Imagine you've been promised a new home next semester.
Not just any home, but a brand new penthouse apartment in Pacific Beach. Fully furnished, plasma TV, ocean view. The works.
Now, imagine three days before the start of the semester, you're told that your dream home isn't ready yet, and for the time being, you'll be sharing a room in El Cajon instead.
That's what the No. 6 San Diego State women's water polo team is going through right now.
The brand new Aztec Aquaplex, which advertisements around SDSU are quick to point out cost a cool $10 million, is still sitting idle on the far west side of campus.
Less than a week before the Aztecs' season opener against Hartwick College last Thursday, the team was notified that their new home wasn't ready and they'd be playing their first game at the Kroc Center. Instead of christening their state-of-the-art facility and possibly attracting a decent crowd, they were cast off campus for an event held in between swimming lessons for 7-year-olds.
But if the Aztecs' record says anything about the mental state of the team, they haven't let it get to them.
SDSU defeated No. 14 Hartwick in its season opener, its sixth straight season opening win.
SDSU jumped ahead with an early lead and never looked back. Sophomore Erinn Greenwood and junior Becca Ur scored two goals each, but sophomore Anna Gonzales was the game's high scorer with three. Despite a 4-0 run for the Hawks in the last nine minutes, the Aztecs were able to hang on to their lead thanks to senior goalkeeper Sarah Kilgore, who recorded 10 saves.
SDSU had the momentum as it traveled to nearby La Jolla to compete in the UCSD Invitational tournament this past weekend. Starting out with a bang, the Aztecs dominated their first game against Bucknell on Saturday, leading 10-0 in the third quarter and winning 11-3. Seven different players scored for SDSU, including three players with multiple goals.
The second game of the day proved that the team can win when it's challenged as well. Despite falling behind 4-1 early against UC Santa Barbara, the Aztecs fought back and were within one point at halftime. The second half went back and forth in a tight match until sophomore Jenna Schuster hit the game-winner to put SDSU up by one with less than a minute to go in the game.
It's safe to say that the players were not too distracted by the stadium situation.
Despite another strong showing in the semi-final game on Sunday morning (a win against UC Davis) highlighted by Stacy Werner's four goals, the Aztecs came up short against Loyola Marymount, losing 8-6 in the championship game.
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