LA JOLLA, Calif. – Ioanna Petiki scored a team-high three times, but the No. 19-ranked San Diego State Aztec water polo team was shut out in a pair of overtime periods and lost a non-conference match-up to No. 9 Loyola Marymount, 13-10, on Friday in its opening game of the Triton Invitational.
In addition to Petiki’s hat trick, Sydney Gish scored twice while Sammi Byers, Shannon Murphy, Julianne Stark, Mimi Stoupas and Claudia Valdes scored once. Tiaare Ahovelo got her first start of the season, played the first half and made three saves against six goals, but did not figure into the decision. Kyla Pranajaya (1-1) played the second half and both overtime periods totaling eight saves and getting a steal while allowing seven goals in taking the loss.
The teams traded, back and forth, the first four goals. Murphy got the scoring started with a strike 34 seconds in and was matched by Loyola Marymount (LMU) at the 7:05 mark. Petiki tallied her first of the day 47 seconds later, at 6:38, to put SDSU back in front. That lead lasted 25 seconds; LMU tied it with 6:13 on the clock and it was 2-2. The Aztecs finished the quarter with back-to-back strikes by Stoupas at 3:15 and Petiki at 1:44 to send it to the second quarter with the Scarlet and Black up 4-2.
LMU (5-1) reversed the scoring in the second quarter, netting four goals and allowing two from the Aztecs. The Lions tallied three straight goals to open the period and take a 5-4 lead. Petiki halted the run with 1:10 to go and made it 5-5, but the Lions went back in front, 6-5, with 47 seconds remaining. Byers scored the last goal of the half, at the 21 second mark, to send the game to the intermission tied 6-6.
Coming out of the break, the third period was a defensive struggle with the only score coming from the Aztecs’ Gish who bent the net with two seconds on the clock.
Up 7-6 entering the fourth quarter, San Diego State (3-3) surrendered the first two goals of the period and trailed 8-7 with 3:49 to play. Valdes then tied it and Stark put SDSU back in front, on goals at 3:20 and 2:41, respectively. LMU evened it, 9-9, with 2:13 left in regulation, but Gish gave the Aztecs a 10-9 advantage with 1:41 on the clock. The Lions tied it 10-10, at the 1:14 mark, and that was the score at the end of regulation.
In the first overtime period, SDSU was held off the scoreboard, while LMU tallied two goals. The Lions added another score in the second extra period to earn the 13-10 win.
Loyola Marymount was led by Cianne Benjamin and Brooke Tora Gil scored four times each. Madison Searle played the entire game in the cage making 14 saves against 10 goals in garnering the win.
San Diego State: 4-2-1-3-0-0 - 10
Loyola Marymount: 2-4-0-4-2-1 - 13
San Diego State Goals: Petiki (3), Gish (2), Byers (1), Murphy (1), Starks (1), Stoupas (1), Valdes (1),
Loyola Marymount Goals: Benjamin (4), Tora Gil (4), Styrus (2), DeMatte (1), Issac (1), Tarantino (1)
San Diego State Saves: Pranajaya (8), Ahovelo (3)
Loyola Marymount Saves: Searle (14)
With its loss, the Aztecs will play No. 25 Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday morning at 9:50 a.m. The result of that contest will determine the Scarlet and Black’s next opponent later in the day.