SAN DIEGO – After five straight road games, the Aztec lacrosse team (2-3) will finally have a home game beginning this Saturday when the Aztecs host No. 10 Princeton (4-0) at 1 p.m. This is the beginning of four straight home games across 16 days. SDSU hosts Marquette (3-4) on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Admission is free to all home SDSU lacrosse games and there is also a free stream.
Aztec Tidbits
• The Aztecs were off last week, getting some much-needed rest after playing their first five games on the road.
• Their last game was an 18-15 win at Oregon on Feb. 27 where Deanna Balsama set a school record with eight goals.
• At Oregon Camdyn O'Donnell (Poway, Calif.) also set a school record by scooping up eight ground balls. O'Donnell also had seven points with four goals and three assists.
• The Oregon game was the first time in school history the Aztecs had two players finish with seven or more points.
• Bailey Brown had nine draw controls at Oregon, which matched her career-high. Brown is the only Aztecs in school history to have at least nine draw controls in a game twice (she has done it on three occasions).
• SDSU had a season-high nine assists on their 18 goals at Oregon.
• Balsama (Sea Isle City, N.J.), who is in her first year at SDSU after playing at George Mason for three years, leads the nation with 5.2 goals per game. She is also first in shots on goal per game (7.8), second in free position goals per game (2.2), third in shots per game (9.8), sixth in total goals (26) and 10th in points per game (5.4).
• Goalkeeper Sam Horan (San Rafael, Calif.) is 18th in the nation in saves per game (10.4).
• Julie Lytle (Martinsville, N.J.), who also is in her first year with SDSU after transferring (Rutgers), tied a (then) school record with seven ground balls at UC Davis earlier this year. Lytle also scored a career-high five goals in that game.
• Brook Waddell (Wilsonville, Ore.) and Bailey Brown (Katy, Texas) are tied for the team-lead with four assists. Brown is also second on the team with 17 draw controls.
• Cailin Young (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) has a team-high 20 draw controls.
• The Aztecs first five games were on the road (2-3). In that stretch they played four Pac-12 schools and went 2-2.
• SDSU will now play four straight home games, three of which will be against ranked teams: No. 10 Princeton (March 12), Marquette (March 15), No. 24 Drexel (March 23) and No. 11 Denver (March 27).
• The Aztecs will then play five straight road games with four of them being on the East Coast.
Opponent Notebook (No. 10 Princeton)
Princeton is 4-0 on the year with three of their wins coming against ranked programs… They won at No. 17 USC 18-13 Tuesday afternoon… They didn't play in 2021 and went 3-2 in the shortened 2020 season… They are fifth in the nation in shots on goal per game (26.5) and their 15.5 goals per game is 10th… Kyla Sears leads the team in points (21), goals (15) and assists (6). Her 5.3 points per game are 13th in the nation… McKenzie Blake averages 3.3 ground balls per game, 11th in the nation… Goalkeeper Sam Fish has a goals allowed average of 11.50… Head Coach Chris Sailer is in her 36th year as Princeton's head coach. She was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse National Hall of Fame in 2008… This is the second all-time meeting between SDSU and Princeton. The Tigers won the lone meeting 16-9 in San Diego March 22, 2014.
Opponent Notebook (Marquette)
Marquette is 3-4 on the year… They went 7-9 last year, 4-6 in the Big East and had the second-best scoring offense in their conference.… They returned 12 letterwinners and six starters from last year's team… They have played six straight road games going 2-4 in that span… They host Kent State on Saturday… They are fourth in the nation in draw controls per game (18.1) and 17th in draw control percentage (57%)… Shea Garcia leads the team with 29 points and 20 goals… Kyra Lamotte had 24 points (18 goals and six assists)… Mary Schumar had a team-high 14 assists… They have three goalkeepers that have played at least 60 minutes. Amanda Rumsey has played a team-high 298:34 in goal and has a goals allowed average of 15.88… Like SDSU, their program is in its 10th year… Head coach Meredith Black (10th year) is the only head coach in program history…This is the second all-time meeting between SDSU and Marquette. The Aztecs won the first meeting 19-5 in San Diego on March 14, 2013.
Season Preview Tidbits
• The Aztecs will be competing as an independent in 2022. The three-team MPSF folded after Fresno State cut its lacrosse program following the 2021 season.
• SDSU will play a challenging schedule in 2022, playing away from their home field 10 times and facing five teams ranked in the IWLCA preseason poll: No. 4 Northwestern, No. 14 Denver, No. 15 Princeton, No. 16 Drexel and No. 17 Rutgers.
• Key returners for SDSU include Bailey Brown, a 2021 All-MPSF selection who had 32 points & 26 goals, Cailin Young, 10 goals in 2021 on a .435 shot percentage and Camdyn O'Donnell, 11 points on six goals & five assists.
• The Aztecs will have to fill the shoes of goalkeeper Katy Sharretts, SDSU's all-time leader in saves. As well as Emily Resnick, who led the team in points (46) & assists (23) last year, & Lexi Tan, who scored a team-high 29 goals.
• Brown and Young along with Shelby Hook and Sam Horan will be the team captains this season.
• SDSU has 10 newcomers (seven freshmen and three transfers), and head coach Kylee White is expecting immediate contributors from transfers Julia Lytle (Rutgers) and Deanna Balsama (George Mason). As a team captain, Lytle made 16 starts for Scarlet Knights last year and collected 13 points and caused 12 turnovers. Balsama was the 2019 A-10 Rookie of the Year and totaled 98 goals and 40 assists in her three years at George Mason.
• Head coach Kylee White (11th season), the only head coach in program history received a five-year contract extension in the fall.
Aztecs Host No. 10 Princeton for Home Opener Saturday
