WOODLAND, Calif. – For the second time this season, the San Diego State lacrosse team swept all three Mountain Pacific Sports Federation weekly awards, as Harlowe Steele received recognition on offense, Marissa MacRae garnered defensive accolades, while Caitlin Jones was named top rookie once again on Monday.
The trio played prominent roles in the Aztecs' dramatic 16-15 victory over Fresno State at home last Saturday, which snapped a six-game losing streak after the squad experienced a narrow 13-11 setback at Arizona State earlier in the week on April 17.
With her award, Steele's weekly conference honor represents the eighth of her career and seventh as an offensive player, while MacRae picked up her first certificate as a collegian. In addition, Jones merited rookie distinction for the second week in a row and fifth time this year. In all, SDSU has collected 14 MPSF weekly awards for the season, the most in the conference.
A native of Coquitlam, British Columbia, Steele finished with seven goals in two games last week to go with 10 draw controls and three ground balls.
Against the Sun Devils, the Aztec senior led all players with four goals to match her season high. Two of her tallies occurred during a 6-2 run in the first half, helping San Diego State fight back from a 5-1 deficit and tie the score at 7-7 until ASU pulled away after intermission.
Three days later, Steele returned with a hat trick in the Aztecs' thriller over Fresno State while setting a career-high with 10 draw controls, which ranks second on the school's single-game charts. Her final goal proved pivotal, giving the Aztecs a 16-13 lead with just under 11 minutes remaining before the Bulldogs cut the deficit to one with a pair of strikes in the final 5:25, as SDSU hung on for the one-goal victory.
With her performances, Steele has scored at least three goals in 18 different games during her career, including 10 this season. In addition, the Aztec senior tri-captain has notched at least one tally in 24 of her last 25 starts dating back to last year.
In all, Steele has amassed 44 goals during the 2019 campaign, which ranks third on SDSU's single-season list, and has moved into fourth place in program history with 84 tallies for her career.
MacRae, meanwhile, was a key contributor for the Aztec defense, combining for five ground balls and a team-high four caused turnovers last week. Against ASU, the SDSU junior tied for team-high honors with three ground balls to go with a pair of caused turnovers.
Additionally, the Mt. Carmel High alumna contributed to the Aztecs' 16-15 come-from-behind win over the Fresno State with two more caused turnovers and ground balls, which extinguished Bulldog scoring chances in the second half. She was also instrumental in helping the Scarlet and Black limit two of the top-seven scorers in the MPSF, Tiffiny Wallace and Sydney Skalstad, to just three goals combined on the afternoon.
With her effort, MacRae ranks second on the team with 14 caused turnovers for the season, which is good for fifth in the MPSF. She has also collected nine of her 18 ground balls this season over the past four games and has completed five outings with multiple ground balls this year.
Not to be outdone, Jones was a key player against Fresno State as well, chipping in two goals, two ground balls, one assist and one caused turnover, helping to fuel the Aztec rally.
The Carlsbad, Calif., native registered one of her goals, as well as her assist, during a 5-0 run that propelled SDSU back into contention after falling behind by a 10-4 count. Additionally, her second goal sparked a 6-1 outburst in the second half that put the Aztecs in front for good 16-13 after trailing 12-10. The La Costa Canyon High graduate also came up with a draw control in her fifth start of the year at Arizona State last Wednesday.
For the season, Jones now has 21 goals, 19 draws and 12 ground balls to lead all SDSU freshmen.
San Diego State will battle Fresno State once again the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament on Friday, April 26, on the campus of UC Davis. Opening draw is set for 5 p.m. PT. Should the Aztecs emerge triumphant, they will play the host Aggies in the championship final on Sunday, April 28, starting at 1 p.m. PT.