April 20, 2018
Game Week Preview
San Diego State (9-7, 1-1 MPSF) at No. 20 Notre Dame (8-8, 3-4 ACC)
Saturday, April 21 | 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT | Arlotta Stadium | South Bend, Ind.
| Watch | Game Notes
Aztec Storylines
- The San Diego State lacrosse team wraps up its regular-season schedule on Saturday, April 21, when it battles No. 20 Notre Dame at Arlotta Stadium in South Bend, Ind. Opening draw is set for 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. In addition to live stats, a link to streaming video via ACC Network Extra will be available on GoAztecs.com.
- SDSU split its last two encounters, falling to then-No. 20 USC by 17-7 count in Los Angeles on April 13, before picking up a much-needed victory two days later at Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rival Fresno State with a 15-11 triumph in the Central Valley.
- With the win, the Aztecs closed out their conference slate with a 1-1 record and will await the outcome of the Fresno State-UC Davis matchup to determine seeding order for the MPSF Championships next week at San Diego State. If the Aggies win or if the Bulldogs win by four goals or less, the Aztecs will be the No. 2 seed, if Fresno State defeats UC Davis by five goals or more, SDSU will be the No. 3 seed. In either scenario, SDSU will play in the semifinal game of the conference tournament at Aztec Lacrosse Field on Friday, April 27, starting at 5 p.m. PT.
- In last Sunday's victory over the Bulldogs, the Scarlet and Black built a 10-4 advantage by intermission, only to see Fresno State rally to tie the score at 11-11 in the second half. However, the Aztecs flashed their resiliency, outscoring the host school 4-0 over the final 11:21 to put the brakes on a four-game losing streak. As a result, San Diego State has now won at least nine games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in the program's seven-year history.
- Individually, senior Elizabeth Rourke set a career-highs with six points and four goals, while juniors Harlowe Steele and Kirstie Greenlaw netted four points each on three goals and one assist, helping SDSU improve to 6-1 all-time vs. the Bulldogs.
- Aztec fortunes were also buoyed by sophomore Morgan Taylor, who established a career-high with five caused turnovers, which is tied for second on the school's single-game performance list, while matching her personal-best with four ground balls. In addition, Bailey Brown continued her tremendous freshman season with two goals and four draw controls, while goalkeeper Katy Sharretts recorded her fifth game of the year with 14 saves to tie a career-best.
- For their efforts, Rourke was named MPSF Offensive Player of the Week on April 16, while Brown was tabbed Rookie of the Week. With their awards, SDSU has garnered 15 conference weekly accolades this season and has had multiple winners on five different occasions during the 2018 campaign. Rourke was a first-time recipient, while Brown earned her fourth honor of the year (three rookie, one defense).
- Entering the weekend, junior Jill Haight leads the Aztecs with 40 points (32g, 8a) and 63 draw controls. The Milton, Ga., native also ranks second on the team with 15 caused turnovers and has collected 19 ground balls, which is tied for fourth on the squad.
- After winning seven draws at Mount St. Mary's on March 30, Haight became SDSU's single-season leader in draw controls (60 at the time), 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 has taken over the team lead with 34 goals and ranks second in points (38), draw controls (50) and ground balls (24). The Coquitlam, British Columbia, product has been on fire of late, compiling 19 goals over the past seven games (2.71/gm) and has won 28 draw controls during that span, including a career-high seven at Mount St. Mary's. She also tops the MPSF with a .586 shot percentage (34-58), which ranks 13th nationally.
- Overall, the Aztecs have benefited from a balanced offense during the 2018 campaign, with nine players notching 11 or more goals. In addition to Haight and Steele's production, SDSU has received 24 goals from Greenlaw, who has completed hat tricks vs. Presbyterian, No. 4 Boston College, Wofford and Fresno State. She has converted 6 of 7 free-position attempts this year, including a 2-for-2 effort at Fresno State.
- Junior Grace McGinty has also provided a spark with 23 goals of her own, including a team-high 14 on free-position shots for an average of 0.88 per game, which ranks 42nd in the nation, while Taylor (17), Rourke (17), sophomore Taylor Sullivan (16) and junior Natalie Peel (13) 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 17 assists, which ranks third in the MPSF, while topping the squad with 31 ground balls.
- Brown, meanwhile, has topped SDSU's talented freshman class with 11 goals, 14 ground balls and 43 draw controls, which rank third on the team. She has won four or more draws in six different games for SDSU this year, including a season-high seven in an 18-16 triumph at home over Niagara on March 6.
- 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 146 saves, which ranks 12th in the country. After sitting out the UC Davis game with an injury, the SDSU redshirt sophomore still owns a .468 save percentage and a 12.28 goals against average on the year. Sharretts has made a career-high 14 saves in five different games (at Denver, at Colorado, vs. Liberty, at Delaware, at Fresno State), which represent the second-best performances in the MPSF this year.
- As a team, the Aztecs occupy the 10th spot nationally in draw controls (15.69/gm), while their scoring offense (13.88 goals/gm) and scoring margin (2.25) rank 28th and 34th, respectively. Similarly, San Diego State is 26th in the country with 23.88 shots on goal per contest and ranks 30th with 31.81 shots per outing.
- The Aztecs are 9-0 this season when leading at the half and are 9-3 when posting more draw controls than the opposition. In addition, SDSU is 7-1 on the year when outshooting its adversaries and 5-1 when collecting more ground balls. The Scarlet and Black is also unbeaten on the year (6-0) when scoring 15 goals or more.
- Saturday's clash will mark the first-ever meeting between the Aztecs and Notre Dame. SDSU is 5-2 this season against first-time opponents, posting victories over Arizona State, St. Bonaventure, Presbyterian, Niagara and Wofford, but falling short vs. Delaware and Mount St. Mary's.
- The Aztecs are 0-3 against two Atlantic Coast Conference opponents in their history, dropping a pair of games to Boston College earlier this year (19-8) and in 2014 (18-11) to go with a 20-7 setback at North Carolina in 2016.
- 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 Saturday's game, San Diego State will face either UC Davis or Fresno State in the semifinal game of the MPSF Championships on Friday, April 27, at Aztec Lacrosse Field. Opening draw is set for 5 p.m. PT.
Opponent Notebook
Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish (8-8, 3-4 ACC) are coming off a 10-7 road loss at Albany in their last outing on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, Notre Dame engineered a 10-9 upset over then No. 19 Duke at home on April 15. Individually, the Irish boast four players with 20 goals or more, including freshman Maddie Howe, who leads the squad with 35 tallies, followed by fellow classmate Andie Aldave (25), sophomore Savannah Buchanan (21) and senior Molly Cobb (20). Aldave has amassed a team-high 89 draw controls for an average of 5.56 per game, which ranks 25th in the country. In addition, Buchanan leads all Notre Dame position players with 31 ground balls, while sophomore Kathleen Roe has contributed a solid all-round performance with a team-high 22 turnovers to go with 28 ground balls and 10 draw controls. Junior Samantha Giacolone has played the majority of minutes at goalkeeper for the Irish, posting an ACC-leading .466 save percentage, which ranks 32nd in the country to go with an 11.20 goals against average, which is 44th nationally entering the weekend. As a team, Notre Dame is averaging just 11.50 goals per game, but is allowing just 10.88 per contest. The Irish own a 5-3 record at home this season, including a 2-2 mark indoors. Sophomore Jesse Masinko and freshman Bridget Deehan are graduates of Milton High School in Georgia, the same alma mater as the Aztecs' Mackenzie Lech. Head coach Christine Halfpenny, who is in her seventh season at Notre Dame, has guided the team to six straight NCAA appearances, including a quarterfinal spot in 2016. She previously served as head coach at William and Mary from 2008-11, earning Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year honors in 2008. Her career record stands at 122-95.