June 4, 2008
SAN DIEGO - With the loss of three key starters to graduation, there were doubts as to whether or not San Diego State could top its record breaking 2007 campaign in which it compiled a then school-record 29 victories and made its first-ever appearance at the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship. Those doubts were soon put to rest, however, as the 2008 Aztecs established a program best 31-7 mark. The Scarlet and Black was once again rewarded for its effort, earning its second consecutive at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
San Diego State began the year with its seventh straight season-opening victory as it defeated Hartwick College, 11-8. The Aztecs then became road warriors, traveling to three tournaments before opening their Mountain Pacific Sports Federation slate with a trio of away games.
SDSU kicked off its month-long stint away from The Mesa at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational in nearby La Jolla, Calif. The Aztecs opened the weekend with a 13-6 win over Maryland, marking head coach Carin Crawford's 200th career victory at San Diego State. The Scarlet and Black then proceeded to down Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara to advance to the title match, where it was pitted against Loyola Marymount. Buoyed by Anna Gonzales' four goals and a last-minute score from Jenna Schuster, SDSU erased a three-point deficit to defeat the Lions, 10-9, for its first Triton Invitational title. Over the course of the first five games, Gonzales found the back of the cage 14 times to earn MPSF co-player of the week honors.
After extending its perfect start to 10-0 with five wins at the Princeton Invitational, the Scarlet and Black returned to sunny California only to suffer its first defeat of the season, which came at the hands of UC Davis in the opening round of the UC Irvine Invitational. The Aztecs quickly rebounded, however, coming back to defeat Michigan, UCI and Arizona State for a ninth-place finish in the elite 16-team field.
SDSU then began league play at Stanford where it fell to the second-ranked Cardinal by a 12-9 margin. The Aztecs showed their resiliency by responding with a nine-game winning streak, starting with a 9-8 conquest over San Jose State. The Scarlet and Black trailed 8-6 heading into the final stanza, but went on to outscore the Spartans 3-0 with Gonzales putting away the game-winner.
After a narrow 6-5 victory over UCI, San Diego State returned to the Aztec Aquaplex for its conference home opener against UCSB. Erinn Greenwood poured in four goals as SDSU prevailed, 10-8. The Scarlet and Black continued MPSF play with home victories over Pacific and Long Beach State before hosting the second-annual Aztec Invitational where it outscored Colorado State, Princeton and Cal State Bakersfield by a combined 36-15 margin.
With a 5-1 league record under its belt, SDSU was ready to take on No. 5 California in a pivotal MPSF showdown at the Aquaplex. Led by a trio of underclassmen, the Aztecs upset the Golden Bears, 7-5, for the second year in a row. Sophomores Ronni Gautschi and Danielle Pelke, and freshman Sarah Brady each racked up a pair of goals to lift San Diego State to its ninth straight victory. But the Aztecs saw their winning streak come to an end just two days later when they suffered their first home loss of the season to third-ranked USC.
SDSU took out its frustrations with a 12-2 thrashing of non-conference foe Chapman University before outlasting UC San Diego, 6-5, in the annual Harper Cup. Gonzales, who was named the game's most valuable player, notched a hat trick to boost the Aztecs to their seventh straight victory in the cross-town grudge match.
San Diego State then returned to the comforts of its own home where it posted its second upset of the year with a 10-7 triumph over the University of Hawai'i on Senior Day. Schuster scored four goals and Becca Ur collected a season-high five assists to give SDSU its first victory over the Rainbow Wahine since 2004. But the Aztecs were unable to carry the momentum into their next game, falling to top-ranked UCLA. After bouncing back with a 15-8 pasting of CS Northridge, the Scarlet and Black saw its regular season come to an end with a loss at Arizona State.
SDSU clinched the No. 4 seed in the annual MPSF tournament, which the Aztecs hosted for the first time in the league's history. The home team made quick work of 13th-seeded Pacific in the opening round, running away with a 16-2 victory. The Scarlet and Black then found itself in a familiar situation as Hawai'i stood in its way of reaching the semifinals for the second straight year. Despite a valiant effort, San Diego State came out on the short end of a 10-9 score.
The Aztecs ended up winning out in the consolation bracket, defeating San Jose State before edging Cal in a 12-11 overtime thriller for fifth place. Gautschi had her best game of the season, scoring four times, including twice in the final stanza to send the game into extra periods where she powered a skip shot past the Bears' goalkeeper for the win.
A day after the conference championships, San Diego State received word of its second invitation to the NCAA tournament where it earned the No. 4 seed in the eight-team field. The Aztecs drew fifth-seeded UC Davis in its first-round game at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center. SDSU's title hopes were dashed in its tournament opener as the Aggies were able to withstand a four-goal barrage by the Scarlet and Black in the final stanza to hold on for the 9-8 win.
Once again, San Diego State displayed its character by rebounding to win its next two games. SDSU downed Pomona-Pitzer, 11-4, before defeating Michigan in the fifth-place game. After the Aztecs jumped out to an early lead, the Wolverines came storming back to tie the game at 7-7 with five goals in the third period, but the Scarlet and Black returned the favor with five scores of its own in the final frame to pull out the 12-9 victory. Gonzales and Schuster, who each had a pair of hat tricks over the weekend, were selected to the NCAA all-tournament second team.
SDSU completed the 2008 campaign with a 31-7 mark, establishing a new school record for victories in a season. In her 10th year at the helm of the Aztec water polo program, Crawford led San Diego State to its third consecutive 20-plus win season and now has 229 career victories under her belt.
Individually, Gonzales and Schuster were second-team all-MPSF honorees, while Sarah Brady was selected to the league's all-freshman squad.
In addition, the senior trio of Ur, Heather Fenske and Tiphanie Elliott said good bye to their playing days on The Mesa as they wrapped up their collegiate careers. Ur finished second in SDSU history with 249 ejections drawn and eighth with 83 assists, while her 59 helpers in 2008 rank second on the single-season charts. Fenske also etched her name in the record books, posting the third-highest season total with 332 saves in her first year as a starter. Elliott, meanwhile, completed her senior campaign with nine goals, 14 assists and 13 steals.
With the experience gained from the most successful campaign in school history and the majority of the squad returning next year, 2009 could be another banner season for San Diego State.