Feb. 27, 2011
IRVINE, Calif. - The seventh-ranked San Diego State water polo team dropped a pair of 10-9 decisions to No. 6 Loyola Marymount and ninth-ranked Arizona State on Sunday at the UC Irvine Invitational. SDSU falls to 9-6 on the season following both losses.
After one quarter in the contest with LMU, the Aztecs found themselves in a 3-2 hole and were down 7-5 at halftime. In the third period, San Diego State rattled off three goals and allowed just one to knot the game at 8-8 heading into the final eight minutes.
The Lions were ahead 10-9 with the game clock winding down and SDSU had a chance in the final seconds to tie the game, but LMU goalkeeper Kristine Cato stopped the Aztecs' attempt to preserve the victory.
Leanne Ford led all players with three goals and Sarah Brady added two. Amber Pezzolla, Ronni Gautschi, Meaghan Poland and Kimmy Keach each scored one goal apiece.
In the afternoon against the Sun Devils, each team scored twice in the first quarter and ASU took a 5-4 lead into the mid-game break. San Diego State matched its first-half goal output in the third quarter by scoring four goals and took an 8-6 lead into the fourth period.
Unfortunately for the Aztecs, their offense stalled and the Sun Devils' picked up. Despite the offensive struggles, SDSU was still tied at 9-9 with less than 20 seconds left to play. But an ASU goal with 14 seconds left in regulation was all it needed to upset the Aztecs.
Leanne Ford scored another three goals to lead San Diego State, while Pezzolla and Poland each found the back of the net on two separate occasions. Alex Ford and Rachel Miller provided single goals for the Aztecs. Campoli, meanwhile, made a game-high 14 saves.
San Diego State returns to the pool on Saturday, March 5, when it steps back into conference action to play host to Stanford at 1 p.m. PT at Aztec Aquaplex.
No. 6 Loyola Marymount 10, No. 7 San Diego State 9
SDSU 2-3-3-1--9
LMU 3-4-1-2--10
SDSU goals: Leanne Ford - 3, Sarah Brady - 2, Amber Pezzolla - 1, Ronni Gautschi - 1, Meaghan Poland - 1, Kimmy Keach - 1
LMU goals: Daisy Carrillo - 2, Morgan Bonk - 2, Mary Ann Campos - 2, Alexandra Honny - 2, Kimberly Benedetti - 2
Saves: Campoli (SDSU) - 11, Cato (LMU) - 12
No. 9 Arizona State 10, No. 7 San Diego State 9
ASU 2-3-1-4--10
SDSU 2-2-4-1--9
ASU goals: Annabelle Carter - 3, Mariam Salloum - 3, Sarah Harris - 2, Lynlee Smith - 1, Nikki Unbehaun - 1
SDSU goals: Leanne Ford - 3, Amber Pezzolla - 2, Meaghan Poland - 2, Alex Ford - 1, Rachel Miller - 1
Saves: Hutchinson (ASU) - 7, Campoli (SDSU) - 14