2017 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship Schedule & Results
No. 3 California Polytechnic State University-vs.-No. 2 San Diego State University
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Goalie Sierra Sheeper (Jr., Menlo Park, Calif.) made eight saves and Player of the Game Sydney Clark (Jr., Salinas, Calif.) scored three times as No. 3-ranked/Pacific Coast Division Champion California Polytechnic State University outscored No. 2/Southwest Division Champion San Diego State University, 5-2, in the second half to shatter a three-all halftime tie, claim an 8-6 victory and earn the program’s 12th trip to the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship title game.
Indisputably the most successful women’s collegiate club program in the history of water polo with eight National Championships (2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), three runner-up finishes (2002, 2007, 2012), a pair of Third Place marks (2000, 2013) and 14-time Pacific Coast Division crowns (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017) as the Mustangs have never finished lower than Third Place at the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship, the latest edition of the squad will aim to keep the spirit of their predecessors alive at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, when the team faces either No. 1/Sierra Pacific Division Champion the University of California-Davis or No. 6/Big Ten Division Champion The Ohio State University for the National Championship.
In a clash of past champions as San Diego State claimed the 2014 National Championship, the game was nip-tuck in the first half prior to the Mustangs breaking loose from their stable to sprint out to a lead in the second half.
Following four minutes of back-and-forth scoreless water polo to begin the contest, Cal Poly snapped the scoring drought as Clark connected on a shot with 2:43 remaining in the first quarter to stake the Mustangs to an early lead. The advantage lasted for less than two minutes thanks to Nicole Ryder (Sr., San Diego, Calif.) as the Aztecs’ star stuffed in a man-up chance (1:57) and stroked in an even-strength shot (1:04) to provide San Diego State a 2-1 lead after the opening seven minutes of play.
Hannah Sweet (Fr., Ripon, Calif.) rebalanced the scoreboard at the 3:52 mark of the second quarter prior to Kelli Boling (Sr., Riverside, Calif.) and Taylor Best (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) trading tallies at 3:21 and 1:04 as the Aztecs regained and lost the lead again to allow the teams to enter halftime deadlocked at three-all.
The game would turn on the first three minutes of the third quarter as the Cal Poly offense went on the attack to put away three consecutive scores and provide the Mustangs a lead they would not relinquish in the second half.
Clark ignited the surge by slipping in a shot at the 5:30 mark of the frame to give the Mustangs their first lead at 4-3 since she opened the scoring in the first quarter. Jessie Smith (Jr., Park City, Utah) followed with a successful six-on-five conversion at 4:50 prior to Hannah Vaughn-Hulbert (So., San Jose, Calif.) insulated the lead to 6-3 with an even-strength strike at 4:02.
Kayla McGowan (Jr., Dana Point, Calif.) brought an end to Cal Poly’s offensive surge with 2:03 left on the third quarter clock by dumping in a shot to move San Diego State back to within a pair at 6-4 going into the final quarter of play.
However, Smith and Clark extinguished the Aztecs’ comeback hopes by swishing man-up (4:15) and natural (4:06) scored in a span of nine seconds to double-up San Diego State at 8-4.
SDSU refused to go silently into the night, however, and raged against the dying of the light as Colleen Boensel (So., Salinas, Calif.) converted on a power-play opportunity with 1:29 to go to shrink the Aztecs’ deficit to 8-5. However, the Cal Poly defense and the passage of time were San Diego State’s undoing as the Mustangs picked-up the win and another shot at capturing the National Collegiate Club Championship.
For Cal Poly, Smith added a pair with Sweet, Vaughn-Hulbert and Best each recording solo strikes.
Ryder led San Diego State with two goals, while Boensel, McGowan and Boling chipped in scores as well. Montana Jackson (Jr., San Diego, Calif.) took the loss with seven saves.
A key to the game was SDSU’s frustration in converting on man-up chances as the Aztecs converted on two-of-10 chances compared to the Mustangs two-for-five performance.
The loss places San Diego into the Third Place game at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 7, as the squad will face the fallen from the Ohio State-vs-UC-Davis semifinal. Overall, SDSU is guaranteed to at least tie for the program’s second best finish at the National Collegiate Club Championship as the program previously placed first (2014), fourth (2015) and fifth (2012, 2016) in four prior trips to the tournament.
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | Final |
| No. 2 San Diego State University |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 |
| No. 3 California Polytechnic State University | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 |
Cal Poly Goals: Sydney Clark (3); Jessie Smith (2); Hannah Sweet; Hannah Vaughn-Hulbert; Taylor Best
San Diego State Goals: Nicole Ryder (2); Colleen Boensel; Kayla McGowan; Kelli Boling
Saves: Cal Poly – Sierra Sheeper (8) ; San Diego State – Montana Jackson (7)
Exclusions: Cal Poly – 10 ; San Diego State – 5
Advantage Opportunities: Cal Poly – 2-for-5 ; San Diego State – 2-for-10
Sprints: Cal Poly – 3-for-4 (1st, 3rd, 4th) ; San Diego State – 1-for-4 (2nd)
Officials: Michael Schofield, Dave Alberstein
California Polytechnic State University’s Claudia Macedo attempts a pass over the outstretched arm of San Diego State University’s Erin Fink
California Polytechnic State University’s Hannah Sweet looks for an open woman as San Diego State University’s Marissa Wyan comes out on defense
