Game Week Preview
Vanderbilt (5-0, 0-0 AAC) at San Diego State (4-1, 0-0 MPSF)
Friday, March 8 | 7 p.m. PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field | San Diego, Calif.
Lehigh (3-2, 0-0 Patriot League) at San Diego State (4-1, 0-0 MPSF)
Sunday, March 10 | Noon PT | Aztec Lacrosse Field | San Diego, Calif.
Aztec Lacrosse Storylines
* Winners of two straight, San Diego State looks to keep the momentum rolling this weekend when it plays host to Vanderbilt and Lehigh at Aztec Lacrosse Field. SDSU will battle the Commodores on Friday, March 8, starting at 7 p.m., before a Sunday showdown with the Mountain Hawks, beginning at noon. Promotional items include a free Aztec T-shirt giveaway to the first 250 fans on Friday, while free SDSU sandals are pegged for distribution on Sunday.
* The Aztecs are coming off a 16-10 triumph over Central Michigan on Tuesday to open a season-long five-game homestand. Taylor Sullivan led a balanced attack with a game-high four goals, as 10 different players found the back ot the net vs. the Chippewas. Morgan Taylor also got into the act with three strikes of her own, while Grace McGinty and Harlowe Steele finished with two tallies apiece.
* Not to be outdone, Caitlin Jones came through with a season-best five draw controls and corralled two ground balls, while Bailey Brown won three draws as well.
* Defensively, SDSU was bolstered by Marissa MacRae, who logged a career-high four caused turnovers to go with two ground balls, while Steele, Jenny Buckland (2 ct) and Katy Sharretts picked up three ground balls each. Sharretts turned another solid performance in front of the net with eight saves, including five in the second half.
* Trailing 2-1, the Aztecs scored five straight goals over a 17-minute stretch to take the lead for good. CMU crept within two on three occasions in the second half, but the Scarlet and Black kept the visitors at bay, thanks to a 4-0 surge after the Chippewas trimmed the margin to 9-7 with 13 minutes remaining.
* With the victory, San Diego State matched the best five-game start in program history after the Aztecs opened with a 4-1 record during the 2014 campaign. That season, SDSU notched four consecutive road wins at Davidson, Winthrop, California and Saint Mary's before dropping its home opener to Boston College.
* The Central Michigan game also marked the first of four consecutive first-time opponents SDSU will face in the upcoming week. In addition to this weekend's matchups vs. Vanderbilt and Lehigh, the Aztecs entertain Bucknell on Wednesday, March 13.
* Vanderbilt is one of six schools comprising the American Athletic Conference for women's lacrosse after the Southeastern Conference discontinued sponsorship of the sport after last season. SDSU is 2-1 vs. current members of the AAC, with victories over Cincinnati (2012) and Temple (2013) countered by a loss to Florida (2015). However, the Aztecs have yet to face East Carolina and Connecticut. SDSU will travel to Cincinnati on Friday, March 22.
* Located in Bethlehem, Pa., Lehigh competes in the 10-team Patriot League for women's lacrosse, which also features next Wednesday's opponent Bucknell. SDSU has played just three Patriot League schools since its program launch seven years ago, falling to Lafayette (2012) and Navy (2014) on the road before defeating Boston University at home in 2017. The Aztecs have yet to battle the remainder of the Patriot League lineup: American University, Army West Point, Loyola (MD), Colgate and Holy Cross.
* One of the reasons for SDSU's quick start is its scoring offense, which ranks 20th nationally entering the weekend with 14.80 goals per game. The Aztecs have racked up 74 goals on the year, which is the second-best five-game stretch to start a season in program history. The Scarlet and Black's 2013 squad rang up 76 goals over the first five contests that year, capped by a 21-goal outburst in a victory over LIU Brooklyn.
* In addition, SDSU ranks 10th among Division I schools in shots on goal per game (27.40) as well as free position percentage (.534, 31-58).
* Individually, the Aztecs boast several players among the NCAA leaders entering the weekend, including Taylor Sullivan, who ranks ninth with 1.40 free position goals per game (7 overall), while Harlowe Steele, Caitlin Jones and Morgan Taylor are tied for 16th in that statistic with a 1.20 clip (6 overall each). Additionally, Jones is tied for 14th position in free position percentage (.750) after converting 6-of-8 attempts. Elsewhere, goalkeeper Katy Sharretts occupies the 10th spot with an average of 11.40 saves per game and is 17th in both saves (57) and save percentage (.518).
- After completing consecutive hat tricks vs. Oregon and California during the season-opening weekend in Las Vegas, 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 15 of her last 16 starts dating back to last year, with the lone exception in that stretch occurring in the 2018 regular-season finale at Notre Dame.
* Steele has also racked up 11 draw controls this year, surpassing Grace Korandovich for fourth place on the program's all-time list in that category with 103 draws won for her career.
* Taylor 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.
* Including Tuesday's victory over Central Michigan, March has proven to be a very fruitful month for the Aztecs over the past two years, with the Scarlet and Black posting a 13-4 record during that span, including an 11-2 mark at home. Since 2017, SDSU is 14-7 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.
* 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 this weekend's action, San Diego State continues its homestand on Wednesday, March 13, when Bucknell invades The Mesa, starting at 7 p.m. PT.
Opponent Notebook
Vanderbilt
The Commodores (5-0) remain one of nine unbeaten teams nationally after escaping with a 15-14 victory on Tuesday at Arizona State. Emily Mathewson scored four goals, including her team's final two of the game to secure the win for Vandy, which survived a three-goal barrage by the Sun Devils over the closing seven minutes and change. For the season, Mathewson leads the Commodores with 15 points on 11 goals and four assists, while Sophie Furlong has racked up 14 points of her own on a team-best 12 goals while adding two assists. Vandy has also been paced by Brianne Gross' 17 draw controls, while Julie Blaze (14 dc) and Halle Regan have collected 10 ground balls apiece. Goalkeeper Lily Argyle has played the majority of minutes in front of the net for the Commodores, posting an 8.58 goals against average and a .463 save percentage, while Madison Foglio (6.53 GAA, .500 save pct.) picked up a win in her lone start of the year in a 16-7 triumph over Wagner on Feb. 10. Beth Hewitt is in her first year as Vandy's head coach after spending the previous four years as the team's associate head coach specializing in defense. Prior to her arrival on the Nashville campus, Hewitt spent five years as head coach at Division II Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., where she compiled a 71-19 record, leading the Dolphins to two Final Fours, three NCAA Tournaments, two NE-10 regular season championships and a pair of conference tournament titles.
Lehigh
Before embarking on their West Coast trip, the Mountain Hawks (3-2) emerged with a 13-10 home victory over Columbia, the same team the Aztecs defeated by a 16-7 count in Tempe, Ariz., on Feb. 24. Sondra Dickey had four goals to lead the Lehigh attack against the Lions, while Kellie Gough found the back of the net on three occasions. For the season, Dickey tops the Mountain Hawks with 23 points on 18 goals and five assists while posting a team-high 21 draw controls and 12 caused turnovers. In addition, Courtney Henig owns her squad's best assist total with 10, while Hannah Cermack has dished out nine helpers of her own. Goalkeeper Samantha Sagi has started all five games for Lehigh, amassing a 10.90 goals against average and a .480 save percentage. Jill Redfern is in her 11th season as head coach of the Mountain Hawks' program, guiding her team to eight Patriot League tournaments in the last 10 years. A two-time Division III All-American at Ursinus College, Redfern was also a member of the U.S. national team from 1987-93. She was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2018.
Lacrosse Continues Homestand with Weekend Set
