April 22, 2011
SAN DIEGO - The No. 9 San Diego State women's water polo team wrapped up its regular-season schedule and captured the Harper Cup on Friday afternoon, defeating UC San Diego, 15-7. The win puts SDSU at 20-12 on the season.
The game also served as Senior Day for the Aztecs, who congratulated seniors Sarah Brady, Ashley de Goede, Ronni Gautschi, Jenna Natalizio and Ashley Novack for their outstanding careers during a special pregame ceremony.
The 10th annual Harper Cup began with UCSD taking the opening sprint. The game would quickly develop into a battle for ball control until de Goede drew a penalty within five meters, giving SDSU their first scoring chance of the contest. Junior Leanne Ford would convert on the ensuing penalty shot at 6:14, giving SDSU the first goal of the game and a 1-0 lead. Gautschi would then follow suit with a turn and score within the two meter mark at 5:17. Goalkeeper Kelly Campoli, meanwhile, was on top of her game, making several key saves early to keep the Tritons off the board. UCSD would not be denied for long, though. A Leanne Ford ejection would lead to a Triton power play goal by Felicia Orozco at the 45 second mark, cutting the SDSU lead in half. The Aztecs would keep their 2-1 lead until the end of the period.
In the second quarter, the Aztecs came out with a huge boost of energy from the crowd and delivered again, this time with an Alex Ford score just 25 seconds in. Penalty trouble would once again hurt SDSU, however, as Sarah Lizotte converted a 6-on-5 attempt at 5:15 to make the score 3-2. Brady would lead SDSU right back, hooking up sophomore Pezzolla at 3:56. Brady's assist was her 63rd of the season, breaking Elana Cervantes' record the most in SDSU single-season history. Lizzotte wasted no time responding with her second goal of the game at 3:43, once again bringing UCSD within one. The freshman then completed a first-half hat trick at 1:44, sneaking a shot inside the left post to tie the game at 4-4. Not to let her senior day be spoiled, Brady would convert on a penalty shot at 1:01 to give SDSU back the lead. Novack would then give the senior squad something else to brag about, draining a deep strike as time expired to give SDSU a 6-4 lead entering halftime.
Following the intermission, UCSD once again picked apart the Aztecs on the power play, quickly and methodically moving the ball up the pool until Hanalei Crowell lobbed in a goal at 7:43. Felicia Orozco would then break free from the pack at the 5:19 mark, sprinting down the pool and beating Campoli to tie the game at six. UCSD seemed to be picking up momentum, but Brady would break the stalemate at 4:30 with her second of the game. Junior Meaghan Poland would then extend the lead at 3:45, one-timing a pass from sophomore Emily Whalen. Sophomore Rachel Miller would then pour salt into an open wound, scoring at 3:07 to give SDSU a 9-6 advantage. Pezzolla would later give SDSU their largest lead of the game, bouncing in a shot at 1:01.
A Meghan Poland drive from Alex Ford would open up the scoring in the final period at 6:52, stretching SDSU's lead to five. Alex Ford would then get goals of her own scoring at 6:05 and 4:10 to complete her hat trick and all but seal an SDSU victory. Leanne Ford would put away her second goal of the game on a power play at 2:22, Brady completed her hat trick at the 37-second mark, and UCSD received one more goal from Natalie Peng as the Aztecs sealed up a 15-7 victory.
"This was a great tuneup for both teams heading into conference play," said head coach Carin Crawford. "UCSD came out and was definitely motivated. The key moment of the game was Ashley Novack's buzzer beater at the half. Certainly the rest of the players fed off of that and gave us the win."
Alex Ford, who scored three goals in the game, was named the Harper Cup Most Valuable Player. She becomes he 10th different player to win the award, as no player has ever been named the game's MVP more than once.
"I just played my game and was going with it," said Ford. "The seniors were the ones who really had a great game. They're giving us a lot of momentum going into conference."
The 2011 campaign marks the sixth consecutive year that the Aztecs have had at least 20 wins in a season.
SDSU will now prepare for the MPSF Championships, held April 29-May 1 in San Jose, Calif. The Scarlet and Black will face No. 2 seeded Cal in the first round. Should the Aztecs win the conference tournament, they will receive an automatic bid to the eight-team 2011 NCAA Tournament, which begins May 13 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
"This was our last opportunity to gauge where we are at," said Crawford. "I'm really pleased with our scoring right now. Gautschi and Poland are playing well at center and we have great play from the perimeter. Between our inside and outside game we should be ready for conference."
No. 9 San Diego State 15, UC San Diego 7
Aztec Aquaplex - San Diego, Calif.
UCSD 1-3-2-1--7
SDSU 2-4-4-5--15
UCSD goals: Lizotte 3, F. Orozco 2, Crowell, Peng
SDSU goals: Brady 3, A. Ford 3, L. Ford 2, Pezzolla 2, Poland 2, Gautschi, Miller, Novack
UCSD saves: Allie Taylor - 8
SDSU saves: Kelly Campoli - 10
Harper Cup MVP: Alex Ford (SDSU)