SAN DIEGO – The No. 20-ranked San Diego State water polo team held a 10-9 lead over No. 12 Princeton with 2:19 to play in its opening game of the 2025 Aztec Invitational, but a pair of Tigers’ goals, the final as time expired, doomed SDSU to an 11-10 loss on a rainy Friday afternoon at Aztec Aquaplex.
The Aztecs offense was led by three goals from Lucy Bullock. Mimi Stoupas added two goals, while SDSU got single goals from Hannah Bell, Sydney Gish, Megan Holcomb, Brooke Lee and Sofia Righetti. In the cage, Tiaare Ahovelo played 32 minutes, made seven saves, while surrendering 11 goals.
The first quarter saw the Tigers (10-2) jump out to a 3-0 lead on goals that came at the 7:16, 3:58 and 1:44 marks and sent the contest to the second quarter with SDSU trailing 3-0.
San Diego State (10-8), got on the scoreboard at the 6:07 mark of the second on a Holcomb goal and Bell scored with 4:57 to play before the half to make the game 3-2. The Tigers responded with strikes with 4:27 on the clock and, in what would portend the end of regulation, got another tally with a single second to go, to send the game to the intermission with Princeton leading 5-2.
Coming out of the break, SDSU turned up the offensive pressure outscoring the Tigers 5-1 in the third quarter.
Bullock got things started with a goal 38 seconds in making it 5-3. It was 5-4 on the first of Stoupas’ two goals, the first at the 5:18 mark and the second, which tied it 5-5, with 4:16 to go in the period. Bullock, on her second goal of the contest, gave the Scarlet and Black its first lead, 6-5, with 3:19 on the clock. Princeton tied it back up on a tally at the 1:05 mark, but Righetti’s goal, the final of the quarter, with 47 seconds to play, sending the game to the final eight minutes with the Aztecs up 7-6.
The Tigers got the first goal of the fourth quarter at the 7:44 mark, to tie the game 7-7. Gish put San Diego State back in front 8-7 with 6:07 left. Twelve seconds later it was 8-8 and 22 seconds after that, on Bullock’s hat trick goal, the Aztecs were up 9-8 with 5:33 to go on the clock. Just over two minutes after Bullock scored Princeton tied it up again, 9-9 at the 3:30 mark.
SDSU’s final tally came on Lee’s strike with 2:19 left in regulation and the Aztecs led 10-9. The Tigers got the equalizer with 1:26 on the clock and then put the game away at the final horn for the 11-10 win.
The loss leaves SDSU with a 14-10 lead in the all-time series and a 7-7 mark against the Tigers at the Scarlet and Black’s home pool. In the last 11 games between these programs, regardless of location, the Aztecs have one win.
SDSU is back in action on Saturday with games against CSUN, scheduled for 2:40 p.m., and Bucknell at 5:20 p.m.
Princeton – 3-2-1-5 - 11
San Diego State – 0-2-5-3 - 10
Princeton Goals – Yelensky (5), Davidson (1), Carver (1), Krotts (1), Riches (1), Batizi (1), Lurie (1)
San Diego State Goals – Bullock (3), Stoupas (2), Righetti (1), Gish (1), Lee (1), Bell (1), Holcomb (1)
Princeton Saves – Lucas (13)
San Diego State Saves – Ahovelo (7)