March 11, 2015
SAN DIEGO -
Game Week Reset
Liberty (1-5, 0-0 Big South) at San Diego State (3-2, 2-0 MPSF)
Friday, March 13 | 7 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field | San Diego, Calif.
California (1-3, 1-0 MPSF) at San Diego State (3-2, 2-0 MPSF)
Sunday, March 15 | Noon PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field | San Diego, Calif.
Aztec Story Lines
- The San Diego State women's lacrosse team, currently in first place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) standings and riding a three-game winning streak, is set for its first two home contests of the season this weekend, as the Aztecs play host to Liberty on Friday, March 13 at 7 p.m. PT, before taking on MPSF foe California on Sunday, March 15 at noon PT. Admission to both games is free, as they will also be streamed live here and have live stats on GoAztecs.com.
- SDSU (3-2, 2-0 MPSF) is coming off two victories in Fresno, Calif., last weekend, defeating Campbell, 16-8, on Friday before knocking off MPSF opponent Fresno State, 15-4, on Sunday. The Aztecs improved to 4-0 all-time against Fresno State, allowing a season-low four goals in the victory. San Diego State has now won eight-consecutive games when leading at halftime, seven straight when scoring at least 15 goals and four in a row when having the advantage in draw controls.
- Junior Sophie Koubek (Rockville, Md.) recorded five goals and an assist in the two victories, including a four-goal performance against Campbell. Meanwhile, sophomore Alex Watson (Davidsonville, Md./La Salle) tallied six goals over the weekend, four of which came in the win over Fresno State. Despite coming off the bench in each of the first five games, Watson leads the Aztecs in goals scored (10), is tied with Koubek for second in points (10) and is second in shot percentage among players who have taken more than one shot (.625).
- Senior midfielder Christina Ricciardulli (Poway, Calif.) recorded seven draw controls in the victory against Campbell, which is the second-highest single-game total in program history. She also scooped up three groundballs and scored goal in the win, while racking up four draw controls, three groundballs and scoring a goal in Sunday's victory vs. Fresno State. In addition, senior defender Lauren Paul (Grasonville, Md.) recorded three caused turnovers and four groundballs against Fresno State.
- San Diego State has outshot its opponents this season 129-124, as it ranks third in the MPSF in shots per game and shots on goal per game (22), as well as 34th in the nation in scoring offense with 11.4 goals per game. The Aztecs are also third in the conference and 38th in the country in groundballs per game (17.2).
- Sophomore goalkeeper Katrina Reeves (Granite Bay, Calif.) tallied six saves against Fresno State, and is third in the MPSF and 40th in the nation in saves per game (7.6), as well as fourth in MPSF in save percentage (.437).
- Friday will be SDSU's first-ever meeting against Liberty, while the Aztecs are 1-2 all-time against California after earning an overtime road victory against the Golden Bears, 14-11, last season. Midfielder Grace Korandovich (Columbus, Ohio) scored a team-high four goals in the win, including two in overtime, while midfielder Felice Artuso (Westminster, Md.) recorded five draw controls, Paul finished with four caused turnovers and Reeves had 10 saves.
- Ricciardulli, Paul and senior attack Michaela Jarvis (Annapolis, Md.) were each all-MPSF second-team selections in 2014. Ricciardulli led the team in draw controls (54) and caused turnovers (20), while finishing second on the team in goals (28) and third in points (32). Jarvis had team-highs in both points (39) and assists (20), while Paul ranked second on the team in caused turnovers (17) and third in groundballs (27).
Opponent Notebook
Liberty
The Lady Flames are off to a 1-5 start this season, and are coming off a loss at USC, 20-6, on March 9. Freshman Katy Pridemore and senior Sam Struss have each recorded 15 goals this season, while Pridemore has also tallied seven assists. In addition, senior Nina Dunay, a 2014 all-Big South second-team selection along with Stuss, leads Liberty with 15 draw controls and is second on the team with eight caused turnovers. The Lady Flames finished the 2014 season with a 2-16 overall record before falling to Davidson in the Big South Championship Quarterfinals. Liberty is coached by Kelly Nangle, who is in her second season at the head of the program. She was previously the head coach at Central Connecticut State, where she was named NEC Coach of the Year in 2012.
California
The Golden Bears are 1-3 this season entering Friday's game at USC, and are coming off a close loss at home to Old Dominion, 13-12, on March 8. Sophomore Bella Hunter leads the Golden Bears with a team-high 16 points and 12 goals, while junior Lizz Lavie has 14 points on five goals with nine assists and senior Sasha Anielski has 10 goals and three assists. Hunter finished third in the MPSF last season in goals (44) as a freshman, while senior Gaby Christman was an all-MPSF second-team selection a year ago, and currently leads the team with seven caused turnovers along with nine goals and two assists. California was picked to finish seventh in the preseason MPSF Coaches Poll, three points behind sixth-place SDSU, one year after going 5-11 overall and missing the MPSF Tournament. The Golden Bears are led by first-year head coach Brooke Eubanks, who was previously an assistant coach at Stanford and won multiple medals as a player for the Canadian Senior National Team along with SDSU head coach Kylee White. She also played collegiately at James Madison, where she won three CAA championships and made an appearance in the 2004 Elite Eight.