Game Week Preview
Central Michigan (2-1, 0-0 SoCon) at San Diego State (3-1, 0-0 MPSF)
Tuesday, March 5 | 3 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field
Aztec Storylines
* San Diego State opens a season-long five-game homestand on Tuesday, March 5, when it battles Central Michigan, beginning at 3 p.m. PT to highlight the team's Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day. In addition to live stats, a link to streaming video will be available on GoAztecs.com.
* The Aztecs, who have been idle since Feb. 24, split their previous two games, dropping a wild 20-16 decision to No. 24 USC in their home-opener on Feb. 22, before rebounding with a 16-7 triumph over Columbia in a neutral-site matchup two days later in Tempe, Ariz.
* Against the Women of Troy, SDSU trailed 16-6 in the first half, before pulling to within three goals on two occasions late in the game, including a 19-16 spread with just under four minutes left. However, the Scarlet and Black was held scoreless for the remainder of the period, as USC tallied the final strike of the afternoon with 96 seconds to go.
* The Aztecs then made the quick trip to the desert to tackle the Lions, breaking a 3-3 first-half tie with a 13-4 blitz over the final 40 minutes of the contest to raise their record to 3-0 in neutral-field games already this season. SDSU received balanced scoring in the victory, as 12 different players tickled the twine, paced by Lexi Tan's second career hat trick.
* The Aztecs also received a tremendous all-around effort by Taylor Sullivan in the two games vs. USC and Columbia, as the junior midfielder combined for seven goals, four draw controls, three ground balls and three caused turnovers. Her versatility was on full display vs. the Women of Troy at home, when she matched her career-best with a team-high five goals, including a 3-for-5 clip on free position shots while finishing with three draw controls, two ground balls and two caused turnovers. The Annapolis, Md., native added two more goals vs. the Lions, including one during SDSU's 5-1 closing run over the final 15:15, which put the game out of reach.
* Defensively, goalkeeper Katy Sharretts posted an incredible 28 saves on 74 shots faced in the two aforementioned matches, finishing with a .509 save percentage, which was 50 points higher than her .459 clip during the 2018 campaign. Against USC, the redshirt junior established a school record with 17 saves--including 10 in the first half alone--to go with one ground ball. Sharretts subsequently recorded her third straight game with double-digit saves and the 12th time in her career after making 11 stops vs. Columbia. She also held an opponent to single-digit goals for the third time this year, limiting the Lions to just four tallies over the final 49 minutes, as the Aztecs fashioned a 13-4 run during that stretch to snap a 3-3 deadlock.
* Not to be outdone, Caitlin Jones was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Rookie of the Week for her combined six-goal performance vs. USC and Columbia, as all six of her shots found the back of the net, including a 5-for-5 effort on free position shots. Against the Women of Troy the La Costa Canyon High alumna netted a career-high four goals, converting all three of her eight-meter attempts. Two of her strikes came during an 8-2 run, as SDSU pulled to within 18-15 with six minutes to go in the game after trailing 16-6. She also hit pay dirt with two additional free position goals vs. the Lions while adding one ground ball and one draw control. Jones' second goal in that contest put the Aztecs up to stay 4-3 at the 10:03 mark of the first half, which ignited an 8-1 run.
* Central Michigan is the first of four consecutive first-time opponents SDSU will face in the coming weeks. Following the Aztecs-Chippewas clash, San Diego State will battle Vanderbilt (March 8), Lehigh (March 10) and Bucknell (March 13) in succession.
* CMU competes in the Southern Conference for lacrosse, with Delaware State, Detroit Mercy, Furman, Mercer and Wofford comprising the rest of the circuit. The Aztecs are 4-2 all-time against three SoCon members, posting a 2-1 record vs. Detroit Mercy, a 1-1 mark against Furman, as well as a 1-0 ledger vs. Wofford. SDSU defeated Furman (18-7) and Wofford (23-4) on the road last season. The 23 goals against Wofford marked a single-game record for the Scarlet and Black.
* Tuesday's game will mark the return of former Aztec goalkeeper Katrina Reeves, who serves as an assistant coach with the Chippewas program. A 2017 graduate of San Diego State, Reeves completed her collegiate playing career as the school's all-time leader with 405 saves and 162 ground balls. As a senior, the Granite Bay, Calif., native earned second-team all-MPSF honors during the 2017 campaign and landed a spot on the league's all-tournament team. She also competed for the Spanish national team at the FIL Rathbones World Cup in Surrey, England, during the summer of 2017 after receiving her bachelor's degree in child and family development.
* After completing consecutive hat tricks vs. Oregon and California during the season-opening weekend in Las Vegas, senior Harlowe Steele has scored at least three goals in 10 different games during her career. In addition, the Aztec tri-captain has notched at least one tally in 14 of her last 15 starts dating back to last year, with the lone exception in that stretch occurring in the 2018 regular-season finale at Notre Dame.
* For the season, Steele leads the Scarlet and Black in points (13), assists (4), draw controls (11) while sharing the top spot in ground balls (9) and free position goals (6) with Taylor Sullivan.
* Entering the week, Sharretts finds herself among the nation's leaders, ranking fifth in saves per game (12.25), 12th in save percentage (.533) and 24th overall in saves (49). In addition, Steele and Sullivan are tied for sixth in free position goals per game (1.50), while Caitlin Jones occupies the sixth spot as well in free position percentage. (.833 (5-6)).
* Collectively, the Aztecs are 14th nationally with 26.50 shots per game, while their offense ranks 19th with 14.50 goals per outing. In addition, SDSU is averaging 12.75 draw controls and 19.25 ground balls while allowing 11.00 goals per game.
* Sullivan's five-goal effort vs. USC marked the sixth time an Aztec player has recorded at least five tallies over the past two seasons and the second time this year after Kirstie Greenlaw accomplished the feat vs. Cal on Feb. 17. In the quarterfinals of the 2017 MPSF tournament, Ijeoma Ikpe tied a program record with seven goals vs. Oregon, while Alex Watson had five at Michigan earlier that year. Last season, Steele put up five scores vs. Arizona State, while Grace McGinty duplicated the total at Furman. With the exception of the USC clash, San Diego State emerged as the winner.
* March has proven to be a very fruitful month for the Aztecs over the past two years, with the Scarlet and Black posting a 12-4 record during that span, including a 10-2 mark at home. Since 2017, SDSU is 13-7 overall at Aztec Lacrosse Field.
* The Aztecs once again signed a talented recruiting class for the 2019 season. Highlighting the group are four high school All-Americans, three all-CIF performers, seven all-conference selections, two all-county picks and five Player of the Year/Most Valuable Player award recipients. In addition, the class includes multiple players with a plethora of prep postseason and national tournament experience, while many have displayed their versatile talents in other sports as well.
* Among the new faces is midfielder Courtney Robinson, a talented prep player who received four varsity letters at Mariemont High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she led the Warriors to their first-ever girls lacrosse OHSAA Division II state championship as a senior. In 2018, Robinson was named a US Lacrosse All-American and captured Cincinnati Enquirer Player of the Year honors after totaling 93 goals, 43 assists and 119 draw controls that season. She capped her productive prep career by breaking the state title game record with six goals and eight points. A two-time lacrosse team captain, Robinson finished as her school's all-time leader with 302 draw controls and also won two letters running cross country.
* After a successful run at Aztec Lacrosse Field last season, the 2019 MPSF Championships will be contested on April 26 and 28 at Aggie Stadium in Davis, Calif. For the second year in a row, 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 11 victories and the squad's first-ever MPSF championship 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.
Up Next
* Following Tuesday's tilt, San Diego State welcomes Vanderbilt to The Mesa on Friday, March 8. Game time is set for 7 p.m. PT.
Opponent Notebook
Central Michigan
The Chippewas (2-1) are coming off a thrilling 12-11 overtime victory at home over Cincinnati on March 1, as Jocelyne Lemay scored the game winner on a free position shot with 4:34 elapsed in the extra session. Lemay finished with three goals on the afternoon, while Natalie Karlen and Jessica Schuchardt also netted hat tricks. In addition, Tyra Prince had two strikes of her own and caused a game-high three turnovers. The Aztecs will face the same Bearcats squad in Cincinnati on March 22. For the season, Karlen leads CMU with eight goals, while Schuchardt tops the squad with 11 points (7g, 4a). In addition, the Chippewas have been paced by Anna Schoonover's 17 draw controls, while Logan Halvorson has collected a team-high 10 ground balls. Goalkeeper Dominique Hamman has started all three games this season, posting a 13.04 goals against average and a .525 save percentage with 32 saves overall, while backups Hope Murray and Clare Laughery have seen playing time as well. As a team, Central Michigan is averaging 10.67 goals per game while allowing 12.33 per contest. CMU alumna Sara Tisdale is in her fifth season at the helm of the Chippewas, a program she has built from scratch since 2015. Last year, Tisdale guided Central Michigan to the SoCon regular-season championship.
Lacrosse Set for Mardi Gras Matchup vs. CMU
