SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The No. 10 Pacific women's water polo team blitzed No. 14 San Diego State to claim the Golden Coast Conference championship, Sunday, 11-7.
Karolina Hlavata scored three goals while Kyra Christmas and Mariana Duarte each scored twice. Aelish Guinn, Viktoria Szmodics, Viktoria Tamas and Ellen Tiedemann each also scored.
Goalkeeper Alexis Hollinrake recorded 13 saves in goal for Pacific.
The Tigers claim their first GCC crown and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Christmas earned tournament MVP honors as she scored a tourney-high seven goals and added four assists.
Pacific opened with a 5-1 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Hlavata opened the scoring in the first and Mariana Duarte added a goal for a 2-0 lead. The Tigers stretched the lead to 3-0 on a goal from Kyra Christmas. But the Aztecs got on the board with a goal from Hannah Carrillo.
Viktoria Szmodics answered with a goal from the wing for a 4-1 Pacific lead. Ellen Tiedemann tossed a pass into the two-meter for Aelish Guinn, who one-timed it into the side panel with a backhand for a 5-1 Tigers lead.
San Diego State picked up a goal in the second as Carrillo scored from distance, hitting both posts.
Hlavata answered with a goal off a Krieger assist, and the duo connected again for a 7-2 lead. Ioli Benekou capped a SDSU power-play, but Viktoria Tamas beat the halftime clock with a goal at the end of the period for an 8-3 lead, after much deliberation.
In the third, Alyssa Diacono picked up a goal for the Aztecs. Christmas answered with 4:22 to go in the third for a 9-4 lead. Benekou tallied again for the Aztecs to close within four at the end of the third.
Szmodics scored on a penalty shot early in the fourth for a five-goal lead. The Tigers began to run the clock down on each possession, and Tiedemann snuck a power-play goal in off the hands of the keeper for an 11-5 lead with 4:21 to go.
The Aztecs scored a 6-on-5 goal with 1:44 seconds left as Benekou posted her third. Benekou then scored on a penalty shot with 55 seconds left to close within 11-7.
Pacific improves to 20-8 overall and is guaranteed at least a play-in game for the NCAA Tournament.
Ten teams are selected with two play-in games next Saturday to advance to the final eight teams, which will square off in Indianapolis May 12-14.
