March 16, 2014
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's lacrosse team used a strong second-half surge to defeat Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foe UC Davis, 17-8, on Saturday afternoon at Aztec Lacrosse Field. With the win, the Aztecs remain undefeated in MPSF play.
SDSU (6-1, 3-0 MPSF) outscored UC Davis 11-2 in the second half, including a 7-0 run following intermission, to beat the Aggies for the first time in program history. It's the second conference opponent the Aztecs have beaten this season for the first time in the program's three-year history, also taking down California on Feb. 28.
"Any conference win is a really big win," head coach Kylee White said. "I'm really proud of the way our girls played. We stuck to the game plan and it's a big win for our program.
"We're trying to establish that we're a team to be reckoned with. It's exciting to get these wins for the girls to see results for all the hard work they're putting in."
Senior Meris Walsh scored four goals with three draw controls, a caused turnover and a groundball, while junior Christina Ricciardulli recorded four goals with three groundballs and three draw controls. In addition, junior Bailey Ewing, sophomore Felice Artuso and freshman Vickie Porter scored two goals apiece.
Freshman goalkeeper Katrina Reeves was a standout defensively on Sunday, tallying a career-high 15 saves, nine of which came in the second half during the Aztecs' spurt to take control of the game.
The Aztecs outshot UC Davis 35-30, and had a 19-12 edge in groundballs. UC Davis had a 16-10 advantage in draw controls, but SDSU was much better in the second half as each team had seven. San Diego State was also very efficient in its clear attempts, going 8-for-10.
Things looked bleak early on for SDSU, as the Aggies led 5-2 after Elizabeth Landry's goal with 6:16 remaining in the first half. However, the Aztecs rallied to tie the game at halftime, 6-6, and White said the team never panicked despite the early deficit.
"Nothing changed," White said. "Even when (UC Davis) was ahead, we were confident that we would settle in and play our game. We went into the second half thinking it was a new game, and finishing strong in the first half gave us momentum."
San Diego State returns to action on Saturday, March 22, when the Aztecs take on Princeton in a game played at Cathedral Catholic High School, beginning at 4 p.m. PT.