Oct. 28, 2011
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State water polo head coach Carin Crawford revealed her team's 2012 schedule on Friday. The slate features the Aztec Invitational in mid-March and just five regular-season home games.
SDSU continues its long-standing tradition on Jan. 21 with its annual alumni game. The exhibition is set to start at noon at Aztec Aquaplex.
The regular season will officially get underway on Jan. 28 when San Diego State makes the cross-country trip to participate at the Maryland Invitational. After the two-day event, SDSU's next date is at Long Beach State on Feb. 4.
The Aztecs will make their regular season home debut on Feb. 9 when Hartwick heads west to Montezuma Mesa. The game against the New York university is set for 3 p.m. PT.
After its brief stay at home, SDSU will stay within county lines to compete at the UCSD Triton Invitational Feb. 11-12 before playing host to UCLA on Feb. 18. The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener is slated for a noon PT start. A year ago, the Bruins advanced to the NCAA Championship and finished in third place.
The Aztecs will then play nearly a month's worth of games away from campus starting with the UC Irvine Invitational Feb. 25-26. Following the two-day tourney, San Diego State will travel to Tempe, Ariz., for a conference match-up against Arizona State on March 4. SDSU's road trip will conclude the next week as it busses to Los Angeles for a game vs. 2011 NCAA participant USC on March 9. On the way back to San Diego, the Aztecs will stop off in Irvine to face UCI, another NCAA participant in 2011, in a non-league tilt on March 10.
SDSU returns to Aztec Aquaplex on March 15 for a conference game against Hawai'i. The 3 p.m. PT game will preclude the three-day Aztec Invitational, which is set for March 16-18. The homestand will come to a close on March 24 when California pays a visit for a 1 p.m. PT contest.
A trip to the Bay Area follows the 10-day home stay and the Aztecs will first encounter San Jose State on March 31. After battling the Spartans, SDSU will continue north to clash with the defending national champion Stanford Cardinal. That game is scheduled for April 1.
San Diego State will honor its seniors on April 6 when it plays host to Cal Baptist in the final regular-season home game of 2012. The Senior Day contest will begin at 2 p.m. PT.
The Aztecs will wrap up the season with three straight on the road starting with Chapman on April 14 at 11 a.m. PT. Later that day, San Diego State will jump back into the pool to play against Redlands in a neutral-site game at 3 p.m. PT.
In the final regular-season game of the year, the Aztecs will play under the lights at UC San Diego. The annual Harper Cup game is set for April 21 at 6 p.m. PT. San Diego State is 10-0 all-time when the Harper Cup is on the line.
With the regular season behind them, the Aztecs will return to Stanford for the MPSF Championship. The three-day tournament is scheduled for April 27-29. The winner of the Championship earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, which is being held at Aztec Aquaplex May 11-13.