April 30, 2018
SAN DIEGO – San Diego State had six players selected to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation all-tournament team, as announced Sunday following the conference championship at Aztec Lacrosse Field.
Leading the SDSU honorees was sophomore Morgan Taylor, who was named the tournament's most valuable player after scoring a career-high four goals in the Aztecs' 11-10 overtime victory over UC Davis in the championship game to clinch the program's first MPSF title. Against the Aggies, the San Ramon, Calif., native recorded three of her tallies in the final seven minutes of the contest, including the game-winner with just 23 seconds elapsed in the extra session. She also added a goal in the first half of the Scarlet and Black's 16-6 triumph over Fresno State in the semifinal matchup, finishing the weekend with a .714 shot percentage (5-7).
Joining Taylor on the all-tournament squad were senior Mackenzie Lech, juniors Harlowe Steele and Jill Haight, sophomore Taylor Sullivan and redshirt sophomore Katy Sharretts.
Lech was one of the mainstays on the Aztec defense at the conference championships, posting two ground balls and one caused turnover. For her efforts, the Milton, Ga., product completed her collegiate career ranked fifth on the program's all-time charts with 72 ground balls. In addition to helping SDSU limit its two opponents to an average of 17 shots on goal per game, Lech also contributed to the team's highly successful transition game, as the Aztecs registered a .806 clearing percentage (25-31) for the weekend.
One of the team's three captains, Steele displayed her versatility throughout the tournament with four goals, six draw controls, four ground balls and four caused turnovers. Against Fresno State last Friday, the Coquitlam, British Columbia, native notched her sixth hat trick in the last 10 games and tied for the team lead with four draw controls. In the title game vs. UC Davis, she recorded three draw controls and tied a personal-best with three caused turnovers while scoring the team's final goal of the first half, as the Aztecs built an 8-5 lead by intermission. With her performance, Steele moved into third place on SDSU single-season charts with 38 goals for the year, which is also tied for third in the conference.
Haight, meanwhile, ranks fourth behind Steele on the Aztecs' single-season list with 37 goals this year after notching two tallies at the MPSF Championship. Against UC Davis in the title match, the Milton, Ga., product led all players with seven draw controls and tied for game-high honors with four ground balls. She also found the back of the net in the first half, which gave the Scarlet and Black a 5-4 lead at the time. With her effort, Haight completed the 2018 campaign as the Aztecs' single-season leader with 74 draw controls, which tops the MPSF.
Likewise, Sullivan was a key contributor to SDSU's fortunes this past weekend, posting four points on three goals and one assist to go with five caused turnovers and four ground balls. The Annapolis, Md., denizen got things rolling for the Aztecs in their victory over the Aggies on Sunday with two strikes early in the first half while adding two ground balls, two caused turnovers and a draw control. She was also one of 12 players to score a goal in the team's drubbing of Fresno State while tying her career-high with three caused turnovers.
In addition, Sharretts made eight saves and posted an 8.17 goals against average for the weekend, which was over four goal less than her 12.53 clip entering the tournament. Overall, the Bel Air, Md., native owns two of the program's single-season records with 167 saves and a .459 save percentage this year and ranks second on the team with 31 ground balls.
San Diego State completed its finest campaign to date in 2018, posting a program-record 11 wins, highlighted by its first-ever MPSF crown. In addition, the Aztecs collected seven all-MPSF honors to go with 15 conference player of the week awards.
2018 MPSF Lacrosse All-Tournament Team
San Diego State
Mackenzie Lech, D
Morgan Taylor, M
Jill Haight, M
Taylor Sullivan, M
Harlowe Steele, M
Katy Sharretts, GK
UC Davis
Anna Belenis, D
Sorana Larson, M
Grace Richards, GK
Natalie Garces, D
Fresno State
Lindsay Hobson, M
Abigail Bergevin, D
Most Valuable Player
Morgan Taylor, San Diego State