March 10, 2017
SAN DIEGO - Ijeoma Ikpe scored on a free positon shot with just under seven minutes left to break a tied contest and the Aztec defense held firm over the final 6:43, as SDSU defeated St. Joseph's 13-12, Friday night at the Aztec Lacrosse Field. Ikpe's goal decided a game that saw several momentum swings with neither side able to forge more than a two-goal lead in the contest.
The win was the fourth straight for the Aztecs, who saw their record improve to 4-2 on the season. For St. Joe's, it was their fourth consecutive contest decided by a single goal as their record dropped to 2-3.
After scoring the opening goal on a free position shot by Kristen Hickey, San Diego State soon found itself on the short end of a 3-1 score line as the visitors rallied for a trio of goals over a 10-minute span of the opening half.
The Aztecs then mounted a rally of their own with goals from Morgan Taylor, Alex Watson and Kayla Deitz to take a 4-3 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining.
The Hawks knotted the score at 4-4, but the Aztecs got a pair of goals from Hickey and Vickie Porter and took a 6-5 advantage into the halftime break.
The teams traded goals to start the second half as Porter scored a pair to give San Diego State an 8-6 lead. But St. Joe's then rattled off four in a row in just under three minute to grab the momentum and a 10-8 lead.
It was then the Aztecs' turn to score four in a row as Dietz, Porter, Taylor Sullivan and Natalie Peel gave the home side a 12-10 lead and the momentum with just over 11 minute remaining.
St. Joseph's, however, rallied for a pair of goals over the next four minutes to even the score at 12-12 with just over seven minutes to go.
After Ipke's game winner made it 13-12, SDSU goalkeeper Katrina Reeves kept the Hawks off the board, making a pair of saves and picking up a ground ball. Her save of a close-in shot with 1:12 left allowed her teammates to run out the clock for the win. For the game she made nine saves and picked up a total of six ground balls
Porter ended the night with four goals while Hickey and Deitz recorded two apiece.
San Diego State will continue its current seven-game home stand with is a contest against new Hampshire on Wednesday, March 15, scheduled to get underway at 3:00 p.m. PT at the SDSU Lacrosse Field.