April 20, 2016
Game Week Preview
UC Davis (6-6, 4-3 MPSF) at San Diego State (4-9, 3-4 MPSF)
Friday, April 22 | 7 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field | San Diego, Calif.
Coverage via live stats, live video on GoAztecs.com
No. 8/12 Stanford (12-2, 7-0 MPSF) at San Diego State (4-9, 3-4 MPSF)
Sunday, April 24 | 12 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field | San Diego, Calif.
Coverage via live stats, live video on GoAztecs.com
Storylines
- With a berth to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Tournament on the line, San Diego State lacrosse hosts its final games of the regular season this weekend against UC Davis on Fri., April 22 at 7 p.m. and No. 8/12 Stanford on Sun., April 24 at noon. The Aztecs' six seniors will be honored prior to the match against the Cardinal: Felice Artuso, Anna Cholewczynski, Alexa Comfort, Katie Gill, Andrea Killebrew and Nicole Lescano.
- The Aztecs have managed to create chances for themselves, ranking 21st nationally with 9.77 caused turnovers per game for third in the MPSF. Individually, Artuso leads SDSU and sits third in the conference, causing 1.54 turnovers per game (20 on the season), five of which came against Furman (3/10).
- Artuso has been one of San Diego State's most effective midfielders this season. She is second on the team with 17 draw controls and is tied for second with 20 ground balls. Meanwhile, she has scored nine goals and her 11 helpers top the Aztecs for 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 21 points and 18 goals. She has five multi-goal games and earned MPSF Offensive Player of the Week honors on Feb. 29 and marking a career-high with six goals against Saint Joseph's.
- Junior Kristen Hickey has been experiencing a career year offensively this season. The midfielder tops the Aztecs with 18 draw controls, is second on the team with 20 ground balls, ranks third with 14 goals, and has dished out a trio of assists. Against Michigan, she netted a career-high three goals and has multi-goal games in five of her 13 starts this year.
- San Diego State experienced a home field advantage with a pair of MPSF wins against Oregon and Fresno State on March 25 and 27. Behind a six-point outing for senior Felice Artuso and a lights-out second half by Katrina Reeves in the cage on March 25, SDSU won a thrilling 10-9 game against Oregon. On March 27, the Aztecs advanced to overtime for the second time in three games and beat the Bulldogs, 8-7, on a converted free position attempt by Vickie Porter.
- Reeves was a game-changer in the cage for San Diego State versus Oregon and Fresno State after making 12 saves and allowing only five goals in just 62:57 of action. Against the Ducks, she entered the second half by changing the tide of the game and turning away 10 shots in just 30 minutes. Prior to her arrival in the cage, the Aztecs had allowed seven goals and upon her guardianship, SDSU let in just two goals en route to the 10-9 win. Versus the Bulldogs, Reeves allowed three goals on seven shots, making two saves in 32:57 in the cage.
- 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
UC Davis
With conference wins over Saint Mary's, California, Denver and Fresno State, the Aggies (6-6, 4-3 MPSF) are fighting alongside San Diego State for an MPSF Tournament berth, with a game at USC remaining on their schedule for Sun., April 24. Ellie Delich tops the club offensively with 21 goals and 11 assists for 32 points, most recently putting up six points against Fresno State on Tues., April 19. Mary Doyle is one of the Aggies' most prominent midfielders, ranking second with 26 ground balls and 27 draw controls, sitting tied for first with 15 caused turnovers. Lauren Ali has played every minute in the cage for UC Davis, posting a 10.06 goals against average and a .413 save percentage. Head coach Tee LaDouceur is in her first season leading the Aggies' program.
Stanford
One of two teams with a perfect MPSF mark, the Cardinal (12-2, 7-0 MPSF) has been one of the country's most effective teams when it counts. The club leads the country with 14.93 draw controls per game, with draw control specialist Kelly Myers's 40 leading the charge. Additionally, Stanford is fifth with a 0.556 free position percentage, led by Kelsey Murray's 11 free position goals. She tops the team with 57 points on 37 goals and 20 assists. On the other side of the ball, Meg Lentz's 15 caused turnovers and 29 ground balls power the Cardinal's offensive charge while starting goalie Allie DaCar leads the league with a .524 save percentage. In her eighth season at the helm of Stanford's program is Amy Bokker.