GLENDORA, Calif. – The No. 24-ranked San Diego State water polo team spotted the Azusa Pacific Cougars an early one-goal lead in its Golden Coast Conference (GCC) game and then roared back with five unanswered goals and never looked back in a 14-4 victory at Citrus College Aquatic Center on Saturday.
Sophomore Klara Goldstein led the Aztecs offense with a career-best five goals. Sydney Spence, also a sophomore, and freshmen Claudia Valdes and Ella Wiegand each struck twice while Amanda Chambers and Brooke Lee, both sophomores, and Shannon Murphy, a freshman, added a goal apiece.
In goal, Tiarre Ahovelo and Mandy Lagerlof, both freshmen, stopped eight and six shots, respectively, with Lagerlof earning the victory. In addition, Rose Kanemy, a sophomore, had a game-high five assists.
Down a goal after just 12 seconds, Goldstein, with her first of three first-half strikes, tied it at the 4:39 mark with an assist to Murphy. Wiegand put the Aztecs up 2-1 with under a minute to go in the opening period and with just two seconds left Murphy, on a power play, scored to make it 3-1.
To open the second quarter, Goldstein struck at the 7:02 mark and then again just 23 seconds later, with 6:39 to play before the intermission, to push the Scarlet and Black's lead to 5-1. Kanemy had an assist on each of the tallies. The Cougars got one goal back at the 3:16 mark to make it 5-2 heading into the break.
San Diego State (11-15, 4-2 GCC), which has won four of its last five games, opened the second half with a pair of goals to move to a 7-2 advantage. The first came from Valdes at the 7:30 mark with the assists, her third of the contest, to Kanemy. Goldstein picked up her fourth tally of the game with 6:23 to go in the third.
After an APU (14-10, 2-4 GCC) goal reduced the Aztecs lead to 7-3, with 5:59 to go, SDSU put together a three-goal run. Spence, on Kanemy's fourth assist, opened the run at the 4:19 mark. Goldstein, with an assist from Amanda Legaspi, banged the back of the cage for the fifth time in the game with 3:09 on the clock and Lee made it 10-3 with just over two minutes to play in the period. Wiegand was credited with an assist on Lee's goal.
On her second goal of the game and Kanemy's fourth assist, Valdes made it 11-3 early in the fourth quarter. It was 12-3 with 6:01 to go in the game on Spence's second strike of the game. The Cougars got one goal back with 4:21 to play to make it 12-4, but Chambers put SDSU back up by nine goals with her first of the contest with 2:29 left in regulation. Sydney Gish was credited with an assist on the score. The final goal of the game came from Wiegand, her second of the contest, to make it 14-4, which was the final score.
The Aztecs wrap up GCC regular season play on Friday, April 21, at the Aquaplex against LMU. The game is slated to start at 4 p.m. with a ceremony honoring the team's seniors scheduled prior to the contest.
San Diego State – 3-2-5-4 - 14
Azusa Pacific – 1-1-1-1 - 4
San Diego State Goals – Goldstein (5), Spence (2), Valdes (2), Wiegand (2), Chambers (1), Lee (1), Murphy (1)
Azusa Pacific Goals –Rainey (2), Perez (1), Schultz (1)
San Diego State Saves –Ahovelo (8), Lagerlof (6)
Azusa Pacific Saves – Miralles (9)
Klara Goldstein Leads No. 24 Aztecs to 14-4 Victory
