SAN DIEGO – San Diego State wraps up its season-long five-game homestand on Saturday, March 16, when it plays host to LIU Brooklyn at Aztec Lacrosse Field, starting at 1 p.m. PT. In addition to live stats, a link to streaming video will be available on GoAztecs.com. Admission to all SDSU home lacrosse games is free.
The Aztecs, who are off to their best start in program history, extended their winning streak to six straight on Wednesday with a 20-8 conquest of Bucknell to raise their record to 7-1 on the year.
SDSU received four points apiece from four players, including Harlowe Steele (3 goals 1 assist), Taylor Sullivan (3 goals, 1 assist), Kirstie Greenlaw (2 goals, 2 assists) and Julia Sheehan (1 goal, three assists). In addition, Courtney Robinson netted her first collegiate hat trick; Grace McGinty collected a team-high four draw controls, while Natalie Peel tied her personal best with three ground balls.
Collectively, 11 different players found the back of the net vs. the Bison, as the Aztecs fashioned runs of 5-0, 6-0 and 5-0 to secure the dominating win. Not only did SDSU finish with its highest scoring output of the year, the Scarlet and Black dished out a season-best 11 assists as well. Additionally, the Aztecs' 20 goals marked sixth time in program history the team has reached that plateau.
For the season, SDSU has been led by Taylor Sullivan's 22 goals, while her 15 ground balls tied for the top spot with Steele, who owns a team-high 27 draw controls, followed closely by McGinty's 23.
Steele is one of four additional Aztecs with double-digit goal totals, posting 19 strikes to go with a team-high 8 assists, followed by Morgan Taylor (16), Greenlaw (16) and Caitlin Jones (12).
Entering the weekend, goalkeeper Katy Sharretts is ranked third nationally in saves (87), 11th in save percentage (.524) and 13th in saves per game (10.88). Jones also finds herself among the Division I leaders, occupying he eighth spot in free position percentage (.778, 7-9), while Steele and Sullivan are tied for 15th with an average of 1.25 free position goals per game. In addition, Sullivan's 22 goals rank 34th in the nation.
At 7-1, the Aztecs are tied for the fifth-best winning percentage (.875) in the country with Army West Point, trailing four unbeaten squads in Michigan (9-0), Boston College (8-0), Maryland (7-0) and Notre Dame (7-0). SDSU also ranks eighth in shots on goal per game (26.38) and 12th in both scoring offense (15.25 goals/gm) and free position percentage (.500, 43-86).
Including Wednesday's victory over Bucknell, March has proven to be a very fruitful month for the Aztecs over the past two years, with the Scarlet and Black posting a 16-4 record during that span, including a 14-2 mark at home. Since 2017, SDSU is 17-7 overall at Aztec Lacrosse Field.
LIU Brooklyn (1-6) is coming off a narrow 14-13 loss to Monmouth in its 2019 home opener on March 9. Bianca Santucci led the Blackbirds with four goals, including a pair of strikes in the second half which tied the score, before the Hawks scored what proved to be the game-winning tally with just under seven minutes remaining. LIU's only victory of the season occurred in 16-6 triumph at Hartford on March 2.
Individually, the Blackbirds are led by twin sisters Amanda Masullo (18 goals, 30 dc, 6 asst) and Rachel Masullo (14 goals, 37 dc), while Santucci has surpassed the double-digit scoring barrier with 14 tallies of her own. Goalkeeper Sam Kidd has started all seven games for LIU, posting 83 saves, a .461 save percentage and a 14.04 goals against average to go with a team-high 24 ground balls.
The Blackbirds are guided by seventh-year head coach Allison Hanley, who played collegiately at Richmond from 2002-06, where she totaled 32 goals and 63 assists during her career. Prior to her arrival in Brooklyn, Hanley was an assistant coach for three seasons at Hofstra from 2010-12.
The Aztecs registered a pair of decisive home victories in their only two meetings vs. the Blackbirds, winning handily 21-1 in 2013, followed by a lopsided 22-6 decision in 2014.
SDSU has faced just two other current members of the Northeast Conference, dropping a 16-15 heartbreaker in overtime at Saint Francis in 2012, as well as a narrow 13-12 setback at Mount St. Mary's last season.
Following Saturday's encounter, San Diego State will play six straight road games, starting next weekend when it travels to the Buckeye State to face Cincinnati (March 22) and Ohio State (March 24).