Feb. 20, 2015
FINAL STATS | FLORIDA 17, SDSU 7
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The San Diego State women's lacrosse team bounced back after a rough first half, but couldn't overcome its early deficit, as the Aztecs lost their season-opener against No. 4 Florida, 17-7, Friday evening at Dizney Stadium.
SDSU (0-1) fell behind the contest's first 10 minutes, before playing nearly even against a top-five team the rest of the way. Senior midfielder Christina Ricciardulli led the way with three goals, while senior attack Michaela Jarvis had three assists and sophomore midfielder Vickie Porter recorded two goals and two draw controls.
Senior midfielder Grace Korandovich tallied three draw controls, junior defender Catherine Shepardson caused two turnovers and sophomore goalkeeper Katrina Reeves finished with four saves and four groundballs. The two teams were even in groundballs, 17-17, but Florida's 17-9 edge in draw controls led to the Gators outshooting the Aztecs for the game 28-16.
However, after the initial early blitz by Florida to take a 9-0 lead, SDSU showed its potential in the game's final 50 minutes.
"We had some jitters in the first half, and you can't have that against such a fast, athletic team," head coach Kylee White said. "(Florida) shot the ball well. But in the second half, we started getting into our groove.
"It was a good learning experience for us. At first we were shocked by the speed of the game, but then we saw that we can play at that level."
Ricciardulli got San Diego State on the scoreboard with her goal off an assist from Jarvis 12 minutes into the game, before Porter scored unassisted and Ricciardulli again found the back of the net on a free-position shot with three minutes remaining in the first half. Junior midfielders Felice Artuso and Alexa Comfort also added goals in the second half, as the Aztecs recorded the final three scores of the game.
Senior midfielder and 2014 IWLCA All-American Shannon Gilroy scored a game-high five goals for Florida (3-1), while freshman attack Shayna Pirreca had four goals and sophomore attack Sammi Burgess recorded three assists.
San Diego State resumes its season-opening road trip on Sunday, when it takes on Jacksonville beginning at 1 p.m. ET.