April 10, 2015
SAN DIEGO - The 18th-ranked San Diego State water polo team clinched a share of the Golden Coast Conference regular-season title on Friday after rallying for a 9-8 victory over Azusa Pacific at Aztec Aquaplex. SDSU (14-14, 5-0 GCC) scored five straight goals during a span of nearly eight minutes between the third and fourth quarters to help snap a three-game losing streak and remain unbeaten in league play.
With the win, the Aztecs put themselves in prime position to capture their second consecutive GCC regular-season crown outright and maintain a spotless conference record for the second year in a row pending the outcome of Saturday's home clash with Santa Clara.
Yet the plucky Cougars (9-14, 2-3 GCC) gave the Scarlet and Black all it could handle and more on Friday, building a 3-1 advantage following goals by Courtney Folsom, Megan Myers and Britt Harris during a stretch of two minutes and change in the latter stages of the first period. Shortly thereafter, however, SDSU's Alyssa Diacono (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) stole the visitors' momentum after finding the back of the cage from two meters out with just 13 seconds remaining in the quarter, which narrowed the gap to 3-2.
The Aztecs were unable to gain the upper hand in the second stanza, but a pair of goals by Ioli Benekou (Marousi, Greece) knotted the score on two occasions, including a 4-4 deadlock with 48 seconds to go in the period on a strong shot from the left wing.
APU reclaimed a 5-4 edge with just over a minute elapsed in the third period on a strike by Albar Espinar before the proverbial roof caved in. After a tally by Nikole Ferrari at the 4:22 mark of the quarter tied the score once again, SDSU scored on its first two possessions of the final frame to take the lead for good.
With just 30 seconds elapsed in the fourth period, Diacono flipped a shot inside the right post at close range, while Anique Hermann (San Diego, Calif.) found herself all alone on a counterattack moments later and hit pay dirt to give the Aztecs a two-goal cushion at 7-5.
Midway through the quarter, Diacono also managed to get behind the Cougar defense, muscling the ball into the net to complete her second hat trick of the season, while Ferrari skipped a shot from the left flank on a timely pass from Caroline Israels (Pompano Beach, Fla.) to put the host school in command 9-5 with 4:37 remaining in the contest. APU made things interesting with three goals down the stretch, but Taylor Whitney's second straight score with just 1.3 seconds left on the clock came too little too late.
Aztec goalkeeper Rachel Mitchell (Danville, Calif.) made 11 saves in front of the net and kept the Cougars off the board for over 12 minutes in the decisive second half, while her counterpart Katie Margot registered 10 stops of her own.
San Diego State will battle Santa Clara in its final regular-season GCC game of the year at Aztec Aquaplex on Saturday, with the opening sprint set for 1 p.m. PT.
No. 18 SAN DIEGO STATE 9, AZUSA PACIFIC 8Aztec Aquaplex; San Diego, Calif.
APU 3-1-1-3 -- 8SDSU 2-2-1-4 -- 9
SDSU GoalsDiacono 3, Benekou 2, Ferrari 2, Hermann 1, Israels 1
APU GoalsEspinar 2, Harris 2, Whitney 2, Folsom 1, Myers 1
SDSU SavesMitchell 11
APU SavesMargot 10