LA JOLLA, CALIF. – The No. 24 ranked San Diego State water polo team was held off the scoreboard board in the second quarter, while surrendering five goals to No. 14 UC San Diego and ultimately lost 10-9 on a goal with three seconds to play in the 21st edition of the Harper Cup on Sunday at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
Sunday's game marked the sixth time in 21 Harper Cup competitions that the game came down to a single goal, with each program having won three times in one goal affairs. The Harper Cup is named for former UC San Diego men's water polo coach Denny Harper, who played at San Diego State as an undergrad and established the SDSU women's water polo club team. A 1987 graduate of SDSU, he coached the Triton women's team to five collegiate national championships.
The loss leaves San Diego State with a 13-8 advantage in Harper Cup games and it marks the seventh straight win for the Triton in the game which is played annually between the programs.
The Aztecs (11-17) were led offensively by Claudia Valdes who scored four times, while the team got single goals from Kendall Houck, Samantha Loughlin, Sofia Righetti, Amanda Legaspi and Rose Kanemy. Goalie Mandy Lagerlof went the distance making eight saves and allowing 10 goals.
Valdes got the Aztecs on the board first with a goal at the 6:15 mark. Legaspi got an assist on the strike and then she scored with 5:08 to play in the first, with Loughlin getting credited with an assist.
After UC San Diego got both the goals back, Valdes struck again with an assist from goalie Mandy Lagerlof, at the 2:30 mark, and completed the hat trick on a penalty shot with 1:27 left on the clock to send the game to the second with SDSU up 4-2.
UCSD did all the scoring in the second period, ripping off five goals to take a 7-4 lead into the intermission.
Coming out of the break, Valdes got her fourth goal of the contest, and even strength tally with an assist to Kanemy at the 5:09 mark. UC San Diego (13-16) responded with a goal of its own to push the lead back to three, at 8-5, but San Diego State came right back with a pair of strikes in the final minute of the third quarter to send it to the last eight minutes with UCSD clinging to an 8-7 lead. Houck scored the first goal with 48 seconds to go and Righetti hit the back of the cage with one second left on the clock. Kanemy and Katie Ratcliff were credited with assists on the goals, respectively.
In the final quarter, Loughlin tied the game at 8-8 with 5:19 to play, but the Tritons came right back 29 seconds later to retake the lead at 9-8 with 4:50 to play. Kanemy, with 2:09 to go, got the equalizer, but with just three seconds left, UCSD produced the game winner, 10-9.
San Diego State: 4-0-3-2 - 9
UC San Diego: 2-5-1-2 - 10
San Diego State Goals: Valdes (4), Houck (1), Kanemy (1), Legaspi (1), Loughlin (1), Righetti (1)
UC San Diego Goals: Christi (3), Thomas (3), Mix (1), Sy. Munatones (1), So. Munatones (1), Okumura (1)
San Diego State Saves: Lagerlof (8)
UC San Diego Saves: Stahl (8)
No. 24 Water Polo Downed in Final Seconds at UCSD
