SAN DIEGO – San Diego State lacrosse is back on The Mesa this weekend, hosting Cincinnati at Aztec Field for a 1 p.m. matchup on Saturday.
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The Aztecs enter Saturday’s contest with a 5-8 overall record and 0-2 in the Big 12, coming off a road trip where they fell short 15-13 to Stetson and 21-9 to No. 4 Florida. Their last win came against East Carolina, taking down the Pirates in a 17-16 thriller.
Cincinnati holds a 7-7 record, 0-2 in conference play. Last time out, the Bearcats fell 11-10 to UC Davis following a 14-12 loss to Arizona State in their Big 12 opener.
This will be just the third meeting between the two programs. Both the Aztecs and the Bearcats have one win in the all-time series, with Cincinnati taking the last game 17-11 in 2019 and San Diego State earning a 14-9 win in its inaugural lacrosse season in 2012. The two teams were scheduled to play again in 2020, but the game was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
San Diego State will look to use its aggressive offense to its advantage on Saturday. The Aztecs rank second in the Big 12 in goals per game (14.92) and first in shots on goal per game (26.08). The offense is led by redshirt freshman Bella Tan, who has 37 goals on the season, and sophomore Frankie Garcia with 36 goals and 14 assists. After last week’s games, the two Aztecs etched their names into the record book, entering the top 10 most goals scored in a single season. Tan ties Jill Haight (’18) in eighth while Garcia comes in at 10th. Teammate Sara Toner holds the seventh spot after tallying 39 in 2024.
Tan and Garcia aren’t the only Aztecs making their way into the record book this season. Picking up 11 ground balls at Stetson, starting goalkeeper Caitlin Boughton set a new school record, breaking Sam Horan and Camdyn O’Donnell’s previous shared record of 8, set in 2022 and 2023.
The Aztecs also rank third in the Big 12 in saves per game, averaging 10.25. While Boughton has played a large share of the minutes in the cage, freshman Grace Moore has earned more playing time in recent games, making it on the field on seven occasions. Moore recorded a career high 11 saves off 31 shots faced against Colorado on March 29.
The Aztec offense will be going against Cincinnati’s Hailey Darko, who averages 6.80 saves per game.
Leading the Bearcats on the other end of the field is Lauren Ottensmeyer, who is one of the top goal scorers in the conference, ranking third with an average of 3.40 goals per game.
Following Saturday’s action, the Aztecs will head to Tempe, Ariz. for its final road game of the season, taking on Arizona State on April 19 at noon.