 4-4 after 16 minutes.
Coming out of the break, Houck found the back of the net 59 seconds into the third to move San Diego State into a 5-4 lead. But after Houck's second goal of the game, the Aztec offense evaporated.
The Aggies held SDSU off the scoreboard for the final 15 minutes of the game, while it scored seven unanswered goals and when the final horn blew, San Diego State found itself on the wrong end of an 11-5 decision.
The Aztecs wrap up play at the Triton Invitational on Sunday with a matchup against the No. 24-ranked CSUN Matadors at 11:20 a.m. PT at the Canyonview Pool.
UC Davis: 3-1-5-2 - 11
San Diego State: 3-1-1-0 - 5
UC Davis Goals: Fundter (2), Nocetti (2), Pelkey (2), Sparre (2), Wijnbett (2), Salem (1)
San Diego State Goals: Houck (2), Goldstein (1), Loughlin (1), Murphy (1)