April 28, 2018
MPSF Championship Preview
Championship Final
[1] UC Davis (8-5) at [2] San Diego State (10-8)
Sunday, April 29 | 1 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field
Live Stats | Watch ($)
Aztec Storylines
- Second-seeded San Diego State will square off against top seed UC Davis in the finals of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship on Sunday at Aztec Lacrosse Field. Opening draw is set for 1 p.m. PT.
Tickets for the Aztecs-Aggies showdown are available for $5 (cash only) at the gate, with children ages 2 and under receiving free admission. In addition, links to live stats and streaming video can be found on GoAztecs.com.
SDSU (10-3) advanced to its first-ever conference championship final with a convincing 16-6 victory over No. 3 seed Fresno State in the semifinal match-up on Friday night. Junior Harlowe Steele led the Aztecs with three goals against the Bulldogs for her sixth hat trick in the last nine games, while fellow classmates Grace McGinty and Paige Hudak tallied two markers apiece.
- SDSU scored the first six goals of the contest, eventually building leads of 11-1 by intermission and 16-1 in the second half to take complete control. In addition, the Aztec defense limited Sarah Bloise, the MPSF's leading scorer entering the game, to just one goal on five shots for the entire evening.
- For the season, Steele leads the Scarlet and Black with 37 goals and ranks second in points (41) and draw controls (56) while occupying the third spot in ground balls (26). The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native headlines the Aztecs' list of seven all-MPSF selections this season, joining fellow junior Jill Haight, who tops the squad with 45 points on 36 goals and nine assists to go with 67 draw controls.
- Overall, SDSU has profited from a balanced offense during the 2018 campaign, with 10 players notching 10 or more goals. In addition to Steele and Haight's production, the Aztecs have received 25 tallies apiece from juniors Kirstie Greenlaw and Grace McGinty, while sophomore Morgan Taylor (19 goals) has displayed her versatility with 19 draw controls, 19 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers. Senior Elizabeth Rourke (18 goals) has also contributed a team-high 18 assists and 34 ground balls, while sophomore Taylor Sullivan (18 goals) tops the squad with 20 caused turnovers.
- The SDSU goalkeeping chores rest on the capable shoulders of redshirt sophomore Katy Sharretts, who owns the school's single-season record of 163 saves thus far and has posted a .464 save percentage and a 12.11 goals against average.
- San Diego State is 3-4 all-time vs. UC Davis and has dropped two straight to the Aggies in San Diego, including a 15-9 setback during the regular season on April 8. In that contest, the Aztecs fell behind 4-0 and were forced to play catch-up for most of the day, 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 game, as UCD closed with a 7-0 run.
- SDSU is 10-0 this season when leading at the half and is 10-3 when posting more draw controls than the opposition. In addition, The Aztecs are 8-1 on the year when outshooting their adversaries and 6-1 when collecting more ground balls. SDSU is also unbeaten on the year (7-0) when scoring 15 goals or more. A victory Sunday would give the Aztecs a single-season program record of 11 wins.
Opponent Notebook
UC Davis
The Aggies (8-5, 2-0 MPSF), who have won three straight and seven of nine, earned a bye in the MPSF semifinal with a 23-12 triumph over Fresno State on April 21. For the season, UCD has been paced by junior Taylor Cuenin, the MPSF Player of the Year who has compiled 37 goals, 28 ground balls, 12 draw controls and 22 caused turnovers. Cuenin has received plenty of help from additional all-league selections in sophomores Amanda Outcalt (28g) and Sorana Larson (24g), junior Natalie Garces (32 gb) and senior Kate Fellner (21a, 20gb). Junior goalkeeper Grace Richards, who also earned all-MPSF recognition, has recorded 107 saves, a .444 save percentage and an 11.96 goals against average. Entering the weekend, the Aggies are averaging 11.54 goals per game, but are allowing 11.69 per outing. In addition, UCD leads the MPSF with just under 20 ground balls per contest, which ranks 34th in the nation, and are averaging 13.77 draw controls per game. In her first season with the Aggies, Suzanne Isidor was named the MPSF Coach