A slow start proved too much to overcome for the No. 22 San Diego State water polo team, as the Aztecs fell 16-9 to No. 21 Pacific in Sunday’s Golden Coast Conference (GCC) Tournament third-place game at Burns Aquatic Center.
Despite another standout performance from sophomore standout Mimi Stoupas, who netted four goals for her 12th hat trick of the season, SDSU (15-15) surrendered six goals in the opening quarter and struggled to close the gap the rest of the way. With the result, the Aztecs wrapped up the 2025 campaign with a fourth-place conference finish and an even overall record.
Stoupas scored the game’s first goal less than a minute into the action, briefly giving the Aztecs an early 1-0 lead. However, Pacific (14-10) quickly responded, rattling off five unanswered goals to seize momentum and build a 6-2 advantage by the end of the first period.
The Tigers maintained control throughout the second quarter, expanding their lead to 11-5 by halftime. Alicia Petkov and Dora Alaksza led the Pacific offense with four goals apiece, while goalkeeper Maja Lizy Dulic made seven saves to anchor a defense that limited SDSU to just four second-half goals, and none in the fourth quarter.
Lucy Bullock, Sydney Gish, Shannon Murphy, Amanda Chambers and Julianne Stark each scored once for SDSU, but the early deficit proved insurmountable. The Aztecs briefly cut the margin to five goals multiple times, but Pacific quickly countered each rally.
Mandy Lagerlof recorded five saves in the cage in the first half, while Tiaare Ahovelo added two stops in relief. Senior Rose Kanemy capped her SDSU career by adding two assists, finishing as the program’s all-time assist leader with 203.
San Diego State closes the year with several bright spots, including Stoupas’ remarkable 2025 campaign and the program’s sixth straight season finishing .500 or better.
