March 1, 2018
Game Week Preview
St. Bonaventure (0-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10) at San Diego State (2-2 0-0 MPSF)
Friday, March 2 | 7 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field | San Diego, Calif.
Live Stats | Watch
Aztec Storylines
- The San Diego State lacrosse team opens a season-long four-game homestand this week when it faces St. Bonaventure on Friday, March 2, beginning at 7 p.m. PT. In addition to live stats, a link to streaming video for the Aztecs-Bonnies matchup will be available on GoAztecs.com. Thefirst 250 fans in attendance will also receive a free Aztec calendar t-shirt.
- SDSU is coming off a pair of 17-12 defeats on the road last weekend at No. 21 Denver and No. 20 Colorado. Junior Jill Haight combined for six goals and 10 draw controls to go with five ground balls and two caused turnovers, while fellow classmates Grace McGinty and Natalie Peel registered three goals each, along with sophomore Ryli Quinn. However, the Aztecs were unable to overcome two sizable halftime deficits.
- In addition, goalkeeper Katy Sharretts came up with 28 saves and four ground balls in those two contests, earning Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Defensive Player of the Week honors. Against the Pioneers, the SDSU redshirt sophomore recorded a personal-best 14 saves, which is tied for fourth on the school's single-game charts, to go with one ground ball. Two days later vs. the Buffaloes, the Bel Air, Md., native matched that total with 14 additional stops, including 10 in the first half alone, while collecting a career-high three ground balls.
- In addition, freshman Bailey Brown garnered her second straight MPSF Rookie of the Week accolade after scoring her first collegiate goal in the first half against Colorado to go with a personal-best four draw controls.
- Brown is just one of two freshman to appear in all four games for the Scarlet and Black this season, joining Julia Sheehan. Brown has amassed 10 draw controls, three ground balls and one caused turnover on the year, while Sheehan has earned four starts, posting one goal, one assist and one ground ball.
- With Sharretts and Brown's awards, SDSU has picked up five MPSF Player of the Week honors already this season, including two consecutive offensive accolades by junior Harlowe Steele on Feb. 12 and Feb. 19.
- Haight and Steele lead the team with 10 goals apiece this year, which is tied for fourth in the MPSF entering the weekend. One of the team's three captains for the 2018 campaign, Steele also tops the conference with a .769 shot percentage, which ranks seventh in the country.
- Not to be outdone, Sharretts and Haight find themselves among the league leaders as well. Sharretts owns the top spot in the MPSF with 50 saves and 12.50 saves per game, which both rank fifth nationally, while Haight is averaging a conference-best 6.25 draw controls per game, good for 18th in the country.
- As a team, the Aztecs top the MPSF in free-position percentage (.576 (19-33)) and draw controls per contest (15.0), which rank 11th and 22nd in the nation, respectively.
- St. Bonaventure is the first of three consecutive first-time opponents SDSU will face in the upcoming week. Following the Aztecs-Bonnies tilt, SDSU will battle Presbyterian (March 5) and Niagara (March 6) on consecutive days. The Scarlet and Black is 3-2 all-time against Atlantic 10 conference schools, defeating Saint Joseph's in 2016 and 2017 to go with a triumph over Davidson in 2014. SDSU two losses against that league occurred at the hands of La Salle in 2012 and 2013.
- After defeating another first-time opponent Arizona State 14-13 on Feb. 17, SDSU has won five straight games decided by one goal dating back to last season and has improved to 12-10 in one-goal encounters since the team's inception in 2012. It also marked just the second time in program history that the Aztecs have recorded consecutive one-goal wins after downing Saint Joseph's (13-12) and New Hampshire (12-11) last year. Last month, the Scarlet and Black emerged triumphant with another 12-11 nail-biter in its season opener at California on Feb. 11.
- Despite losing its top five scorers from a year ago, including Kristen Hickey (34 goals), Kayla Deitz (30 goals) and Alex Watson (27 goals) SDSU returns an experienced core of 20 veterans, led by tri-captains Mackenzie Lech, Harlowe Steele and Natalie Peel. Lech and Elizabeth Rourke are the two lone seniors this season on a roster that features nine juniors, 12 sophomores, 12 true freshmen and one transfer. - For the first time in program history, SDSU will play host to the MPSF Championships, slated for April 27 and 29. With the Pac-12 Conference sponsoring the sport of lacrosse this season, five teams (Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Stanford, USC) have withdrawn from the MPSF, leaving behind the Aztecs, Fresno State and UC Davis. As a result, the MPSF tournament format will pit the second and third seeds in the semifinal game, with the winner advancing to the championship final against the No. 1 seed.
- The program's only coach after lacrosse became the 19th intercollegiate sport at San Diego State in 2012, Kylee White begins her seventh season at the helm of the Aztecs. She has transformed SDSU's fledgling program to a strong competitor on the West Coast, highlighted by a school-record 10 victories last year. 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 pick and an Academic All-Big Ten 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 also added assistant coach Nikki Boltja to her staff in the offseason. A former star player at Louisville, Boltja spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Stetson University (2017) and Baldwin Wallace University (2016). While at Louisville, Boltja merited IWLCA All-America distinction on two occasions for the Cardinals, earning third-team honors in 2013, before receiving first-team recognition in 2014. A three-time all-region and all-conference selection, Boltja was the unanimous Big East Offensive Player of the Year during her senior campaign in 2014 after leading Louisville to its first NCAA Tournament berth and top 10 national ranking.
Up Next
- Following Friday's clash, San Diego State continues its busy stretch when it plays host to Presbyterian on March 5 in a Monday matinee, starting at 3 p.m. PT.
Opponent Notebook
St. Bonaventure
The Bonnies are off to an 0-4 start this season after dropping a 19-7 decision to Fresno State in the first game of its West Coast trip on Feb. 27. Junior Rylee Arnold led all players with four goals and eight draw controls against the Bulldogs. while senior Gabrielle Bradley collected a team-best three ground balls to go with one goal and a pair of assists. For the season, Arnold tops SBU with 10 points on nine goals and one assist, while freshman Ashley Easterday has amassed eight points of her own on five goals and a team-best three assists. In addition, junior Kathryn Yoder has been a force on defense, topping the squad 16 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers. In front of the net, senior Morgan Conroy and freshman Savannah Clarke have split the majority of the goalkeeping minutes, while another freshman Kerrigan Cummins has seen limited action as well. Conroy (15.82 GAA) has posted 22 saves and a . 431 save percentage, while Clarke (17.13 GAA) has 20 stops to her credit, along with a .417 save percentage. Head coach Chelsea Rosiek is in her third season at the helm of the Bonnies program after spending five years in the same capacity at Division II Chestnut Hill College in Pennsylvania. Rosiek was a standout collegiate player at Temple, earning all-Atlantic 10 honors in 2008 (second team) and 2010 (first team). SBU compiled a 4-13 overall record last season, including a 2-7 mark in the A-10.