SAN DIEGO - For the second time in three years, the Golden Coast Conference Women's Championship went to sudden death overtime and was decided by a score of 10-9. And the team that was on the wrong end in 2014, San Diego State, found a way to be on top in their own pool on Sunday.
• BOX SCORE
• GCC Tournament Stat Leaders
• 2016 Award Winners
The Aztecs (17-16) got a goal from Caroline Israels (JR/Pompano Beach, FL) 25 seconds into the second sudden death overtime period on a pass from Nikole Ferrari (SR/Redwood City, CA) to win the 2016 GCC Championship over second-seeded Pacific (16-17) at the Aztec Aquaplex.
With the win, San Diego State earns the GCC's first automatic bid to the 2016 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championships, which will be held May 13-15 at Spieker Aquatics Center at UCLA.
It was another classic in the GCC title game as Pacific and San Diego State combined for 85 shots, both converted on fourth quarter penalty shots, got key goals for all-conference performers and clutch plays from unsung heros.
First-team All-GCC Israels finished with two goals on 12 shots while the Aztecs first-team All-GCC goalie Rachel Mitchell (SR/Danville, CA) had 15 saves. Mitchell would go on to earn MVP honors in the tournament. She led the entire field with a .690 save percentage and had 29 saves in just two games.
Pacific's First-Team All-GCC Karolina Hlavata (SO/Strakonics, Czech Rep.) had two goals, three steals and an assist while sophomore Alexis Hollinrake (SO/Redlands, CA) had a career-high 16 saves in goal and senior Megan Torre (SR/Stockton, CA) had three goals.
The game featured five lead changes and nine ties, with neither team holding a lead larger than a goal. After Pacific opened the game with the first goal by Rachel Krieger (SO/Regina, Sask., Canada) (SO/Regina, Sask., Canada), the Aztecs then held the lead three different times in the first half. Pacific would tie it, 4-4, with six seconds to pay in the first half on a 6-on-5 goal by Hlavata.
Courtney Jarvis (SO/Tustin, CA) then scored just her third goal of the season to give SDSU the lead, 5-4, with 4:06 to play in the third quarter. From their both teams strung together a pair of goals.
Pacific started with back-to-back goals, the first by Torre, her third of the game, and then the go-ahead goal by GCC Newcomer of the Year Viktoria Szmodics (FR/Gelsesziget, Hungary) with 3:00 minutes to go in the quarter.
Taylor Gums (SR/Lodi, CA) would then take over for the Aztecs to start the fourth quarter, scoring back-to-back goals with a pair of steals to give SDSU the lead back at 7-5 with 6:10 to play.
It was then back to Pacific. And they delivered.
Hlavata and Krieger, Pacific's top two scorers on the season, put in back-to-back goals to make it 8-7 in favor of the Tigers with 3:55 to play.
It was then San Diego State's turn to go back-to-back, as Ferrari tied the game with a 6-on-5 goal. She was followed by Ioli Benekou (JR/Marousi, Greece)'s five-meter penalty goal with 1:58 to play, giving SDSU a 9-8 lead.
On the next possession, the Tigers drew a five-meter of their own with 1:28 to play in regulation and Szmodics capitalized on the penalty shot to tie the game at 9-9. Both teams had a chance in the final minute but both Hollinrake and Mitchell came up with saves.
Niether team scored in the first two regular overtime periods nor the first frame in sudden death. The Aztecs then won the spirit to start the fourth overtime period to set-up the championship winniner.
2016 GCC All-Tournament Team
Elizabeth Anderson (SR/Palo Alto, CA) - Santa Clara
Sky Flores (FR/Commerce, CA) - LMU
Hannah Evans (SR/Menifee, CA) - California Baptist
Megan Torre - Pacific
Rachel Krieger - Pacific
Caroline Israels - San Diego State
Tayla Walsh (SR/Sydney, Australia) - San Diego State
Rachel Mitchell - San Diego State (MVP)