March 17, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
Game Week Preview
San Diego State (1-5, 0-0 MPSF) at Saint Mary's (0-5, 0-2 MPSF)
Friday, March 18 | 4 p.m. PT | SMC Recreation Field | Moraga, Calif.
Coverage via live stats on SMCGaels.com
San Diego State (1-5, 0-0 MPSF) at California (2-3, 0-0 MPSF)
Sunday, March 20 | Noon PT | Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium | Berkeley, Calif.
Coverage via live stats on CalBears.com, live video on Pac-12.com
Storylines
- The San Diego State lacrosse team will seek its fourth consecutive win to open Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) play this weekend in Northern California. The Aztecs visit Saint Mary's on Fri., March 18 at 4 p.m., then play at California on Sun., March 20 at noon. Both contests will have live stats with links available on GoAztecs.com, while the game against the Golden Bears will be live streamed on Pac-12.com/live.
- To start the season, Kristen Hickey has been a bright spot of the Aztecs' offensive force. The junior midfielder leads the team with eight draw controls, has scored eight goals and dished out a trio of assists. Against Michigan, she netted a career-high three goals and has multi-goal games in three of her six starts this season to lead SDSU with 10 points.
- The Aztecs' freshmen have been strong contributors to open the season. Jill Haight has appeared in all of SDSU's games, making two starts. Her six ground balls put her third on the team, and she has four goals and an assist. Natalie Peel, who also has six appearances and a start, sits sixth with a trio of markers, while her four draws rank third.
- Felice Artuso has been one of San Diego State's most effective midfielders this season. She is second on the team with seven draw controls and has caused a team-high 10 turnovers. Artuso's five helpers also rank first on the team and are a career-best mark.
- Alexa Comfort's career performance just 65 miles from her hometown of Manahawkin, N.J. earned the senior SDSU's first MPSF Player of the Week nod of the year. She was recognized as the conference's Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 29 after she scored six goals, converting on two of her three free position attempts, and took eight shots. Comfort leads the team with 10 tallies on the year.
- At Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia, the Aztecs took their first lead of the game with 24:46 to go in the first half and did not trail after that en route to the Scarlet and Black's first win of the year. The team used a career performance by Alexa Comfort and an aggressive attack to leave the Eastern Seaboard with a 15-13 victory.
- San Diego State was picked to finish fifth of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's (MPSF) 10 teams in 2016, the conference office announced in its annual coaches' poll. The Aztecs' fifth place selection is the highest in program history after SDSU recorded 46 points in the poll. Reigning MPSF champion No. 15 Stanford was selected to repeat in its title quest.
- The Aztecs were represented on the international stage this offseason, thanks to Katrina Reeves. The junior from Granite Bay, Calif. played every minute for Spain at the 2015 ELF Women's Lacrosse European Championship, earning a nod to the All-European Team after playing every minute of the tournament, leading all goalies at the 17-team event with 85 saves.
- Kylee White is in her fifth season at the helm of San Diego State's lacrosse program. The program's only coach after lacrosse became the 19th collegiate sport at SDSU in 2012, she has guided the program to a spot as a top contender in the MPSF, with back-to-back MPSF Tournament appearances highlighting her most recent seasons.
Opponent Notebook
Saint Mary's
The Gaels have had a rough start to the season, posting a 0-5 record and getting out-scored, 68-25. Meagan Bennett has scored seven of Saint Mary's goals this season, while Hanna Dalrymple's eight points leads the team. Megan Zummo is the team's draw control specialist with 12, while Bennett has caused a team-best four turnovers and scooped up five ground balls. Sydney Pinello has logged all 300 minutes in the cage for this Gaels this season, making 36 saves. San Diego State has a perfect 5-0 mark all-time against Saint Mary's. The head coach of Saint Mary's program is Jessica Mucci, who is in her second season.
California
After opening the season with a 0-3 mark, the Golden Bears won their ensuing two contests and will open MPSF play against No. 12 USC on Friday. Chloe Landry leads the team offensively with 12 points on 11 goals and an assist, while Meredith Haggerty and Landry each have a team-best 17 draw controls. Jenny Wilkens has started every game in the cage, posting a 14.98 goals against average in 288 minutes. The Aztecs have won their two most recent meetings against the Golden Bears. Brooke Eubanks, who played with SDSU head coach Kylee White at three World Cups for Canada, is in her second season as head coach at California.