March 8, 2015
FINAL STATS | SDSU 15, FRESNO STATE 4
FRESNO, Calif. - The San Diego State women's lacrosse team used stifling defense to allow a season-low four goals in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) road victory over Fresno State, 15-4, on Sunday afternoon.
SDSU (3-2, 2-0) has won three-straight games and allowed its fewest number goals since defeating Fresno State, 17-4, in the 2014 regular-season finale. The Aztecs are now 4-0 all-time against the Bulldogs, as they've also won eight-consecutive games when leading at halftime and have won seven straight when scoring 15 goals or more.
San Diego State raced out to a 3-0 lead in the game's first four minutes on its way to taking a commanding 8-3 advantage at halftime. The Aztecs controlled possession throughout the day with a 16-6 edge in draw controls, leading the way to a decisive 30-16 advantage in shots.
However, it was SDSU's defense along with only committing 11 turnovers, three in the second half, which made the difference in the final outcome. In addition, seven of the Aztecs' 15 goals were assisted.
"We had a couple great spans of defense," head coach Kylee White said. "We controlled the tempo, and after halftime, we cleaned up our turnovers. We're feeling good about getting back to what San Diego State lacrosse is all about."
Sophomore Alex Watson scored a game-high four goals for SDSU, while junior Andrea Killebrew tallied two goals with an assist and junior Felice Artuso had two goals. Senior Michaela Jarvis also had a goal with three assists, and senior Lauren Maack added two assists.
Defensively, senior Lauren Paul tallied game-highs with four groundballs and three caused turnovers, and senior Christina Ricciardulli finished with four draw controls and three groundballs.
A goal from Artuso put the Aztecs on top early, 3-0, and Killebrew's unassisted goal with just over 13 minutes left in the first half capped off another 3-0 run to give San Diego State a 7-2 lead. Artuso's second score of the game just under two minutes into the second half made it 9-3, before Watson took over by scoring three of her four goals in the second half to help the Aztecs pull away.
San Diego State returns to The Mesa for its home opener on Friday, March 13, when it plays host to Liberty at 7 p.m. PT. The Aztecs' morale as high as it's been all season, which bodes well for a team set to play its next four games on their home field.
"Our performance lately has got our confidence back up," White said. "We're just doing what we're known for - keeping things simple and playing hard. We're heading in the right direction."