April 12, 2018
Game Week Preview
San Diego State (8-6, 0-1 MPSF) at Fresno State (9-6, 0-0 MPSF)
Friday, April 13 | 3 p.m. PT | McAlister Field | Los Angeles, Calif.
Live Stats | Watch
San Diego State (8-6, 0-1 MPSF) at Fresno State (9-6, 0-0 MPSF)
Sunday, April 15 | 1 p.m. PT | Soccer and Lacrosse Field | Fresno, Calif.
Live Stats | Watch ($)
Aztec Storylines
- The San Diego State lacrosse team hits the road for a pair of games this weekend when it makes the drive north up the freeway to face No. 20 USC on Friday, April 13, before continuing on to Fresno State for a crucial Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match-up on Sunday, April 15.
- The Aztecs will battle the Women of Troy, beginning at 3 p.m. PT, while their showdown with the Bulldogs is slated for a 1 p.m. start. In addition to live stats, both contests will feature a link to streaming video on GoAztecs.com, with the Fresno State clash offered on a pay-per-view basis through FloSports.com.
- SDSU will be looking to put the brakes on a three-game losing streak after dropping a 15-9 decision at home to MPSF rival UC Davis last Sunday. The Aztecs were forced to play catch-up for most of the day, falling behind 4-0, before storming back to take a 9-8 lead with 16:30 left in the second half. However, the Scarlet and Black was kept of the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest, as the Aggies closed with a 7-0 run.
- Individually, SDSU received two goals apiece from juniors Harlowe Steele, Jill Haight and Kirstie Greenlaw, while senior Elizabeth Rourke, junior Natalie Peel and sophomore Morgan Taylor recorded single markers each. In addition, senior Mackenzie Lech posted a career-high four caused turnovers and collected three ground balls, while sophomore Amanda Stapp made eight saves and picked up a game-high four ground balls in her very first collegiate start at goalkeeper.
- Entering the weekend, Haight leads the Aztecs with 39 points on 31 goals and eight assists, while her team-best 4.29 draw controls per game (60 overall) ranks 70th in the country. The Milton, Ga., native also shares the top spot with 14 caused turnovers and ranks second on the squad with a .534 shot percentage (31-58).
- After winning seven draws at Mount St. Mary's on March 30, Haight became SDSU's single-season leader with 60 draw controls, surpassing Christina Ricciardulli's total of 55 established in 2015. Earlier in the home opener vs. Arizona State on Feb. 17, she set a single-game program record with 12 draws, which marks the highest total in the MPSF this year. For the season, Haight has compiled six or more draw controls on four occasions.
- In addition, SDSU has received an all-round contribution from Steele, who ranks second on the team with 31 points (28g, 3a), 44 draw controls and 20 ground balls. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, product has compiled multiple goals in five straight games and has won multiple draws in 12 of 14 outings this year.
- Overall, the Aztecs have benefited from a balanced offense during the 2018 campaign, with eight players notching 12 or more goals. In addition to Haight and Steele's production, SDSU has received 22 tallies from junior Grace McGinty, including a team-high 13 on free position attempts for an average of nearly one per game, which ranks 37th in the nation.
- Greenlaw has also provided a spark with 21 goals of her own, featuring hat tricks vs. Presbyterian, No. 4 Boston College and Wofford, while Taylor (17), sophomore Taylor Sullivan (15), Peel (13) and Rourke (12) have gotten into the act as well. One of just two seniors on the team, Rourke is enjoying a tremendous season, logging a team-high 15 assists, which ranks third in the MPSF, while topping the squad with 26 ground balls.
- Despite the graduation of standouts Katrina Reeves and Katie Merritt, the Aztec netminder responsibilities rest firmly in the capable hands of Katy Sharretts, who leads the MPSF with 121 saves, which ranks 20th in the country. After sitting out the UC Davis game with an injury, the SDSU redshirt sophomore still owns a .465 save percentage and a 12.05 goals against average on the year. Sharretts has made a career-high 14 saves in four different games (at Denver, at Colorado, vs. Liberty, at Delaware), which represent the second-best performances in the MPSF this year.
- Bailey Brown, meanwhile, has topped SDSU's talented freshman class with nine goals, 35 draw controls and 12 ground balls. The Katy, Texas, native was named MPSF Defensive Player of the Week on March 12 after receiving back-to-back conference Rookie of the Week accolades on Feb. 19 and Feb. 26.
- As a team, the Aztecs occupy the eighth spot nationally in draw controls (16.00/gm), while their scoring offense (14.29 goals/gm) and scoring margin (3.00) rank 24th and 28th, respectively. Similarly, San Diego State is 25th in the country with 23.93 shots on goal per contest and ranks 28th with 32.00 shots per outing.
- The Aztecs are 8-0 this season when leading at the half and are 8-3 when posting more draw controls than the opposition. In addition, SDSU is 6-1 on the year when outshooting its adversaries and 5-1 when collecting more ground balls.
- San Diego State has come up empty in six all-time meetings vs. USC, including an 18-7 setback in the MPSF semifinals a year ago after suffering a 15-3 defeat at Aztec Lacrosse Field during the regular season. Greenlaw is the lone SDSU returner with a goal in the former matchup, while Steele and Haight tallied strikes in the latter.
- Conversely, the Aztecs had their five-game winning streak snapped vs. Fresno State last year with a 17-12 loss in the Central Valley. Trailing 13-10, SDSU crept to within one goal at the 14:47 mark of the second half, before the Bulldogs closed with a 4-0 run to keep the Scarlet and Black at bay.
- 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 for this time 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 Sunday's showdown, the Aztecs wrap up their regular-season slate on Saturday, April 21, when they face No. 21 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. Game time is set for 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
Opponent Notebook
USC
The Women of Troy (7-7, 5-4 Pac-12) have dropped three straight, including an 18-11 setback at Oregon on April 8. Individually, sophomore Kerrigan Miller leads USC with 34 points on 28 goals and six assists, while fellow classmates Kaeli Huff (24) and Izzy McMahon (22) have surpassed the 20-goal barrier as well. In addition, Miller tops the squad with 35 caused turnovers for an average of 2.50 per game, which ranks eighth nationally. She is also tied for the team lead by position players with 30 ground balls, joining senior Lydia Sutton, a third-team IWLCA All-America selection from a year ago, while junior Jackie Gilbert has racked up 47 draw controls. Senior Gussie Johns anchors the Women of Troy's goalkeeping efforts, posting a 9.33 goals against average and a .482 save percentage, which rank 14th and 24th in the country, respectively. Not to be outdone, she also tops the nation with 5.07 ground balls per contest (71 overall). As as team. USC finds itself among the NCAA leaders in fewest turnovers per game (5th, 13.36) and scoring defense (15th, 9.21 gpg). The Women of Troy own a 4-2 record at home this season. Head coach Lindsey Munday, who has guided to USC to a pair of NCAA quarterfinal appearances in each of the past two years, is in her sixth season at the helm of the Women of Troy program. Her career record stands at 76-37.
Fresno State
The Bulldogs (9-6, 0-0 MPSF) have lost two straight after dropping a narrow 12-11 decision to UC Davis in a non-conference matchup at home on Wednesday. The two teams will square off once again on April 21 in Davis, which will count in the MPSF standings. Fresno State is led by the two-pronged attack of junior Sarah Bloise (55 pts, 38g, 17a) and sophomore Tiffiny Wallace (48 pts, 33g 15a). Bloise has converted 20 free position shots for an average of 1.33 per game, which ranks ninth in the country. The Bulldogs' defensive efforts are headed by sophomore Olivia Mannon, who has amassed 29 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers to go with team-high 64 draw controls despite missing the last three games. Sophomore Laurel Maunder, who came up with a career-high 19 saves vs. UC Davis, has handled the majority of the goalkeeping chores for Fresno State, logging a 10.62 goals against average and a .494 save percentage. Entering the weekend, the Bulldogs rank 33rd nationally with 13.53 goals per game, while yielding 10.47 per contest, which is good for 32nd in the country. In addition, Fresno State is averaging 12.73 draw controls and 19.47 ground balls per outing. Following Wednesday's loss, the Bulldogs are now 2-4 on the year at home. Head coach Jessica Giglio is in her sixth year in charge of the Fresno State program.