Earlier this month, then-No. 11 San Diego State water polo team traveled to Berkeley, looking to upset No. 2 California.
While SDSU wasn’t able to do so, it proved the team had the ability to take down the second-ranked team in the country as the Aztecs fell short in a 15-12 loss.
No. 9 SDSU will get another shot at the Bears though, in the opening round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships in a 10 a.m. matchup on Friday in San Jose.
“With all the first (round) games for conference, we have the best matchup out of everyone,” junior utility Meaghan Poland said. “We have a good shot at Cal and I think our team can get a win in this game.”
The Aztecs will enter the MPSF Championships as a No. 7 seed, and with a victory against second-seeded Cal, they would face the winner of No. 3 Hawaii vs. No. 6 San Jose State.
However, SDSU will need to figure out how to get past the Bears first. Depth off the bench will be extremely important as eight different Aztecs scored in the previous matchup.
“Our counterattack is what will win this game for us,” Poland said. We are much faster than this team and can easily counter them. We need to shut down their few major players and just play our offensive game.”
One of the players who SDSU will need to contain is sophomore driver Breda Vosters, who averages 2.2 goals per game, and ranks fourth in the MPSF. In the matchup with the Aztecs on April 9, Vosters scored six times and will likely play a big role again.
Goalkeeper Kelly Campoli will therefore be instrumental in keeping Vosters in check. The junior recently recorded 300 saves for the second consecutive season and has already become the all-time saves leader at SDSU.
Offensively, the Aztecs will look back to the success Poland had against Cal. She scored three goals and that has helped SDSU plan out its offensive strategy.
“They played from the outside in and let the posts open which helped me score,” Poland said. “If they catch on to that pass this game it will only open up our strong shooters from the outside. Either way our man up (offense) is going to be extremely strong against this team.”
A win for the Aztecs would not only avenge the earlier loss, but also extend the season for their five seniors: Sarah Brady, Ashley de Goede, Ronni Gautschi, Jenna Natalizio and Ashley Novack.
“It would be a huge win for everyone including the seniors,” Poland said. “It would make our odds for NCAA’s much better and would be a good upset for a team like Cal who has been so strong all season.”
AT A GLANCE:
When: 10 a.m. Friday
Where: San Jose
Why to watch: The Aztecs are looking to beat the Golden Bears in the first round of the MPSF Championship.
