This past Friday, the No. 9-ranked San Diego State water polo team concluded its regular season schedule battling for the Harper Cup against the UC San Diego Tritons.

With both teams displaying exceptional defense, the first goal wasn’t scored until almost five minutes into the first quarter.

Although UCSD was the first to score, senior two-meter defender Leanne Ford responded with a goal 13 seconds later to tie it up.

The game remained close as the Tritons added an additional goal in the second quarter to give themselves a 2-1 lead.

This clearly wasn’t acceptable for the Aztecs, as they responded by scoring the next five goals. Junior utility Amber Pezzolla and senior utility Meaghan Poland were dominant in the second quarter, with two goals apiece, while junior utility Alex Ford contributed a goal at the end of the quarter.

The score was 6-2 at halftime and from there on out it was difficult for UCSD to make a comeback.

The Tritons looked promising in the third quarter, as they outscored SDSU 2-0. Despite UCSD’s efforts, the Aztecs put all thoughts of a comeback to rest in the final quarter.

Senior driver Alana Burgess opened the fourth quarter strong with the first goal. The Tritons responded with a goal, but this would be the last goal they scored for the remainder of the game.

Pezzolla, Ford and junior driver Emily Whalen scored the next three to put the game away. This victory improved SDSU’s overall record to 21-9, while UCSD’s fell to 19-13.

Senior goalkeeper Kelly Campoli had an excellent game with 13 saves. Pezzolla was honored as Co-MVP of the Harper Cup with UCSD’S Sarah Lizotte.

This upcoming week will consist of hours of training and prepping for the MSPF Championship this weekend at Stanford.