SAN DIEGO – The Aztec lacrosse team (3-6) begins a five-game stretch away from San Diego this week when they play at Quinnipiac Wednesday (12 p.m. PT) and at Columbia (10 a.m. PT) Saturday.
Aztec Tidbits
• The Aztecs fell to No. 9 Denver 19-11 on Sunday. SDSU's 11 goals were the most Denver has allowed this season.
• Deanna Balsama led SDSU with four goals with Bailey Brown adding three goals and an assist.
• Goalkeeper Sam Horan has averaged 16.8 saves over the last four games, the most over a four-game span in program history.
• The Aztecs are 24th in the nation in shots on goal per game (24.0). The Aztecs have had at least 25 shots on goals in six of their last eight games.
• SDSU is 25th in the nation with 18.0 ground balls per game. Goalkeeper Sam Horan is fourth in the nation with 3.7 ground balls per game.
• On three occasions this season an Aztec has scored eight or more points in a game this year (Balsama twice & O'Donnell once). Prior to this year, that had only happened twice in SDSU's 10-year history.
• SDSU scored exactly 18 goals in three straight games from Feb. 27 to March 15, their first time scoring 18 or more goals in three straight games since the 2018 season.
• The Aztecs have played or will play six teams that are currently ranked or receiving votes in the most recent IWLCA poll. SDSU has already played No. 9 Denver, No. 11 Princeton, No. 17 USC and RV Drexel and still have to play at No. 3 Northwestern and No. 14 Rutgers.
• SDSU will be on the road for five consecutive games and all five will be east of the Mississippi River. After the trip to Quinnipiac and Columbia, the Aztecs will play at No. 3 Northwestern (April 10), at No. 14 Rutgers and against Brown at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
• This week's games will be the first time SDSU has played in the eastern time zone since 2019 (James Madison).
Player Notes
Deanna Balsama (Sr. | Attack | Sea Isle, N.J.)
• Balsama leads the nation in shots on goal per game (7.3).
• She is second in goals per game (4.8) and in free position goals per game (1.7).
• She is also top ten in shots per game (4th, 9.0) and total goals (5th, 44).
• She is on pace to score 73 goals. The school record is 52 set by Harlowe Steele in 2019.
• Balsama has scored eight goals in a game twice, the most in a game in school history.
• Her 10 points against Princeton tied for the most in a game in school history (Michaela Jarvis – 2013). She also had nine against Oregon.
Sam Horan (Sr. | GK | San Rafael, Calif.)
• Horan averages 13.22 saves per game, the most in the nation.
• In three of her last four games, she has entered her name in the record book for most saves in a game/ Her 21 saves against Princeton was a school record and then she saved 18 against Marquette, the third-most in school history and then against Drexel, she had 16, fourth-most in school history.
• She is averaging 3.67 ground balls per game, the fourth most in the nation.
Camdyn O'Donnell (Jr. | Attack | Poway, Calif.)
• O'Donnell had seven goals and an assist against Marquette on March 15. Her seven goals tied for the second most in school history and her eight points tied for the fourth most in program history.
• She attempted 14 shots against Marquette, the most ever in a game for an Aztec.
• She collected eight ground balls at Oregon (Feb. 27), the most in school history.
• Her nine assists are the most on the team.
• She is second on the team in points (33) and goals (24).
Julia Lytle (Sr. | Midfield | Martinsville, N.J.)
• Lytle caused five turnovers against Marquette last Tuesday, tied for the second-most in school history.
• She leads the team with 15 caused turnovers on the year.
• Against UC Davis on Feb. 22, she had seven ground balls, which tied a school record at the time (O'Donnell had eight the following week).
Bailey Brown (Sr. | Midfield | Katy, Texas)
• Brown is the all-time leader in draw controls with 219 and counting.
• She had nine draw controls at Oregon, which matched her career-high. Brown is the only Aztec in school history to have at least nine draw controls in a game twice (she has done it on three occasions).
• She is third on the team in points (21) and goals (15).
Opponent Notebook (Quinnipiac)
Quinnipiac, located in Hamden, Conn., are 5-3 on the year… They went 5-7 last year… They have alternated wins and losses over their last seven games… They are 2-0 at home… They lead the MAAC with 18 ground balls per game and are third in scoring defense (11.75)… They are causing 8.8 turnovers per game (34th in the nation)… They have seven players with 10 or more points… Desiree Kleberg leads the team in points (22), goals (17), shots (44) and shots on goal (31)… Goalkeeper Kat Henselder leads the MAAC in saves per game (9.3) and save percentage (0.468)… Head coach Tanya Kotowicz is in her sixth season at the helm of the Bobcat program… This will be the first ever meeting with Quinnipiac.
Opponent Notebook (Columbia)
The Lions are 2-6 on the year… Columbia, along with the rest of the Ivy League, didn't play last year… They won their first two games and have now lost six in a row… Over the last six games, they have allowed 18.5 goals per game… They play at UConn on Wednesday… They have seven players with 10 or more points and are led by Dani Falcone's 16 (13 goals, 3 assists)… Katie Lutz has 10 goals and five assists… Sydney Paoletti leads the team with seven assists… They have two goalkeepers who have each started four games. Simone Koryszewski has a goals allowed average of 13.81 and Ryan Schlageter's is 19.15… Head coach Anne Murray is in her first year as Columbia's head coach… She came from Fairfield where she spent the last four years as an associate head coach… The Aztecs are 1-1 all-time against Columbia. This is SDSU's first time playing at Columbia. They last played Feb. 24, 2019 at Arizona State.
Aztecs at Quinnipiac Wednesday
