Feb. 15, 2015
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's lacrosse team was impressive in its exhibition game on Sunday afternoon, defeating Western Ontario, 21-2, at Aztec Lacrosse Field.
San Diego State was nearly unstoppable in the first half, taking a commanding 14-0 lead into halftime and leading by as many as 16 early in the second half. Sophomore Alex Watson recorded a team-high three goals and four caused turnovers, while SDSU also got two goals apiece from senior Michaela Jarvis, senior Grace Korandovich, senior Lauren Maack, junior Sophie Koubek and sophomore Vickie Porter.
Porter also added five draw controls, and junior Felice Artuso recorded two assists. Head coach Kylee White said Watson provided a good spark off the bench, while she was happy to have Koubek back in the lineup after the junior missed all of last season due to injury.
The Aztecs had a 28-4 advantage in shots attempted and a 21-3 edge in draw controls, which White insists has been a point of emphasis in practice this preseason.
"I thought our ball movement was great, and I was excited about how we controlled the draws," White said. "I saw a lot of great things from everyone. It was a team effort."
Maack got the Aztecs on the scoreboard with her unassisted goal 41 seconds into the game, before consecutive goals by Watson made it 3-0 with 23:43 remaining in the first half. Korandovich's unassisted goal late in the first half gave SDSU a 14-0 lead at intermission, and the Aztecs opened the second half with Jarvis' score off an assist from Porter.
Sunday was SDSU's only tune-up for the 2015 season, as the Aztecs head east for their season opener against No. 4 Florida on Friday, Feb. 20, before taking on Jacksonville on Sunday, Feb. 22. But on this day, San Diego State showed flashes of being a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) championship contender against Western Ontario, which has White's father, Chris Reade, as an assistant coach.
"We needed this (exhibition game) before the weekend to get the jitters out," White said. "It was also fun playing against my dad."