April 14, 2017
Game Week Preview
No. 6/5 Colorado (12-1, 4-0 MPSF) at San Diego State (8-5, 2-3 MPSF)
Sunday, April 16 | 12:05 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field
Live Stats | Watch
Aztec Storylines
* San Diego State closes out the home portion of its regular-season schedule on Sunday when it plays host to No. 6/5 Colorado in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation contest at Aztec Lacrosse Field. Opening draw is set for 12:05 p.m. PT. In addition to live stats, a link to streaming video will be available on GoAztecs.com.
* Sunday's clash will also mark the final home appearance for SDSU seniors Kayla Deitz, Sarah Dorl, Kristen Hickey, Ijeoma Ikpe, Erin Jeffery, Katie Merritt, Vickie Porter, Katrina Reeves, Katherine Smith Casey Taggart and Alex Watson, who will be honored in a special pregame ceremony as part of Senior Day festivities.
* With just three games left in the regular season, the Aztecs occupy the sixth spot in the MPSF standings with a 2-3 record. Following Sunday's matchup, SDSU will head north next weekend for a pair of road games at UC Davis (April 21) and Stanford (April 23). The top six teams in the conference qualify for the MPSF Tournament, scheduled for April 27-30 in Los Angeles, Calif.
* The Aztecs are coming off a 15-3 setback at home to No. 9/10 USC on April 8. The Scarlet and Black played the Women of Troy tough, trailing just 6-3 with 19:31 left in the second half, before the visitors closed with a 9-0 run. SDSU received goals from Ikpe, sophomore Harlowe Steele and freshman Taylor Sullivan, while junior Mackenzie Lech tied for game-high honors with four ground balls.
* Hickey is enjoying a career year in her final campaign on Montezuma Mesa, leading the Aztecs with 25 tallies, highlighted by a four-goal spree in the season opener against Denver. In addition, the SDSU midfielder is second in the MPSF this week with 14 free position goals and ranks fifth in the conference with 76 shots. She also occupies the sixth spot in the league with 32 ground balls, while her 17 caused turnovers is tied for ninth.
* Not to be outdone, the Aztecs have received 23 goals apiece from Deitz and Watson, while Porter has notched 17 markers of her own in eight starts, followed by Sullivan and sophomore Natalie Peel, who have tallied 14 strikes apiece.
* In front of the net, Reeves ranks fourth among the conference's starting goalkeepers with a .469 save percentage and an 11.26 goals against average, while Merritt owns a .549 save percentage and a 9.77 goals against average in five appearances this year, including starts against Columbia and Fresno State. Last season, the Aztec duo split keeper duties as well, allowing the second-fewest goals in program history (190).
* Reeves also occupies the third spot in the MPSF this week with 35 ground balls, while her 19 caused turnovers is tied for sixth along with Ikpe. In addition, Lech finds herself among the league leaders with 33 ground balls, which ranks fourth.
* Sullivan leads the Aztecs' talented freshman class this year with 14 goals, which is tied for fifth on the team. The Annapolis, Md., product is also 6-for-10 on the season in free position attempts and has collected 11 ground balls to go with six caused turnovers. Meanwhile, fellow classmate Morgan Taylor has found the back of the net five times this season and leads all SDSU rookies with 15 ground balls, including a season-high four at Oregon on Feb. 11. Not to be outdone, Ryli Quinn has cracked the starting lineup in seven games, racking up a team-high 22 draw controls.
* Elsewhere, sophomore Jill Haight set a career-high with seven draw controls in the Aztecs' 12-11 win over New Hampshire on March 15, which is tied for fifth on the school's single-game charts. In addition, Reeves tied her personal best with six ground balls against Saint Joseph's on March 10, matching senior Casey Taggart, who accomplished the feat in the previous game vs. Boston University on March 5. The six ground balls by the two players is tied for second in program history.
* As a team, San Diego State tops the MPSF with an average of 20.92 ground balls and 11.92 caused turnovers per game, which ranks seventh in the nation. Entering the weekend, the Aztecs also occupy the second spot in the conference with 9.85 saves per game and rank fourth in the MPSF with 30.23 shots and 23.00 shots on goal per contest. In addition, the Scarlet and Black is 52-for-114 (.456) on the year in free position shots and are 178-208 in clears (.856).
* SDSU has collected six MPSF Player of the Week honors already this season, which is tied for second-most in the conference with Colorado. Hickey (offense/defense) and Sullivan (rookie) have been recognized in the same week on two occasions, earning their honors on Feb. 6 and March 27, respectively. In addition, Reeves (defense) garnered her accolade on Feb. 27, while Taggart (defense) was selected on March 6.
* The Aztecs have dropped all five meetings against Colorado, including a 16-3 setback in Boulder a year ago. In that matchup, SDSU received goals from Deitz, Porter and Watson, who also dished out an assist, as did Jeffery.
* SDSU has shown its penchant for winning close ones this year, posting a 3-0 mark in games decided by one goal. After defeating Saint Joseph's by a 13-12 count, the Aztecs registered a pair of overtime wins over New Hampshire (12-11) and California (14-13).
* SDSU has started strong this season, outscoring its opposition 82-66 in the first half, in contrast to a 77-74 deficit after intermission. The Aztecs are 7-1 when leading at halftime this year, with their lone blemish occuring in a 14-11 loss to Columbia on March 18. In that contest the Scarlet and Black led 6-5 at the break.
* San Diego State was picked to finish sixth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in 2017, as the league released its annual preseason coaches' poll on Jan. 24. The Aztecs received 28 points in the balloting, which was completed by the conference's nine head coaches. SDSU landed in the sixth position, eight points behind fifth-place UC Davis (36 pts.) and five points ahead of seventh-place California (23 pts). Reigning MPSF champion and NCAA quarterfinalist USC was predicted to defend its league title from a year ago, garnering 64 points and eight first-place votes, while league finalist and NCAA Tournament participant Stanford was pegged for the runner-up slot after netting 56 points and one first-place vote. Colorado, which took third in the conference race last season, was projected for the same finish in 2017 after earning 51 points, while Oregon wound up fourth in the poll with 38 points.
* The program's only coach after lacrosse became the 19th intercollegiate sport at San Diego State in 2012, Kylee White is now in her sixth season at the helm of the Aztecs. She has transformed SDSU's fledgling program to a strong competitor in the MPSF, highlighted by consecutive conference tournament appearances in 2014 and 2015. In November 2016, White was inducted into the London (Ontario) Sports Hall of Fame after becoming the only women's lacrosse player to represent Canada in each of the last three decades. In 1995, she played on the inaugural U-19 Canadian National Team and later served as an assistant for the squad in 2007. White also played for Team Canada at four IFWLA World Cups (2001, 2005, 2009, 2013), helping the 2013 team to a silver medal. A four-year letterwinner at Ohio State, White was a four-time Buckeye scholar-athlete honoree and a Big Ten all-academic performer on three occasions. She co-captained the 2002 squad to an 11-5 record and a runner-up finish in the American Lacrosse Conference, helping Ohio State claim its first NCAA berth. White caused 28 turnovers in 2001 and still ranks among the OSU all-time leaders in caused turnovers and ground balls.
Opponent Notebook
Colorado
Prior to Sunday's showdown with the Aztecs, the Buffaloes (12-1, 4-0 MPSF) will square off against No. 9/9 USC (11-3, 5-0 MPSF) on Friday night in a battle for first place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Colorado is coming of a 13-8 triumph over Stanford at home on April 7 after suffering its first loss of the year, a 10-6 defeat at No. 6/5 Stony Brook, on March 31. The Buffaloes are off to their best start in program history and are 4-1 against ranked teams this season, including a 16-11 victory at No. 6/5 Penn State on March 12 and an 11-10 nail-biter in overtime at home over No. 9/9 Northwestern in the season opener. Colorado is led by Darby Kiernan, who has compiled 51 points on 35 goals and 16 assists, while senior Katie Macleay has racked up 40 points of her own on 27 goals and 13 assists, followed by fellow classmate Johnna Fusco, who has amassed 38 points on 32 goals and six assists. Kiernan leads the MPSF with 6.85 draw controls per game, which ranks sixth nationally, while Fusco tops the conference with 1.36 free position goals and is third in the league with 2.91 goals per game. In front of the net, senior Paige Soenksen, a La Costa Canyon High alum, leads the MPSF with a .554 save percentage, which ranks fifth nationally, while her 7.45 goals against average is second in the conference and fifth in the NCAA. As a team, Colorado tops the MPSF in draw controls (14.69/gm) and save percentage (.553), while ranking second in six different categories, including scoring offense (14.85), scoring defense (7.15), scoring margin (7.69), shots per game (32.23) and turnovers per game (15.15). Head coach Ann Elliott had been in charge of the Buffaloes since their inaugural campaign in 2014.