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Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
UC San Diego
UC San Diego spoils Rams' season opener
1/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Jan. 24, 2008
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Sydney Gstettenbauer scored seven times and senior goalie Kim Hockett racked up 17 saves as UC San Diego ran away with a 19-8 water polo victory over Colorado State Thursday night at the Edora Pool and Ice Center.
The Rams got a hat trick from both sophomore Sarah Ostling and freshman Ali Pavlik, but CSU couldn't overcome a 12-2 halftime deficit in the 2008 season opener for both teams.
"We definitely showed our youth and inexperience," said CSU Head Coach John Mattos. "We just didn't quite have enough experience against a solid, solid opponent."
That opponent, the No. 14 team in the country, endured a barrage of 27 Rams shots on goal. Many of those shots came in the pivotal second period, when Hockett notched six of her saves as her team shut out CSU, 6-0, to build an insurmountable advantage at intermission.
"We had some defensive breakdowns," Mattos said. "They were little mental errors that happen so quick, you don't even realize it. But they added up, and those were what put the game out of reach by halftime."
The Tritons, a perennial national power and CSU's conference foe in the Western Water Polo Association, traditionally have not started their top players against the Rams. Thursday was different, though.
"We felt honored that they would put their first team in there at the start," Mattos said. "Hats off to them. They came up here and showed a lot of heart. They really swam tough at altitude."
Pavlik also swam well at altitude, in her first collegiate game. The freshman from Berwyn, Ill., led the Rams with eight shots on goal, connecting on three. Two of her goals came in the third quarter, but they were the Rams' only scores in that period. She also chipped in a pair of steals.
Ostling put the Rams on the board in the first period, then delivered a pair of scores in the final quarter for her sixth career hat trick.
Sophomore goalie Krystyna McCright, the defending WWPA Newcomer of the Year, collected nine saves and three steals. Shannon Kohl and Emily McCullough also scored for the Rams.
Both teams will take Friday morning flights to Detroit and compete in the Michigan Kickoff tournament, an annual showcase that brings some of the nation's best teams to Ann Arbor, Mich.
One of the four teams on the Rams' tourney docket is UCLA, the No. 1 team in the preseason poll. Also scheduled to face the Rams are No. 7 San Jose State and No. 18 Michigan. CSU's other opponent, Indiana, received votes in the poll, which ranks the Top 20 programs. The Rams' weekend schedule begins Saturday at 8:30 a.m. MST, against the host Wolverines.
"We're going to come into our own," Mattos said. "Defensively, we're playing our game. Now, we just need to let the offense take care of itself. We have lots to learn, but this weekend will be a great opportunity. We might open the season 0-5, but that's not necessarily a bad thing because we'll be facing probably the toughest schedule in the country. You never know, we might surprise some of those teams out there.
"Once we gain confidence with one another, we'll be in good shape. I saw a lot of good potential tonight. We'll get there. It just takes time."
