April 14, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
SAN DIEGO - No. 5 San Diego State will play five games this weekend, including the third annual Harper Cup, the matchup against cross-town rival UCSD. A rematch with No. 1 USC awaits SDSU at the Long Beach State tournament along with matchups against three other schools in the top 20. SDSU has finished MPSF action at 8-3 and clinched the fourth seed in the MPSF tournament, which gives the Aztecs a first round bye. The eight conference wins and the .727 MPSF winning percentage both set new SDSU records. The Aztecs are 19-6 overall and look to win their 20th game for the fourth straight season and sixth time in the last seven years.
* The Aztecs lead the all-time series with UCSD 26-6, including the two Harper Cup matchups. SDSU also defeated the Tritons, 6-3, earlier this year in the championship game of the UC Davis Invitational.
* SDSU will play No. 17 UC Irvine and No. 15 Arizona State at the LBSU tournament on Saturday before facing No. 16 Cal State-Northridge and No. 1 USC on Sunday. The Aztecs have posted a 4-1 record against the group with the lone loss coming to USC last weekend.
Recapping Last Week's Action
* San Diego State dropped an 8-3 decision to undefeated and No. 1 ranked USC last Friday. The Women of Troy used a 4-0 second quarter to build a 7-1 halftime lead. The Aztecs had a 2-1 advantage in the second half but could not get within striking range.
* Dominique Delgado scored the first SDSU goal and Sandy Onweller recorded two third quarter goals to finish the scoring for the Aztecs. Delgado also added an assist and four steals. * San Diego State used a solid defensive effort and a quick start to earn a 7-4 victory over No. 12 UC Santa Barbara last Saturday. The Aztecs jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first quarter and preserved the win by allowing only one goal per quarter.
*Delgado and Onweller each tallied two goals and two assists. Savanah Kelley also scored twice and added four steals.
* Leading the defensive effort was senior GK Ashley Zabel, who posted nine saves. Zabel stopped several breakaway chances and quality Guacho scoring opportunites throughout the game.
Delgado's Seeks Assist Record
* Junior Dominique Delgado is approaching SDSU's single season assist record after posting 35 already this season. Delgado needs only two more to move into second place and nine more to break Amber Prestegard's record of 43, set in 2001.
*Delgado is in third place on SDSU's career assist chart with 76. She is closing in on Hartzell for second place all-time and is currently seven behind her teammate.
* Delgado showed her versatility over the weekend as she recorded three goals, three assists, and five steals. She is third on the team with 31 steals.
Hartzell Climbing Up Career Charts
* Senior Holly Hartzell continues to increase her career scoring record, which she set at the UC Davis tournament earlier in the year. Hartzell has posted 38 goals this season and has scored 259 times in her four years at SDSU.
* Hartzell is not only an offensive threat but also leads the 2004 Aztecs with 43 steals. She is third in career steals with 197 and needs 22 more to move into second place.
* Hartzell was awarded MPSF player of the week honors on Feb. 24 for posting 12 goals at the UC Davis tournament and breaking the scoring record.
* Hartzell ranks second in career assists with 82 after posting 13 this season.
Onweller Scoring Big
* Senior Sandy Onweller has posted a career high 41 goals this season to lead SDSU in scoring. She also is second on the squad with 23 assists.
* Onweller was named the MPSF player of the week on March 15 after her eight goals propelled the Aztecs to four wins, including victories over No. 6 Cal and No. 4 Long Beach State.
* Onweller has scored at least three goals six times including a career high six scores against Hawai'i (Feb. 26), the SDSU high this season.
Zabel is Able
* Ashley Zabel recorded 12 saves over the weekend to pass the 500-save plateau for her career. Zabel ranks second on SDSU's all-time list with 508 saves.
* Zabel leads the MPSF with a 4.37 goals against average and is seventh in saves at 6.26 per contest. Overall, Zabel has played 19 games for the Aztecs and made 119 saves.
Scouting No. 19 UC San Diego
* UC San Diego is 12-16 on the season and is ranked second in the Western Water Polo Association.
* The first Harper Cup was awarded to SDSU in 2002 after an 8-7 victory. The Aztecs retained the trophy by earning a 9-5 win in 2003. The Harper Cup is named after current UCSD men's water polo coach Deeny Harper who previously led UCSD's women's team to five national championships.
* Meris Bantilan-Smith leads UCSD in scoring with 39 goals while Stephanie Lombardo has recorded a 5.14 goals against average in goal.
Scouting the LBSU Tournament
* SDSU will play two games each on Saturday and Sunday at the Long Beach State tournament. On Saturday, the Aztecs open with UC Irvine (8-14, 2-6), who they defeated 4-2 in a MPSF matchup earlier this year, before facing Arizona State (9-14, 2-8) in the afternoon, for the third time this season. SDSU is 2-0 against the Sun Devils but had to fight for a 6-5 win in the last contest in Tempe on March 27.
* The Aztecs take on Cal State Northridge (16-11) Sunday morning. SDSU defeated the Matadors 7-3 at the UC Davis tournament as Holly Hartzell posted a hat trick to set the SDSU career scoring record. Finally, the Aztecs get another chance at undefeated and No. 1 USC (19-0, 10-0). The Women of Troy used a 4-0 advantage in the second quarter to earn an 8-3 win over SDSU last Friday.
Looking Ahead
* SDSU will finish the regular season on April 24 with its final two home games against Cal Baptist and Cal State Northridge. The Aztecs will then head to the MPSF Tournament, which begins April 30 at Long Beach.