April 21, 2014
SAN DIEGO -
Game Week Reset
Fresno State (2-11, 1-7 MPSF) at San Diego State (6-9, 3-5 MPSF)
Wednesday, April 23 | 6 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field | San Diego, Calif.
Aztec Story Lines
- The San Diego State women's lacrosse team concludes regular season play against Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) foe Fresno State on Wednesday, April 23 beginning at 6 p.m. PT at Aztec Lacrosse Field. Admission to the game is free, as seniors Meris Walsh (Easton, Md.) and Isabelle Pickett (Adelaide, Australia) will be honored prior to the game.
- SDSU (6-9, 3-5 MPSF) is currently holding on to sixth place in the MPSF standings with one game remaining, and can clinch the final spot in next weekend's MPSF Championships with a victory on Wednesday. The Aztecs are tied with California (5-10, 3-5) for sixth, but San Diego State holds the tiebreaker with one game remaining due to a 14-11 overtime road victory over the Golden Bears on Feb. 28. California takes on rival Stanford in its regular season finale on Thursday.
- The Aztecs are coming off two home losses over the weekend, as they look to improve to 3-0 all-time against Fresno State on Wednesday. SDSU fell to No. 13/9 Stanford, 15-10, on Friday afternoon before suffering a defeat to Oregon, 13-6 on Sunday. Both contests were close midway through the first half before the Aztecs lost the momentum.
- Junior midfielder Lauren Maack (Coronado, Calif.) led San Diego State with two goals, two assists and three caused turnovers against Stanford on Friday, junior Christina Ricciardulli (Poway, Calif.) added two goals with seven draw controls, while sophomore Andrea Killebrew (Las Vegas, Nev.) and freshman Vickie Porter (Poway, Calif.) scored two goals apiece. Walsh paced the Aztecs with her seventh hat trick of the season on Sunday against Oregon, recording three goals,, while sophomore Felice Artuso (Westminster, Md.) posted two goals, an assist, six draw controls and three groundballs.
- Walsh leads SDSU with 30 goals this season, while junior attack Michaela Jarvis (Annapolis, Md.) is the Aztecs' leader in points with 34 on 18 goals and a team-high 16 assists. Ricciardulli has been San Diego State's defensive standout throughout this season, as she's currently 48th in the nation with 52 draw controls, leads the team with 18 caused turnovers and is tied for tops among Aztec position players with 26 groundballs. In addition, Ricciardulli is second on the squad with 25 goals and third with 28 points. The junior midfielder was named MPSF Defenisve Player of the Week on April 14.
- Junior defender Lauren Paul (Grasonville, Md.) is second on the team with 14 caused turnovers and her 26 groundballs is tied with Ricciardulli and Artuso for most among SDSU position players, while junior Grace Korandovich (Columbus, Ohio) is second behind Ricciardulli with 29 draw controls. Also, freshman goalkeeper Katrina Reeves (Granite Bay, Calif.) has racked up 91 saves this season with a goals-against average of 12.32, as she also tallied three caused turnovers and two groundballs in Sunday's setback against Oregon.
- Through 15 games this season, San Diego State is 33rd in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 11.8 goals per game, while its also 29th in the country with 13.07 draw controls per game. In addition, the Aztecs are 44th in the country with 225 total points and are 47th with 8.2 caused turnovers per game.
- San Diego State is 5-1 this season when leading at halftime, and is 5-2 when outshooting its opponent. Over the weekend, the Aztecs lost their first two games of the season when having the edge in draw controls, and are 6-3 when scoring at least 10 goals. SDSU has outshot its opponents this season 386-373, while also holding a 233-230 edge in groundballs and a 196-191 advantage in draw controls.
Opponent Notebook
Fresno State
The Bulldogs enter Wednesday night's contest with a 2-11 overall record and 1-7 mark in MPSF play. Fresno State is coming off a loss at UC Davis, 15-8, on April 18, and has lost two-straight games and 11 of its last 12. Senior Kara Conchek, a former high-school teammate of SDSU's Korandovich, leads the Bulldogs with 32 points on 27 goals and five assists, while sophomore Anjelica Fuccillo is second with 27 points on 21 goals and six assists. Defensively, freshman Kyleigh Westgarth has a team-best 33 draw controls, senior Ashley Phillips has a team-high 10 caused turnovers and junior Holly Cisneros leads the squad with 22 groundballs. In addition, Bulldogs' junior attack Marcy Levatino was a second-team all-MPSF selection a season ago, and has 21 points on 16 goals and five assists this season. Fresno State finished 2-13 and 0-8 in MPSF play in 2013, and is 8-75 all-time with a 2-36 mark in conference play in six seasons. The Bulldogs are coached by Jessica Pausewang, who is in her third season at the helm of the program. Prior to taking over at Fresno State, Pausewang spent four seasons as head coach at Oneonta State in Oneonta, N.Y. She also was head coach of the Finland Women's National team for four years, and played and coached for English Lacrosse Clubs Hitchin and Cheltenham.