Feb. 26, 2017
PONTIAC, Mich. -- The San Diego State lacrosse team won its second straight game Sunday with an impressive 18-7 victory over Detroit Mercy in a non-conference matchup at Ultimate Soccer Arenas.
The Aztecs featured a balanced offense, receiving goals from 11 different players to even their record at 2-2 on the season, while the Titans slip to 1-2 overall.
Seniors Vickie Porter and Alex Watson led the SDSU charge with three goals apiece, while fellow classmate Erin Jeffery finished with two tallies of her own, along with sophomore Natalie Peel and freshman Taylor Sullivan.
The Aztecs also received a sizable contribution from another newcomer Ryli Quinn, who led all players with five draw controls, while senior Kristen Hickey (one goal, two assists) tied for game-high honors with four ground balls, along with senior goalkeeper Katrina Reeves and junior Mackenzie Lech. In addition, SDSU benefited from the strong play of senior Casey Taggart, who posted a career-best with four caused turnovers to go with two ground balls.
The Aztecs never trailed in the contest, taking the lead for good at 2-1 on Peel's first goal of the day, a free position shot with 20:26 left in the first half. Nearly four minutes later, SDSU extended the margin to 3-1 after Porter hit pay dirt for the first time on the afternoon.
UDM twice narrowed the gap to one over the next eight-and-a-half minutes, including a 5-4 spread following Kaitlyn Wandelt's free position score with 8:09 left in the period. However, the Aztecs methodically took control at this juncture, notching four of the next five goals in the game, including a strike by Peel with just six seconds left, to build a 9-5 lead heading into intermission.
SDSU kept things rolling in the second half, including a quick goal by senior Kayla Deitz with just 1:27 elapsed on the clock. The Titans were unable to cut the deficit to under four for the remainder of the contest as Kelsi Pritchard's goal with 21:09 remaining proved to be the host schools final tally of the day.
With an 11-7 lead in their pockets, the Aztecs uncorked a 7-0 run to end the game, capped by sophomore Grace McGinty's score at the final horn, which gave the Scarlet and Black its highest goal total since a 20-14 triumph over California on March 15, 2015. The SDSU blitz was also sparked by the aforementioned two-goal efforts of Sullivan and Jeffery, while Reeves made four saves in front of the net during that stretch to finish with nine for the game.
On the flip side, Pritchard and Wandelt paced UDM with three goals each, while goalkeeper Alllison McDonough kept busy with 15 saves.
As a team, the Aztecs dominated the stat sheet, outshooting the Titans 40-23, while maintaining a 34-18 advantage in ground balls, including 20-7 spread in the second half, and a 16-10 margin in both draw controls and caused turnovers. In addition, SDSU was 3-for-5 on free position attempts, while UDM was 2-7, including an 0-4 effort in the second half.
San Diego State will open up a season-long seven-game homestand on Sunday, March 5, when it tangles with Boston University at Aztec Lacrosse Field, beginning at noon PT. Admission to all SDSU lacrosse games is free.