SAN DIEGO – Ranked No. 21 in the nation, the San Diego State water polo team hosts its final two Golden Coast Conference (GCC) home games this weekend with contests against Concordia on Friday and Santa Clara on Saturday in what will be crucial conference tournament seeding games.
This Week
Friday, April 12
No. 21 San Diego State vs. Concordia – noon PT
Saturday, April 13
No. 21 San Diego State vs. Santa Clara – 1 p.m. PT
Storylines
- San Diego State stands at 12-13, overall and 1-3 in Golden Coast Conference (GCC) entering the week. SDSU's record dips below .500 for just the second time this season and the first since it was 2-3 after its game on Feb. 3. The Aztecs' 12 victories after 25 games are the most since the 2019 squad was 13-12 after its first 25 games as well as the 2017 team which was 13-12 after 25 contests. The 2017 team was also the last one to win the GCC regular season title.
-Sophomore attacker Claudia Valdes earned inclusion on the 2024 John R. Cutino Award Watch List two weeks ago. The Cutino Award recognizes the best collegiate water polo player in the nation and Valdes is the first Aztec to receive recognition from the Award since Holly Hertzell was one of four finalists for honor in 2004.
-In the 30 seasons of Aztec water polo, SDSU has a 590-404 record (.594).
-In its 11th season as a member of the Golden Coast Conference, San Diego State has an overall record of 54-15 in league contests, and has won four regular season titles and one conference tournament title.
-Friday's game between San Diego State and Concordia is a makeup game from one that was postponed on March 8.
-The Aztecs, in 13 contests against Concordia, have never lost to the Golden Eagles (13-0), which includes an 11-6 win at the Triton Invitational on February 4. In the four matchups at the Aquaplex, SDSU has never failed to score double-digit goals and has limited Concordia to eight or fewer tallies, winning those games by an average of 6.5 goals per game. In the Feb. 4 game, the Aztecs led 8-2 at the half and cruised to an 11-6 win. In the game Sofia Righetti and Mimi Stoupas led the attack with two goals each and the Aztecs got single goals from seven other players. Tiaare Ahovelo and Ava Ratajczak combined for the win making nine and six saves, respectively.
-San Diego State leads the all-time series with Santa Clara by a 15-1 margin and, dating back to the 2014 season, is riding a 12-game win streak against the Broncos. At the Aquaplex, the Scarlet and Black is 4-0 against SCU and has won those games by an average of six goals per contest. The last time these programs met in San Diego, on March 26, 2022, the Aztecs emerged with a 14-5 win. Two Aztecs who scored in that game and are still on the roster; Rose Kanemy (3 goals) and Kendall Houck (one goal). Current team members who played in that game as well are Danni Croteau, Amanda Chambers, and Brooke Lee.
-Sophomore Claudia Valdes has played in each of the team's 25 games and leads the Aztecs in shots (110), goals (59), points (85), steals (31) and blocks (14), and is second in assists (26) and shot percentage (.536). Among Golden Coast Conference performers, the attacker leads the league in blocks, is No. 3 in goals and points, and No. 5 in steals. The Madrid, Spain native, has 18 multi-goal efforts, including 12 games of at least three goals and six with a season-best four tallies. In addition, Valdes has eight contests with multiple steals which includes a season-high four at Pomona-Pitzer (3/1).
-Junior Rose Kanemy leads the team with 36 assists and ranks No. 2 in shots (58), points (53) and sprint wins (16). The native of Montreal, Canada, has scored 17 times to go along with 12 steals and six blocks. Kanemy is No. 4 in the GCC in assists and No. 7 in sprint win percentage (.485). She has 12 multi-assists games this year, including a game high four vs. Biola (3/2).
-Freshman Mimi Stoupas has a team-best 38 exclusions drawn and ranks No. 2 in goals with 28 on 50 shots for a team-best .560 shot percentage. She has eight steals and nine multi-goal games including four hat tricks and a season-high four goals vs. Azusa Pacific (3/22). In 12 contests, she has drawn multiple exclusions, including a season-high five vs. No. 19 Wagner (2/18) and No. 22 CSUN (3/8).
-Sophomore Sydney Gish has scored 23 goals and assisted on 11 more for a total of 34 points. Her goals and points rank third on the team. On 51 shots she has a .451 shot percentage which is also the third best among the Aztecs. Her 26 ejections drawn are second on the team and 15 steals rank fifth. Gish has six multi-goal games, which includes a six-strike game in the season opener, the most goals for an Aztec since Emily Bennett hammered the back of the net as many times vs. Bucknell on March 11, 2018.
-Goalie Tiaare Ahovelo has spent more than twice the minutes in the cage as any other Aztecs. In 463:45, Ahovelo has seen 185 goals go in the net, made 139 saves (.429 save percentage), has six assists, 18 steals and a 6-10 record.
No. 21 Water Polo Host Two GCC Games this Weekend
