In a game that turned the pool into a scoreboard frenzy, the No. 21-ranked San Diego State Aztecs closed their 2025 regular season with a dramatic 18-16 loss to No. 13 UC San Diego in the 23rd edition of the Harper Cup — a game that shattered series scoring records and featured milestone performances from multiple Aztecs.
Playing under the midday sun at UCSD’s Canyonview Aquatic Center, the Aztecs (14-13) went toe-to-toe with the Tritons (15-13) in what became the highest-scoring Harper Cup in its two-decade-plus history. The 34 total goals topped the previous high of 22, with both teams breaking new ground in their offensive outputs in this rivalry dating back to 2002.
Senior attacker Rose Kanemy opened the game’s scoring just 36 seconds in and went on to tie her single-game career best with six assists, reinforcing her status as SDSU’s all-time assist leader. Her final stat line also included a goal, as she pushed her season assist total to 60 and career total to 196.
Sophomore center Mimi Stoupas etched her name into the program’s record books yet again. With her first score of the game — one of three on the day — she reached the 100-career goal milestone, becoming the 30th Aztec to do so and the first since Claudia Valdes in 2024.
Valdes nearly lifted the Aztecs to victory with a five-goal explosion, including two clutch equalizers in the final quarter. She now sits at 190 career goals and is creeping up SDSU’s all-time scoring list.
Freshman Sammi Byers added her own hat trick in the effort, while Shannon Murphy struck twice. Lucy Bullock, Amanda Chambers, and Kanemy each contributed a goal. SDSU split goalkeeper duties between Tiaare Ahovelo, who had six saves in the first half, and Mandy Lagerlof, who added seven saves in the second half.
The match, however, slipped away from the Scarlet and Black in the final two minutes. Tied 16-16 with 1:42 remaining, UCSD capitalized on a pair of late possessions to score back-to-back goals and seal their eighth consecutive Harper Cup victory. The Tritons have now claimed every Harper Cup since 2016.
Despite the loss, the Aztecs showed offensive firepower across the board. Thirteen different players registered a point, and the team went toe-to-toe with a top-15 opponent just a week before the postseason.
San Diego State now turns its focus to the Golden Coast Conference Championship, where it will enter as the No. 4 seed. The Aztecs will face the five-seed California Baptist next Friday, April 25, at Loyola Marymount’s Burns Aquatic Center in Los Angeles.
Though the result didn’t favor SDSU, the performance sends a clear message: the Aztecs are playoff-ready and capable of hanging with the best, especially when Kanemy is dishing, Stoupas is scoring, and Valdes is firing on all cylinders.
As the postseason looms, this Harper Cup classic may just be the tune-up SDSU needed to make noise when it matters most.
