The Aztecs had nonstop offensive power through all four periods of play against the Claremont Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Athena’s winning 22-6. Although it was an exhibition match, the Scarlet and Black played like it was a regular-season game.
Senior transfers Julia Lytle and Deanna Balsama had a huge impact on the field scoring half of the Aztecs goals with five and six goals respectively.
Head coach Kylee White said in a statement on goaztecs.com before the game that she expects Lytle and Balsama to be “immediate contributors” this season.
When the team caused turnovers, Lytle and Balsama immediately went to the opponent’s side of the field and created scoring opportunities.
Coach White said she knows they have a tough schedule and is ready to use their new weapons.
“We’ve brought in a lot of talent from transfers to freshmen and we look forward to testing the program’s growth this season with a tough schedule where we will play some of the best teams in the country,” said Coach White.
Senior team captains Bailey Brown and Cailin Young also contributed on the offensive side.
Brown scored a few goals but really helped out in assisting her teammates. Young also helped out on assisting her teammates but struggled on goal-scoring chances.
The defense — led by senior captain Shelby Hook — was able to cause turnovers and limit the Athenas to six goals.
The Aztecs start their season on the road against the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans on Saturday, Feb. 12.
SDSU is 1-10 against the Trojans since 2013 with their lone win coming last season.
The Scarlet and Black won 14-13 in overtime with the last goal coming from Brown.
Brown said in an interview three weeks ago that USC is one of the team’s most highly anticipated match-ups.
“USC is always one of our (favorite match-ups) we always go to and we really love the competition with them,” Brown said.
