Feb. 7, 2010
SAN DIEGO - Eighth-ranked San Diego State came up short in its bid to defend its Triton Invitational title on Sunday. The Aztecs were upset by No. 13 Hartwick in the morning game, but rebounded nicely in the third-place game with a win over No. 11 UC Irvine.
In the game with Hartwick, San Diego State looked poised to advance to the championship game. The first quarter saw 10 combined goals with SDSU enjoying a 6-4 lead. Then in the second quarter, the Aztecs netted three goals and went into halftime ahead, 9-6.
San Diego State enjoyed a productive first half, offensively speaking, but the second half was a different story. Hartwick outscored the Aztecs, 3-2, in the frame, but still trailed SDSU, 11-9, going into the final eight minutes.
With the momentum with the New York school, Hartwick took full advantage of the opportunity and shut out San Diego State in the fourth quarter, 3-0, to pull off the 12-11 upset of the two-time defending champs.
Later in the day, the Aztecs returned to the pool and defeated the Anteaters, 10-5, to finish in third place. With the victory, San Diego State improved to 2-0 this year following a loss and 7-2 overall.
SDSU returns to action on Friday, Feb. 12, when it takes on UC Irvine in Irvine, Calif.