April 11, 2014
DENVER, Colo. - The San Diego State women's lacrosse team lost a heartbreaker on the road to No. 20/rv Denver, 12-11, as Denver scored two goals in the game's final 21 seconds to escape with victory in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) contest on Friday at Peter Barton Stadium.
SDSU (6-6, 3-2 MPSF) trailed by two, 10-8, with just under seven minutes remaining before goals from junior Christina Ricciardulli and sophomore Alexa Comfort tied it at 10-10 with 3:50 left to play. Senior Meris Walsh then scored her second goal of the game on a free-position attempt to give the Aztecs the lead, 11-10, with 1:52 to go.
However, Denver's Annabelle Gilbride scored unassisted with 21 seconds remaining to knot the score, 11-11, before Sarah Kasun's goal off a pass from Sonorah Vinyard with only two seconds left propelled the Pioneers to their 10th-consecutive victory overall and third-straight win over the Aztecs. The two goals also came with Denver (12-1, 6-0) down a player, as Ali Proehl was hit with a yellow card with 1:58 left in the game.
But after the game, San Diego State head coach Kylee White was in high spirits due to her team's performance.
"I'm so proud of this team and how they played today," White said. "They fought hard all the way to the end. They fought for everything. We're getting consistent play from a number of people.
"Denver is a really strong team with a lot of offensive threats. When the game was on the line, (Denver's) experience and relentlessness capitalized on some of our nerves."
Ricciardulli, Walsh, Comfort and sophomore Andrea Killebrew scored two goals apiece for San Diego State, which was just 21 seconds away from its first-ever win against a ranked opponent. Junior Michaela Jarvis had a goal and an assist, while juniors Lauren Maack and Bailey Ewing added one goal each.
Ricciardulli also finished with an assist, four groundballs, five draw controls and set a new program-record with six caused turnovers. Junior Grace Korandovich racked up three draw controls and freshman goalkeeper Katrina Reeves had 10 saves.
Although Denver had a 34-25 advantage in shots, the two teams finished tied in groundballs, 15-15, as well as draw controls, 12-12. SDSU was 4-of-8 in free-position shots while Denver was 2-for-8, and the Aztecs were 12-of-21 in clear attempts while the Pioneers were 11-for-13.
Killebrew put San Diego State ahead to start the game with an unassisted goal, and Comfort's free-position goal followed by Walsh's unassisted score put the Aztecs back on top, 3-2, with 19:11 left in the first half. After Denver scored four of the game's next five goals, SDSU ended the first half with an unassisted goal from Ricciardulli and Maack's score off an assist from Jarvis to knot the score, 6-6, at halftime.
Ewing's free-position goal put San Diego State in front by one less than a minute into the second half, but another 3-0 run by the Pioneers put Denver back ahead by two, 9-7, with 17:35 remaining. Junior Jill Remenapp led Denver with two goals and two assists, while goalkeeper Hannah Hook tallied eight saves.
The Aztecs return to action on Sunday, April 11, as they take on first-year program Colorado beginning at 1 p.m. MT.