Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers to Host Trifecta This Weekend
3/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
No. 3 Ranked 49ers Host Three This Weekend National Statistics 49ERS TO HOST THREE THIS WEEKEND: The No. 3-ranked 49ers (12-3, 4-0 MPSF) will try to remain in first place this weekend with three key Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matchups, beginning on Friday at 4 p.m. against Pacific (9-8, 1-2 MPSF). The Beach will continue the homestand with No. 6-ranked California (10-4, 2-1 MPSF prior to the Bears visit to CS Northridge on Friday) on Saturday at 12 p.m. and No. 12-ranked San Diego State (9-9, 2-5 MPSF) on Sunday at noon. The 49ers have won four straight to enter the week and are ranked No. 3 in the nation, the school's highest ever ranking, for the second-straight week, climbing from No. 5 to start the season. 49ERS OFF TO BEST START IN SCHOOL-HISTORY: As if history was not in the making when the team upset No. 3-ranked Stanford two weeks ago, the 49ers 12-3 start to the season is its best start in school-history, bettering the 24-8 team of 2003 and last year's 21-9 team, which both began the year 11-3. SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: The 49ers hold an 10-1 advantage over the Tigers all-time, winning the last eight. This will be the teams first meeting of the season. Jessica Schroeder is second in the nation in scoring with 49 goals... LBSU trails the all-time series with California, 8-5, but have won the last five meetings. This will be the teams first meeting of the year. Elsie Windes and Jodie Needles ranked 23rd in the nation in scoring with 25 goals apiece.. San Diego State lost an earlier meeting with The Beach 7-6 at the UCSD Invitational, as the Aztecs lead the all-time series 13-9. LBSU has won the last two meetings. Sarah Kilgore ranks sixth in the nation in saves (123), while Rachel Serna ranks seventh nationally in goals with 35. RUNNING THE SHIP: The 49ers are under the leadership of sixth-year Head Coach Ricardo Azevedo, who has led The Beach to No. 4 national rankings in each of the past three seasons and an overall record of 110-69. The Beach have produced back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history, going 21-9 last season after going 24-8 in 2003. Azevedo, who also coaches the men's team, was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's co-Coach of the Year in 2003. A LOOK AT LAST WEEK: The 49ers swept through desert of Tempe this past weekend, routing No. 9-ranked Indiana 15-6, before taking advantage of Arizona State 7-3. Against the Hoosiers, 10 players scored goals, including the first tallies of the season for Sarah Vejar (Burbank), and Dayna Wawrzynski (Los Alamitos). LBSU jumped out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back. On Sunday it was business as usual as The Beach remained undefeated in MPSF play behind three goals from Cassie Azevedo and two from Alison Braden. DOING IT WITH DEFENSE: The 49ers have been winning with defense this season, ranking fifth in the nation in goals allowed (5.3), while goalie Bri Hawkins (San Diego) ranks eighth nationally in saves with 117. The senior has tallied 116 this season and 738 in her four-year career. The Beach have held an opponent with five or fewer goals nine times this season. AZEVEDO BEGINS A NEW HOT STREAK: Junior Cassie Azevedo (Long Beach/Wilson HS) has been red hot as of late tallying 10 goals over the previous four contests to remain amongst the nation's leaders in scoring (11th) with a team-best 32 goals this season. Azevedo is hitting 38 percent of her shot and is second on the team in steals (16) and assists (15). Azevedo was twice named the MPSF Player of the Week to begin the year, thanks in part to 15 goals over the first six games. Azevedo has racked up 118 career goals, sixth-best all-time at LBSU. BRADEN PASSES AND SCORES: Junior Alison Braden (Calgary) has begun to heat up the pool, scoring seven goals over the past two weeks to move into a tie with Robyn Gordin (Cerritos) for second on the team in scoring with 15 goals. Braden, who scored the game-winner in the upset of then-No. 3 Stanford two weeks ago, also leads the team with 23 assists. STEALING IT AWAY: Fellow junior Tara Campbell (Montreal) has been a big reason LBSU's offense begins with its defense, leading the team with 28 steals this season. Campbell has led the team in take-away's 10 times this season, including nine of the last 10 contests. EASILY FINDING THE BACK OF THE NET: Senior Jessica Levin (Seal Beach) and sophomore Marina Canetti (Rio de Janeiro) have made their shots count, producing the two highest shooting percentages on the team. Levin is shooting 55 percent on the season with 11 goals, while Canetti who has played in the last nine games, is hitting 47 percent of her shots for seven goals. ROSTER IS FROM ALL OVER: Water polo is very much a Southern California sport, but a closer glance at the roster reveals that some of the best players make their home outside the state, including: two players from Canada (Tara Campbell, Alison Braden), one from Brazil (Marina Canetti), one from Florida (Claire Howie), another from Illinois (Maggie Hatcher) and two from Washington (Christina Wensman, Ashley Heaslip). .
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