Sept. 17, 2014
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State women's lacrosse sophomore goalkeeper Katrina Reeves (Granite Bay, Calif.) recently earned a spot on the Spanish National Lacrosse Team.
Spain will play in the Budapest New Years Cup in Budapest, Hungary this January, before competing in the European Cup held in the Czech Republic in August 2015. It will be the first time Spain has participated in international competition.
Reeves' grandmother was born in Spain, as players must be at least 25 percent of the nationality in order to make the team. She joins head coach Kylee White (Canada) and former midfielder Isabelle Pickett (Australia) as Aztecs who have competed on the international stage. White's Canadian team earned the silver medal in the 2013 Lacrosse World Cup, while Pickett's Australian team earned bronze.
Reeves said she attended tryouts in Spain about two weeks ago and made a good first impression. Since lacrosse is still a relatively new sport in the country, Reeves has more experience than the majority of players on the team.
"They're not used to being around Division I lacrosse players, so they were all amazed because they're new to the sport," Reeves said. "It's exciting to play on a team in a different country. I can't even speak English with them and I've never played lacrosse in Spain before."
The sophomore won't practice with the Spanish team since she lives in America, and will only travel overseas to compete in tournaments. With the Aztecs recently starting practice in preparation for the 2015 spring season, Reeves acknowledged her recent experience in Spain made her cherish playing alongside her San Diego State teammates even more.
The Granite Bay, Calif., native started 15 games and appeared in all 17 contests in the net for the Aztecs in 2014, recording 101 saves to lead SDSU to its first postseason berth in program history. Reeves recorded double-digit saves in five contests, including a season-high 15 saves against UC Davis en route to being named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Defensive Player of the Week. She also tallied 13 saves against USC and closed the season with 10 saves against Colorado in the MPSF Tournament.
Reeves said she has high expectations for her upcoming sophomore season after being thrown into the fire as a freshman in 2014.
"I had my ups and downs, but coming in as a freshman, I think I held my own pretty well," Reeves said. "I think (2015) will be better than last year for the team and for myself."