SAN DIEGO – The Aztec lacrosse team (3-6) fell 10-9 in overtime to Villanova (5-1) Wednesday evening. SDSU's Deanna Balsama led the team in scoring with three followed by Sydney Wolfington who netted two. In addition to their goals, they each had an assist.
It was a back-and-forth game after the Aztecs and Wildcats went on their respective scoring runs. The contest was tied up at 9-9 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats won the final draw control but SDSU's Sydney Wolfington was able to battle for possession of the ball. Villanova got the ball back after an overthrow from Wolfington to Balsama. The Wildcats took charge and scored one more, the final goal of the game, earning a 10-9 overtime victory.
"While we did not end up on the right side of things tonight, I am extremely proud of this group and how they have battled through. They played awesome tonight," Head coach Kylee White said after the game. "Even though there was a lot of turnovers for both teams, it never brought us down. Our next play speed was incredible, and we just really fell back on our strengths which were our connectedness. No fingers pointed, we just kept rallying together and that's what makes Aztec Lacrosse so special."
The game continued to go back-and-forth with scoring runs for both teams. It all came down to the fourth quarter where the Aztecs led 9-8. The Wildcats netted a goal to tie the game with 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
After Sydney Wolfington was able to get possession on a ground ball pickup, Villanova regained possession on an overthrow and the Wildcats went on to score to defeat SDSU in overtime.
Villanova outshot SDSU 35-21 but just 25-18 in shots on goal. The Wildcats had 15 turnovers and 10 of them were caused by the Aztecs.
The Wildcats were led by Caroline Curnal with three goals netted followed by Maddie Luer, Sydney Pappas, and Kayla Gulmi with two each.
Goalkeeper Sam Horan had another outstanding game, making 15 saves. Horan currently leads the country in saves per game with an average of 12.75.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs return to action on Sunday to take on Howard at 11 a.m. PT at the Aztec Lacrosse Field.