SAN DIEGO – Holding steady ranked at No. 22 in the nation and coming off a 2-2 performance at last week's Triton Invitational in La Jolla, the San Diego State water polo teams plays its home opener of the 2024 campaign on Saturday with games against No. 12 Long Beach State and Cal State Monterey Bay at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. PT, respectively.
This Week
Saturday, February 10
No. 22 San Diego State vs. No. 12 Long Beach State – 1 p.m., PT
No. 22 San Diego State vs. Cal State Monterey Bay – 3:30 p.m. PT
Storylines
- San Diego State stands at 4-3 after its opening two weeks of play in the 2024 season. It is the first time since the start of the 2018 season that the program has had a winning record after seven games and just the third time since the start of the 2015 the team has a winning record at this point in a season.
-The Aztecs have posted a 23-5 record in home openers. San Diego State has hosted Long Beach State once as its home opening opponent and in the at game, on Feb. 5, 2011, SDSU downed The Beach 9-3.
-In the 30 seasons of Aztec water polo, SDSU has a 582-393 record (.597).
-San Diego State leads the all-time series with Long Beach State, 27-18. In the last two meetings, last Saturday at the Triton Invitational, which resulted in a 16-9 win for The Beach and on Feb. 23, 2020, the Aztecs won 10-9 at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine, Calif. In games played in the Aztecs pool, SDSU holds a 7-to-3 advantage in the series.
-San Diego State leads the all-time series with Cal State Monterey Bay, 6-0. The last time the teams played, in the opening game of this year's Titan Invitational, the Aztecs defeated the Otters 20-8. In a series that started in 2006, the Aztecs have never failed to score in double figures and are giving up an average of 5.2 goals per game against CSUMB. In the lone game at the Aquaplex, SDSU authored a 12-2 victory on March 24, 2018.
-For the third year in a row, the Aztecs are picked to finish fourth in the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) preseason coaches poll. Fresno State is predicted to defend its 2023 conference title and earned 49 points and 7 first-place votes, followed by Loyola Marymount (42 points, 1 first-place vote), Pacific (37 points), San Diego State (30 points), California Baptist (22 points), Azusa Pacific and Concordia tied with 16 points and Santa Clara (12 points).
-Sophomore Claudia Valdes leads the Aztecs attack with a team-high 17 goals and 22 points. In addition, she has five assists, a team-best three blocks and a team-high equaling seven steals. Valdes scored two goals and had an assist in each of the games this year against Cal State Monterey Bay and Long Beach State.
-Junior Klara Goldstein has 16 points, third highest on the team. She has scored 12 goals, second to Valdes, and assisted on four more. In addition, Goldstein has five steals and in the games against the Otters and Beach earlier this season she had a hat trick in each game.
-Junior Rose Kanemy leads the team with 12 assists and has scored five times for a total of 17 points. She also has four steals and two blocks. Against Cal State Monterey Bay early this season, Kanemy had a goal and three assists, while in the game versus Long Beach State she had a goal and assist.
-Goalies Ava Ratajczak and Tiaare Ahovelo have spent the most time in the cage. In 104 minutes, she's surrendered 40 goals, made 32 saves (.444 save percentage) and has three assists and four steals. Ahovelo, a sophomore, has given up 33 goals in 96 minutes, while making 29 saves for a .468 save percentage. She also has one assist and five steals.
No. 22 Aztecs Host Home Opening Doubleheader Saturday
