HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The No. 24 San Diego State water polo team surrendered eight goals in the first quarter and never recovered on the way to a 16-7 loss to No. 2 Southern California on Sunday at Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Center.
Sophomore Rose Kanemy led the Aztecs with three goals while Klara Goldstein, Amanda Legaspi, Katie Ratcliff and Claudia Valdes contributed a goal apiece.
Trailing 6-0 after the initial four minutes of the game, Kanemy ended the USC run at the 3:51 mark with her first goal of the contest. The Trojans added another pair of goals to take an 8-1 lead into the second stanza.
Southern California held the Aztecs off the scoreboard in the second, scored three goals of its own, and led 11-1 at the intermission.
Coming out of the break, SDSU gave up the first goal of the third quarter, and then Goldstein found the back of the cage with 4:31 to play in the period to make it 12-2. After two more USC scores that pushed its advantage to 14-2, the Aztecs put together four unanswered strikes.
The run started with Kanemy's second goal of the game, at the 1:46 mark of the third, and that was followed by Valdes, who put one in the net as the clock expired in the period. Legaspi and Ratcliff opened the fourth quarter with goals at 7:11 and 6:25, respectively, to cut the Trojans lead to 14-6.
Kanemy scored her third goal of the contest sandwiched between a pair of USC tallies for the final score of 16-7.
Freshman Mandy Lagerlof had five saves in the first half. Tiaare Ahovelo, in the second half, made two saves.
San Diego State returns to Golden Coast Conference action next Friday at Concordia University. The game is scheduled to get under way at 12:30 p.m. PT.
San Diego State: 1-0-3-3 – 7
Southern California: 8-3-3-2 – 16
San Diego State Goals: Kanemy (3), Goldstein (1), Legaspi (1), Ratcliff (1), Valdes (1)
Southern California Goals: Muzsnay (3), Tehaney (3), Weber (3), Kearns (2), Anzar (1), Crum (1), Haas (1), Lawson (1), Meyer (1)
San Diego State Saves: Lagerlof (5), Ahovelo (2)
Southern California Saves: Ward (10)
No. 24 Water Polo Falls to No. 2 Southern California
