SAN DIEGO – San Diego State lacrosse welcomed Rutgers to Aztec Field for a non-conference matchup on Monday evening. It was a physical battle, but the Aztecs were unable to outlast a late offensive surge by the Scarlet Knights in a 14-8 defeat.
San Diego State falls to 2-9 in the 2026 campaign and Rutgers, who received votes in this week’s IWLCA Top 25 Poll, improves to 8-4.
Keira Doyle-Odenbach led the way for the Aztec offense, scoring four goals on the day. The sophomore midfielder also tallied six draw controls, four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Freshman Lilah Turley also put two in the back of the net while Tate Stokesberry and Mia Maechtel had one goal apiece. Stokesberry also recorded four draw controls, one ground ball and one caused turnover.
The Scarlet Knights were led by Kate Theofield with four goals and three assists, in addition to Annalise Messina and Payton Tini, both with two. Ava Chiarella, Caroline Ling, Delaney Sutley, Lily Dixon, Gabby Mariani and Campbell Spillett each scored one goal as well.
Senior goalkeeper Caitlin Boughton played all 60 minutes between the pipes for San Diego State, grabbing 13 saves off 36 shots faced.
Stella Quilty was in the goal for Rutgers, also recording 13 saves off 36 shots.
It was a gritty performance by the Aztecs, who forced 11 turnovers and picked up 12 ground balls and 11 draw controls against the 17th-ranked team in the nation in draw controls per game with an average of 15.36.
The Scarlet Knights put up the first two points thanks to goals from Theofield at the 10:56 and 8:18 marks. Turley was the first Aztec to score, with an assist from Matty Meier. Rutgers added two more before Turley put away her second of the day to close out the first period. The teams traded goals through the second stanza, bringing the score to 7-5 in Rutgers’ favor at the half. San Diego State came out hot in the third quarter with Doyle-Odenbach and Maechtel scoring three straight to give the Aztecs their first lead, but a scoring run by the Scarlet Knights gave Rutgers an ultimate 14-8 victory.
“Tonight was a really great game from our team,” said Head Coach Kylee White. “We played three great quarters, but we just needed to put a couple more points up on the board in the fourth. I thought our team came out and played really tough. It was a physical battle and we didn’t shy away from that. I’m excited about how we are staying true to getting better every time we step out on the field. That’s moving us forward, even if the score doesn’t always represent that. We’re going to turn the page on this one, move forward and get ready for UC Davis.”
Next up, the Aztecs will return to conference play with a Big 12 matchup at UC Davis on Saturday.