March 23, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
Game Week Preview
Oregon (6-2, 1-0 MPSF) at San Diego State (2-6, 1-1 MPSF)
Friday, March 25 | 7 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field | San Diego, Calif.
Coverage via live stats, live video with links on GoAztecs.com
Fresno State (3-5, 0-3 MPSF) at San Diego State (2-6, 1-1 MPSF)
Sunday, March 27 | 2 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field | San Diego, Calif.
Coverage via live stats, live video with links on GoAztecs.com
Storylines
- The San Diego State lacrosse team makes its debut in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action on Aztec Lacrosse Field this weekend. The team faces Oregon on Fri., March 25 at 7 p.m. and Fresno State on Sun., March 27 at 2 p.m. Both contests will have live stats and free live video streams with links available on GoAztecs.com.
- San Diego State is coming off of a 1-1 MPSF opening weekend, routing Saint Mary's, 17-4, on March 18 before falling to California, 10-9, in overtime on March 20. Against the Gaels, SDSU opened up an 11-1 lead at halftime and never looked back, out-shooting Saint Mary's, 33-11. The Aztecs' contest against the Golden Bears saw San Diego State again out-shoot its opponent (34-27) but succumb to an overtime free position goal.
- The Aztecs have managed to create chances for themselves, ranking 23rd nationally with 9.75 caused turnovers per game for fourth in the MPSF. Individually, Felice Artuso leads SDSU and sits fourth in the conference, causing 1.63 turnovers per game (13 on the season), five of which came at Furman.
- Artuso has been one of San Diego State's most effective midfielders this season. She leads the team with 11 draw controls and ranks second with 10 ground balls. Meanwhile, her five helpers rank first on the team and are a career-best mark.
- Offensive output has been comfortable for senior midfielder Alexa Comfort in 2016. The Manahawkin, N.J. native tops the Aztecs with 15 points and 14 goals. She has four multi-goal games, and her six goals against St. Joseph's top the single game scoring output by an MPSF player this season, yielding MPSF Offensive Player of the Week honors on Feb. 29 and marking a career-high.
- Junior Kristen Hickey has been experiencing a career year offensively this season. The midfielder is second on the team with 10 draw controls, has scored in all but one game this season for 11 goals, and has dished out a trio of assists. Against Michigan, she netted a career-high three goals and has multi-goal games in three of her eight starts this 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 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 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
Oregon
The Ducks (6-2, 1-0 MPSF) come to Aztec Lacrosse Field with a three-game win streak in hand, scoring at least 14 goals in victories against George Mason, Fresno State and Marist. Offense has been no issue for Oregon this season, as the team has averaged 13.75 goals per game, due in large part to Cambi Cukar's 27 assists, which lead the nation. Jenna Morris has started every game in the cage for the Ducks. SDSU and Oregon have split their all-time series, with the Aztecs winning their 2015 meeting in overtime, 8-7.
Fresno State
The Bulldogs (3-5, 0-3 MPSF) are off to a record start this season, maintaining program bests with 11.38 points per game and an 11.62 goals against average (as of March 23). Sophomore Nicole Ortlieb is a major cause of Fresno State's success this season, leading the team with 19 goals, the second-best mark in the MPSF. Also ranking second in the MPSF is goalie Meganne Weissenfels' 41 saves. SDSU has a 4-0 record against Fresno State, out-scoring the Bulldogs 65-24 in that time.