The No. 24 San Diego State water polo team finished their three-day weekend of play at the 2024 Aztec Invitational at Aztec Aquaplex with a 1-3 record. 

SDSU (11-10) sophomore attacker Claudia Valdes led the team in the event with nine goals in four games. This year, the reigning “Golden Coast Conference Player of the Week” has 16 games with multiple goals, including 10 hat tricks and five four-goal games. The Aztecs’ 11 wins in its first 21 games mark the most for the program since the 2017 season, which went on to win the GCC regular season championship. 

No. 13 Indiana 15, No. 24 San Diego State 7 

On Saturday morning, the Hoosiers and Aztecs went back and forth within the game’s first four goals. Indiana, however, then went on a 4-0 run and built a lead SDSU couldn’t top in a 15-7 loss. 

“We battled hard. The big thing is Indiana is an incredibly respectful opponent. They are a team that has been really successful so far this year. So we knew going into this that it was going to be a tough game,” head coach Dana Ochsner said. “I think we’re still trying to figure ourselves out, figure out our identity a little bit. We played as hard as we could, and it was one of those where it just didn’t go our way.”

Valdes and attacker Klara Goldstein finished the game with two goals apiece, while attacker Rose Kanemy, utility Elena Pena and attacker Holliss Munchoff scored their own goals. Goalkeeper Tiaare Ahovelo defended the net, making five saves 

Kanemy scored the game’s first goal near the seven-minute mark, but IU answered just 27 seconds later and soon then took its first lead, 2-1, not long after. Valdes tied the game with 4:09 left remaining in the first period before Indiana ended the period with three straight goals and led 5-2 after eight minutes. 

With 5:34 remaining before the half ended, Pena scored a goal after the Hoosiers opened the second period with back-to-back scores. The Hoosiers got the best of the Aztecs in the last minute and a half and led 8-3 at the break. 

Coming out of the half into the third quarter, IU scored three consecutive goals to an 11-3 lead. The Aztecs then answered back with three of their own. Valdes, Munchoffand Goldstein all scored and the Scarlet and Black were now down by five,  going into the fourth and final period. 

Indiana then went on to score four goals in the first seven minutes of the period to triumph over the Aztecs, 15-6, before Goldstein got the final goal of the game with under 30 seconds remaining for the final score of 15-7. 

No. 3 Stanford 20, No. 24 San Diego State 3 

SDSU had single goals from Pena, utility Mary Cominskeyand utility Kendall Houck, but the Cardinal were too much for the Aztecs in a 20-3 contest. San Diego State has also never defeated Stanford in its home pool. 

Stanford came in playing hot, scoring the first eight goals of the game before Pena ended the Cardinal run and got SDSU on the board with a strike with 2:54 left to play in the second period. The Cardinal added on two more goals to make their lead, 10-1, at the half. 

Cominskey scored to begin the third period at the 7:13 mark to lessen the deficit to 10-2, but Stanford totaled six straight goals that the Aztecs couldn’t defend, holding a 16-2 lead before heading into quarter four. 

The Cardinal extended its lead to 19-2 to open the final period before Houck knocked through the net with two minutes remaining for the last SDSU score and the clock ran out with the final score of 20-3. 

“Going up against an opponent like this is always going to be difficult because there’s no one player you can strategize for, it’s a team of incredibly talented athletes at the highest level,” Ochsner said.  “You can make adjustments, you can make those minor changes here and there, but at the end of the day, it’s just about playing hard, going for it, leaving it in the pool and not giving up when it’s not going around. It was a battle but the team kept their spirits up and we did what we could and didn’t fall.”

No. 19 Harvard 16, No. 24 San Diego State 11

The Aztecs offense was led by Valdes and her four goals in the defeat to the Crimson 11-16 on Sunday afternoon. 

Houck and center Mimi Stoupas scored two goals apiece, their third and eighth games with two goals each this season. Utility Hannah Bell, center Danni Croteau, attacker Sydney Gish and Kanemy all scored one goal each. Ahovelo was in goal for 32 minutes total and gave up 16 shots while also saving 12. This marks the third time in the last four games, as she has come up with double-digit stops. 

The Crimson (10-8) scored the first two goals of the game, holding the Aztecs off the board for the first four minutes. Back-to-back goals by Kanemy, within the four-minute mark, and Gishjust 26 seconds later, tied the game early at 2-2. Harvard then struck the back of the net five straight times to take control of the game.

Harvard picked up the last two tallies of the first quarter to take a 4-2 advantage lead into the second, adding three more under two minutes for a 7-2 lead. Houck broke the five-goal streak with a strike play before the Crimson answered with a goal. Stoupas scored but once again Harvard answered back. Valdes got her first goal 36 seconds before the intermission, but with four seconds to play before the half, Harvard got the last goal of the period and SDSU trailed 10-5 after 16 minutes.

The teams continued the back-and-forth scoring to open the third. Stoupas got her second goal of the game 44 seconds in and shortly after, it was answered by Harvard. Valdes scored her second goal of the contest, but the Crimson matched that strike with one of their own 25 seconds later. Croteau’s goal came with a minute left in the period, but for the second consecutive quarter, Harvard scored with four seconds left on the clock to send the game to the final period with SDSU down 13-8.

“I am very, very excited about everything that Mimi has been able to accomplish so far this season,” Ochsner said about the first-year player. “She came in as a strong freshman and has shown up every single match every season. Every single tournament (she) is getting better and better and really establishing how much of a force she is in that two-meter position.”

Houck’s second goal of the game was scored with six minutes to go to make it 13-9, but the Crimson came back with three straight under three minutes left, to go up 16-9. Bell brought the Aztecs to 16-10 with a goal with three minutes to play and Valdes’ goal with 1:26 to play was the final score in a 16-11 loss.

Coach Ochsner also spoke on the continued success and impact of Valdes throughout the season thus far. 

“Being a true physical leader for this team is just something that shows a lot to her character,” Ochsner said. “Resiliency comes from the fact that she’ll never give up and she’s always trying to do and be better, and be a part of that for the team. It’s never selfish. It’s all with the motivation of making the team better so I feel very, very lucky to have her and get to coach her. She’s just an all-around great athlete.”

 The Aztecs will resume action at Fresno State next Saturday, March 16, while returning home to play March 22 and 23 against Azusa Pacific and Pacific (University of Pacific).