July 26, 2013
OSHAWA, Ontario - The San Diego State women's lacrosse team earned two medals in this summer's Lacrosse World Cup, which ended on Saturday in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Head coach Kylee White helped lead host Team Canada to the silver medal, while senior midfielder Isabelle Pickett and Team Australia won bronze.
Canada finished 5-2 overall with two victories over Australia, the second of which came in an 11-7 decision in the semifinals. Team Canada then lost the gold medal game to the United States, 19-5. Australia topped England, 12-6, in the bronze medal game to earn third place overall.
For Team Canada, which hosted it's first-ever World Cup, the second-place finish was its best ever. The Canadians won bronze in both 1982 and 2009. White, a defender, finished World Cup play with five ground balls and two caused turnovers.
"We made history, it was unbelievable," White said. "When it's the first time for anything, it's very exciting. Beating Australia (in the semifinals) was one of the biggest highlights in my career."
Australia finished World Cup play with a 4-3 overall record, and has now won a medal in all nine World Cups. The Australians won gold in 1986 and 2005, and took the silver in 2009. Pickett, playing in her first World Cup, finished with one goal, one assist, three draw controls, two groundballs and two caused turnovers.
"I thought (Pickett) played great," White said. "I thought she had a great presence on the field and was really involved in their offense. I was very impressed, and was proud to say she's an Aztec and one of my players."
After competing in her fourth Lacrosse World Cup, White said she is retiring from competitive play and will now focus on coaching. In just the second season since the program's inception, White had the Aztecs one win shy of reaching the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) playoffs in 2013.
With nearly the entire team returning for the 2014 season, White believes this summer's experience gave her a new perspective going into her third season as head coach.
"I learned a lot from the (Team Canada) coaches, things I may bring into our program," White said. "It's fun to be on the player side and take a player's perspective.
"It was a great way to end my playing career with that silver medal, being in Canada and having my family and friends that have never seen me play before. All around, it was a really, really cool experience, one that most people don't get to have."