SAN DIEGO – The Aztec lacrosse team fell to UC Davis 11-19 Saturday afternoon. Three SDSU players had hat tricks, including Frankie Garcia, Jenna McDermott, and Sara Toner.
The Aggies (2-1) started the first quarter with an early 3-0 lead, but the Aztecs (1-2) ended with a last second point on the board thanks to a goal by Toner. The Aztecs ended the first half down by only one goal. SDSU was outshot by UC Davis 45-23 and 36-17 in shots on goal. They were 1-5 in extra-man opportunities, while the Aggies were 2-5.
The Aztecs had five players score, along with Garcia, McDermott, and Toner, Mia Kohn and Victoria Rankin each scored once. This was Rankin's first goal as an Aztec and she also led the team with four draw controls. Goalkeeper Avery Dyer had 19 saves, bringing her season total to 27.
"We could've done better and I could have helped the team a little bit more, but overall I think we came off strong, Garcia explained." "We need to put emphasis on not turning over the ball as much and getting more possessions to help our team in the second half."
Grace Gebheardt led the Aggies with eight points from six goals and two assists. Ella Brislin and Alannah Scott each had eight draw controls. Goalkeeper Ashley Laing had five saves and ten goals allowed.
"We had a very good first half, I think that's where we saw what we can do. Going into the second half, knowing that it was close, I think we felt comfortable with being down one goal and didn't have that same sense of urgency," Head Coach Kylee White explained. "At the end of the day, we're trying to move forward and get better. Playing a team like Davis, we fought, we battled. We're getting better, I've seen growth from game one to game three. When we're shooting, we're scoring, so we just need to shoot a lot more, and recognize those opportunities so we can take more of them. This doesn't count towards PAC-12, so sure it hurts the record a little bit but we're moving forward in the right direction."
STAT OF THE GAME
Avery Dyer had 19 saves, bringing her season total to 27.
THE NOTE
Jenna McDermott had her second hat-trick in a row.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs travel to play the Pioneers of No. 4 Denver on Sunday, February 25.