Going into 2026 Senior Day against Brown, SDSU slid from No. 13 to No. 17 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Top 25 rankings after a loss in the final Golden Coast Conference (GCC) game at Fresno State.

Two senior attackers combined on the first goal of the game. Sydney Gish, coming off a four-goal performance, converted from the left wing. Feeding her was assist leader Claudia Valdes picking up her 56th of the season.

“I am always so happy to set up my teammates and make them score goals,” Valdes said postgame. “I’m really proud of being assist leader this year. It’s something that means a lot to me; it shows that I’m a team player. At the end of the day, that’s one of my goals, being a team player.”

What seemed to be a heroic defensive effort by junior defender Lucy Bullock, who denied a point-blank shot by Brown attacker Aubrie Anderson, instead resulted in a whistle and a controversial penalty awarded to Brown. Anderson converted the two-meter to make the score 3-2 Aztecs after the first quarter.

“We’ve been emphasizing defense a lot lately because we have been scoring a lot of goals,” Aztecs head coach Dana Ochsner said. “The thing we said last weekend after our game was, ‘offense is great but defense wins championships.’”

Consecutive goals by standout freshman attacker Ionna Petiki got the Aztecs rolling in the second quarter. Senior goalie Mandy Lagerlof notched the assist off Petiki’s second goal, SDSU’s fifth of the contest.

Lagerlof only saw action in the first half on her Senior Day. Making the most of it, along with the assist, she tallied four saves, putting up an exceptional .667 save percentage.

“I’ve had to put in some extra work, work through some injuries in the last four years,” Lagerlof said. “To come out this year super strong and healthy and get some good saves with a win is rewarding.”

With 24 ticks remaining in the half, senior utility Aiyana Mendoza netted the goal, making it 6-2 for the Aztecs.

Gish, attacker Shannon Murphy and utility Megan Holcomb deposited goals in the third, increasing the SDSU lead to seven, 9-2.

In her first six minutes of action, senior goalie Tiaare Ahovelo notched five consecutive saves and went on to tally eight saves. Efforts by both goalies and Ochsner’s defense reflected on the stat sheet as they allowed a .172 shot percentage.

Goals leader and junior center Mimi Stoupas scored the final SDSU goal, her 71st of the season, increasing the lead to eight.

The occasion and significance of Senior Day led players to overcome their emotions.

“It’s bittersweet because we have eight seniors, which is a big chunk of our whole roster,” Lagerlof said. “We have grown so much as a class and as a team and have put so much into this program. Seeing it flourish this year has been super rewarding.”

Valdes, an international product of Madrid, has etched her name into Aztec water polo history in 2026. She entered the season 10th all-time in program history in all-time goals. Now, her lone goal against Brown, the 238th of her career, puts her at 5th on the all-time list.

“It was very emotional,” Valdes said. “My mom and my brother are here all the way from Spain. The first game they saw me play in-person in all four years. I am so happy to have met all these people throughout all four years, especially the team this year has been amazing.”

A 12-5 SDSU victory over Brown is how a sunny Senior Day concluded at the Aztec Aquaplex. Next, the Aztecs will face UCSD for the Harper Cup at home on April 2 at 4 p.m.

“The same mindset we’ve had all season is to keep our head up and put in the work,” Lagerlof said. “I think we are a very defensive team; we know that defense wins championships and offense wins games. We won six games in a row this season, it’s [now] four or five more [remaining].”