April 3, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
NO. 5 SDSU WATER POLO SET FOR DOUBLEHEADER AT UCSD ON SATURDAY
The fifth-ranked San Diego State women's water polo team (22-3) will take a break from conference action this week as it heads to nearby La Jolla, Calif., for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 5. The Aztecs will face Chapman University at 1 p.m. (PDT), before taking on 19th-ranked UC San Diego in the seventh-annual Harper Cup at 4 p.m. (PDT). Both games will be played at Canyonview Pool on the UCSD campus.
AZTECS EARN SPLIT IN PAIR OF MPSF CONTESTS
Last week, the Scarlet and Black hosted then No. 5 California and third-ranked University of Southern California in a pair of pivotal Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches. The Aztecs began the week on a high note by edging Cal, 7-5. A trio of underclassmen led the offensive attack as sophomores Ronni Gautschi and Danielle Pelke, and freshman Sarah Brady each netted a pair of goals. But, it was the defensive effort, led by Heather Fenske's 14 saves between the posts, that lifted SDSU to the victory.
After nearly three minutes of scoreless action, Cal dented the scoreboard first on a power play goal, but the Bears' lead was short-lived as Anna Gonzales returned the favor on the Aztecs' ensuing posession. The home team scored two more times before the end of the period and once in the second quarter to take a 4-3 advantage at the break. The Scarlet and Black went on to outscore Cal 3-2 in the second half to hold on for the 7-5 victory.
The Aztecs were not as fortunate in their Saturday match-up with USC, however, with the Women of Troy taking control in the early going with four goals in the opening period. USC would lead by as many as seven in the first half and SDSU was unable to dig itself out of that hole, resulting in its first home loss of the season and a nine-match winning streak being snapped. Jenna Schuster and Gonzales scored four and three goals, respectively, in the loss.
SCOUTING CHAPMAN
Chapman (9-12) is looking to halt a two-game skid as it fell in a pair of matches last Saturday (March 29). The Panthers began the day with a 16-10 loss to Pomona-Pitzer before dropping a 7-2 decision to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Division III affiliate is led by Jennifer Manship, who ranks third in the nation with a team-high 71 tallies. The Carlsbad, Calif., native is also the all-time leading scorer at Chapman with 209 career goals. Eric Ploessel is in his fifth season at the helm of the Panthers' women's water polo program.
A LOOK AT UC SAN DIEGO
UC San Diego (14-14) is coming off a 3-1 weekend at the Arizona State Invitational (March 29-30). The Tritons picked up a pair of 7-6 victories over Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Baptist and downed Pacific, 10-5, before ending the tournament with an 8-4 loss to host ASU. Sydney Gstettenbauer has paced the UCSD offense with 64 goals on the season, ranking her seventh in the country. Minding the cage for the Tritons is Kim Hockett, who has racked up 178 saves. Larry Sanders is in his ninth year as head coach at UCSD.
HARPER CUP HISTORY
The Harper Cup is named for current UC San Diego men's water polo coach Denny Harper, who played at San Diego State as an undergraduate and established the Aztec women's water polo club team. Harper graduated from SDSU in 1978 and went on to coach the UCSD women's team to five collegiate national championships from 1985-1999.
San Diego State holds a perfect 6-0 record in the annual event that began in 2002. Last year, the Scarlet and Black edged the Tritons, 10-8, at the Aztec Aquaplex, with Schuster notching four tallies to garner MVP honors.
OFFENSIVE PROWESS
San Diego State has reached double-digit goals in 15 matches this year and has notched at least 10 tallies in five out of its last eight contests. Earlier in the year, the Aztecs put together a string of six consecutive double-figure scoring games (Feb. 10-17). The junior duo of Anna Gonzales and Jenna Schuster lead the Scarlet and Black with 53 and 51 goals, respectively, while senior Becca Ur has recorded a team-best 32 assists. The Aztecs currently rank fifth in the MPSF and 14th in the nation with 10.08 goals per game.
ON THE DEFENSIVE END
The Aztecs have also posted impressive numbers on the defensive end. SDSU has held its opponents to under 10 goals in all but two games this season, only allowing second-ranked Stanford and No. 3 USC to score in double-figures. Gonzales leads the Aztec field players with 36 steals, while Fenske has been superb in front of the cage, notching 210 saves. SDSU currently ranks seventh in the MPSF and 10th in the nation with 7.04 goals allowed per game.
COMEBACK KIDS
The Aztecs have proven on several occasions that when they are down, they're not out. Holding a 61-36 advantage over its opponents in the fourth quarter, five of SDSU's victories have been won in the final eight minutes. Most recently, the Scarlet and Black posted a late rally to pin a 9-7 defeat on 14th-ranked Long Beach State (March 15). Trailing 6-5 after three periods, the Aztecs went on to outscore the 49ers 4-1 in the final stanza for the win.
SDSU also had a remarkable comeback at San Jose State (March 2). Down by two goals at the start of the fourth quarter, Greenwood eventually tied the game at eight before Gonzales tossed in the game-winner with just 36 seconds remaining. In addition, San Diego State has staged late rallies to defeat both UC Irvine and Arizona State at the UCI Invitational, while also coming from behind for a 10-9 victory over Loyola Marymount to claim the UC San Diego Triton Invitational.
FENSKE ON FIRE
Senior Heather Fenske has waited three years for her chance to take on a starting role and now that she is the Aztecs' primary goalkeeper, the Lompoc, Calif., native is making the most of the opportunity. After notching 75 saves in her first three seasons on The Mesa, Fenske has turned away 210 shots in 24 games played in 2008. She has nine double-digit save games under her belt, including a career-high 16 stops against Cal State Bakersfield (March 16). Fenske also came up big in the Aztecs' MPSF wins over Long Beach State and Cal, with 13 and 14 saves, respectively.
AMONG THE LEADERS
As of March 31, Gonzales is fourth in the MPSF and 15th in the nation with a 2.21 goals per game average, while Schuster ranks fifth in the league and 16th in the country (2.13 goals/game). Fenske, meanwhile, remained at No. 4 among the conference's goalkeepers, and moved up a spot to No. 7 in the nation, averaging 8.75 saves per game.
AZTECS MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Schuster currently ranks sixth on SDSU's all-time charts with 159 career goals, and Gonzales is right behind her in seventh (157 goals). Ur remained second in school history with 222 career ejections drawn, while Greenwood moved up the charts to No. 3 in the same category (190 ED). Gonzales (6th, 90 assists) and Greenwood (7th, 78 assists) also rank among the career assists leaders.
SDSU TO HOST 2008 MPSF WOMEN'S WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIP
San Diego State is set to host this year's MPSF women's water polo championship, April 24-27, at the Aztec Aquaplex. The Aquaplex, which opened in March 2007, is a 112,000 square-foot complex that features an Olympic-sized pool measuring 51 meters by 25 meters, with a one-meter movable bulkhead. The annual tournament will boast a 13-team field which includes nine of the top 10 squads in the nation.
CRAWFORD IN CHARGE
Head coach Carin Crawford enters her 10th year at the helm of the San Diego State women's water polo team. In each of her nine seasons on Montezuma Mesa, the Scarlet and Black has never finished below 11th place in the final national rankings. Last year, Crawford led the Aztecs into the national spotlight with a fourth-place finish in SDSU's first-ever appearance at the NCAA championships. During her tenure, the Aztecs have garnered 15 All-America awards and have also claimed 15 all-MPSF accolades. In addition, Crawford's players have earned 31 all-MPSF and ACWPC all-academic honors.
UP NEXT
San Diego State will resume MPSF play on Tuesday, April 8, when it hosts fourth-ranked University of Hawai'i in its final home game of the regular season. First sprint is slated for 3 p.m. (PDT). The Aztecs will continue its conference schedule over the weekend as they travel to Los Angeles, Calif., for a 1 p.m. (PDT) showdown with top-ranked UCLA on Saturday (April 12) before making their way to Cal State Northridge, Sunday, April 13, for another 3 p.m. match-up.
