SAN DIEGO – San Diego State lacrosse is headed to the Sunshine State this week, set to face their last non-conference opponent followed by their second Big 12 matchup of the season. The Aztecs will take on Stetson at 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday in DeLand, Fla. before making the trip to Gainesville for a Saturday morning Big 12 battle against No. 5 Florida, beginning at 7 a.m. PT. Both games can be streamed on ESPN+.
This will be just the second time the Aztecs and Hatters go head-to-head. The first meeting was on Feb. 17, 2013, of which the Scarlet and Black earned an 18-1 victory on the road.
The Gators lead the Aztecs 2-0 in the all-time series, most recently taking the March 8, 2024 contest by a score of 23-5 as the 11th-ranked team in the nation.
San Diego State enters Wednesday’s game with a 5-6 overall record and 0-1 in the Big 12. Last time out, the Aztecs fell 16-12 to Colorado in their conference opener.
Stetson holds a 4-6 record and is 0-3 in the ASUN, most recently coming up short 17-14 to Kennesaw State. The Hatters are led offensively by Kaitlin Pani who has 20 goals and 14 assists on the season, in addition to Miya Scanlan with 19 goals and 21 assists. Anya Lucia Phillips is a key player in the draw for Stetson, recording 40 draw controls through the first 10 games.
Tied for first place in the Big 12 and ranked No. 5 in the nation, Florida is 9-2 overall and 1-0 in the league after taking down UC Davis 16-10 on Friday.
The Big 12 matchup is set to be an offensive battle between Florida and San Diego State, who lead the league in goals per game, with the Gators averaging 15.40 and the Aztecs 15.09. The teams rank 10th and 12th in the nation, respectively. Leading scorers Gianna Monaco and Bella Tan are tied for third in the conference in goals per game, each averaging 3.00 per outing.
Frankie Garcia and Sara Toner join Tan atop the stat sheet in scoring. Garcia leads the team in points, tallying 44 off 30 goals and 14 assists, while Toner has 28 off 21 goals and seven assists.
Midfielders Kate Christos and Keira Doyle-Odenbach have been difference-makers on both ends of the field. Christos leads the Aztecs in draw controls (42), ground balls (26) and caused turnovers (12), and has 12 goals under her belt as well. Doyle-Odenbach, a true freshman, has recorded 38 draw controls, 24 ground balls, 10 goals and eight caused turnovers.
In the conference opener, freshman goalkeeper Grace Moore played 38 minutes in the cage, which was her most of the season. She recorded a career-high 11 saves off 31 shots faced.
This week’s matchup against Stetson will close out the Aztecs’ non-conference schedule as they prepare for the final four games of the regular season. Following Saturday’s game at Florida, the Scarlet and Black will return to The Mesa to take on Cincinnati at 1 p.m. on April 12.