March 20, 2016
BERKELEY, Calif. -
Felice Artuso scored the 9-9 equalizer with more than five minutes remaining in regulation at California and helped the Aztecs out-shoot the Golden Bears 34-27, but San Diego State lacrosse was unable to pull the trigger in overtime and fell to California, 10-9, in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) action on Sunday afternoon.
SDSU moves to 2-6 on the season with a 1-1 mark in MPSF play, while California improves to 3-4 overall, going 1-1 against MPSF opponents.
"Overall, this game was a step in the right direction," head coach Kylee White said. "I really like how our team played this weekend; we played confidently and aggressively. I like how many shots we took, but unfortunately, we needed to make them count."
San Diego State used a total team effort to send the game to extra time, with seven players making an appearance on the scoresheet. Artuso, who scooped up a team-best three ground balls, scored a pair of goals, while Kristen Hickey made good on two free position attempts. Alexa Comfort, Vickie Porter, Alex Watson, Sarah Dorl and Ijeoma Ikpe rounded out scoring for the Scarlet and Black.
The first half saw a low scoring affair, in which California held a 4-1 lead as time wound down on the period. But Hickey scored on the free position with just one tick on the clock to cut the Golden Bears' lead to 4-2 heading into halftime.
The second half opened with an offensive flurry. Starting with Hickey's tally 21 seconds into the second half, the teams traded goals to a 7-5 score in California's favor, with the Golden Bears tacking on a second marker with 16:23 remaining in the frame for the 8-5 score. But the Aztecs answered back with three unanswered goals to knot the score at 8-8.
California took a 9-8 lead with six minutes remaining in regulation, but 37 seconds later, Artuso knotted the score at 9-9 to send the game to extra time. With 48 seconds remaining in the first overtime period, however, Kate Mattimore cashed in on a free position attempt for the final 10-9 score.
For the second straight game, SDSU won the battle at the draw, taking a 12-8 advantage against the Golden Bears thanks to two-draw performances by Hickey, Watson and Casey Taggart. California scooped up more ground balls, 20-14. In the cage for the Aztecs, Katie Merritt suffered the loss in the first complete game of her career, making 11 saves in the outing.
San Diego State returns home next weekend, welcoming Oregon and Fresno State to Aztec Lacrosse Field. The Aztecs host the Ducks on Fri., March 25 at 7 p.m. and the Bulldogs on Sun., March 27 at 2 p.m.