March 24, 2017
SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State won for the sixth time in its last seven outings with a 16-5 conquest of Saint Mary's in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation game Friday night at Aztec Lacrosse Field. With the victory, SDSU improves to 6-3 on the season and 1-1 in conference play, while the Gaels slip to 1-8 overall and 0-4 in the MPSF.
Balanced scoring was once again on display for the Aztecs, who had nine players find the back of the net during the contest. Senior Kristen Hickey and sophomore Kirstie Greenlaw tallied three goals apiece, while senior Alex Watson, junior Katherine Smith and sophomore Natalie Peel finished with two strikes each.
The SDSU cause was also aided by junior Mackenzie Lech, who tied her season-high with four ground balls, while freshman Ryli Quinn posted a game-best four draw controls.
As a team, the Aztecs outshot Saint Mary's 37-16, including a 28-13 advantage in attempts on goal. In addition, SDSU maintained the upper hand in ground balls (24-18) and draw controls (14-9) to move to 7-0 all-time against the Gaels.
San Diego State opened with a 5-0 blitz in the first 10 minutes of the first half and never looked back, fashioning an 8-3 lead by intermission. Hickey recorded all three of her markers in the period, including two on free position attempts, while freshman Morgan Taylor contributed two points on a goal and an assist.
The Aztecs continued to build on the their advantage after the break, scoring the first three goals of the second half on strikes by Watson, Peel and sophomore Paige Hudak, who notched her first collegiate tally with nearly 10 minutes elapsed in the period.
Leading 11-3, SDSU ceded a goal to SMC's Claire Healy before engineering another 4-0 run, as Greenlaw completed her first career hat trick with a pair of strikes during a span of 12:41. The two sides traded goals over the final four-and-a-half minutes to complete the scoring, as Smith converted from the free position with 1:17 to go.
Collectively, the Aztecs were 8-for-15 on free position attempts, while the Gaels went 0-3 on the evening. SDSU was also 15-17 on clears (.882), while the Gaels were just 12-for-22 (.545) in that category.
In front of the net, the Aztec goalkeeping trio of seniors Katrina Reeves, Katie Merritt and sophomore Katy Sharretts combined for eight saves while limiting an SDSU opponent to its lowest scoring output of the season.
San Diego State will be back in action on Sunday when it plays host to California at Aztec Lacrosse Field, starting at noon PT.