San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec




San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

SDSU women’s lacrosse goes 2-0 at Snapdragon Stadium

The Aztecs, in their first appearances at Snapdragon Stadium, defeated Kent State 15-9 and High Point 17-9 two days later
Senior+midfielder+Cailin+Young+and+High+Point+graduate+midfielder+Emma+Genovese+get+ready+for+the+opening+faceoff+as+the+referee+blows+the+whistle+on+Sunday%2C+March+5.
Adam Correa
Senior midfielder Cailin Young and High Point graduate midfielder Emma Genovese get ready for the opening faceoff as the referee blows the whistle on Sunday, March 5.

The San Diego State women’s lacrosse team (3-5) won back-to-back games at Snapdragon Stadium, defeating Kent State (2-3) 15-9 on Friday and High Point (1-4) 17-9 on Sunday.

 

SDSU versus Kent State on March 3

 

In the team’s first appearance at Snapdragon Stadium, a bigger crowd than they are used to, including the SDSU band and cheerleaders, helped them capture a much needed 15-9 victory over Kent State.

The Aztecs started red hot offensively with three straight goals by redshirt freshman midfielder Kate Christos, junior attacker Brook Waddell and sophomore midfielder Emma Betts.

Sophomore attacker Allie Lee got the only goal for the Golden Flashes before the end of the first period.

After the brief intermission, SDSU came out on fire again and Kent State was unable to put them out.

The Aztecs scored six-straight goals to increase their lead to 9-1. During that time, senior attacker Deanna Balsama scored twice, and four different players scored once.

Kent State added one more before Balsama set up Christos twice for goal-scoring opportunities, which she executed. After Balsama got her third goal of the game, the Scarlet and Black led 12-2 at halftime and head coach Kylee White was very impressed.

“The game plan was run,” White said. “We did exactly what we had drawn up. They were so dialed in, confident in each other and that is basically what happened.”

The Aztecs out-shot the Golden Flashes 25-10 in the first half, while leading on the draw 11-4.

Balsama and Christos were electric offensively for SDSU and combined for six goals and eight points.

Kent State came out of the locker room at halftime and finally found consistent offensive answers.

The Golden Flashes started the third period with four-straight goals to cut the Aztecs’ lead in half before Balsama buried her fourth goal of the game. SDSU led 13-6 at the end of the third.

After Kent State senior attacker Kenzie Sklar started the scoring in the fourth, Aztec senior midfielder Maggie Marion captured her first goal of the season, slamming her stick down in celebration. 

“That was insane,” Marion said with joy. “I’m going to be completely honest, I blacked out, I do not even remember it. But it felt amazing.”

At the 5:22 mark of the fourth, Balsama scored her fifth goal of the game, then two Golden Flashes’ goals finalized the score at 15-9, granting the Aztecs their second win of the season and dropping Kent State to 2-2.

“It was awesome, it was so much fun,” White said about playing in Snapdragon Stadium. “From the minute we walked in, we felt this professionalism, we felt special and I think the girls did a great job of not being distracted by the flashing lights and the jumbotron … They knew they were coming here for business.”

SDSU outdrew Kent State 18-10, while outshooting them 40-20.

Balsama and Christos combined for nine of the 15 Aztec goals and combined for 12 points.

The Scarlet and Black were very efficient on clears (14-16) and free-position attempts (5-7).

Kent State had 19 turnovers and three penalties that granted the Aztecs woman-up situations, which they capitalized on for one goal.

 

SDSU versus High Point on March 5

 

The Aztecs faced off against the High Point Panthers on Sunday for the first time in program history.

A cohesive all-around Aztec team was the key takeaway from the game as they defeated the Panthers 17-9.

In the first period, both teams were competitive.

After the Aztec defense stopped High Point from scoring on its first two offensive possessions, they could not stop the third. Graduate attacker Mena Loescher set up junior midfielder Kay Rosselli to get the scoring started.

Goals went back and forth after that point with three SDSU free-position goals and one non-free position goal by Waddell. The Panthers got two goals by Loescher and one by sophomore attacker Jordan Miles, which tied the game 4-4 at the end of the first period.

Loescher continued her hot hand with her third goal of the game, which was initially stopped by senior goalkeeper Sam Horan, but then controversially crossed over the line. Horan was furious with the referee for allowing the goal.

The referees did not do much of a review and the Aztec coaching staff was irritated after Horan’s save replayed on the jumbotron. 

“I’m trying to keep my cool here,” White said to one of the referees.

Next, graduate midfielder Emma Genovese gave the Panthers their first two-goal lead of the game, but senior attacker Caitlin Jones knotted the score at 6-6 with two goals.

High Point senior defender Ava Scudillo was given a yellow card for a cross-check up high on junior attacker Sara Toner, granting her a free position attempt. The whistle blew and Toner shot it through the legs of redshirt senior goalkeeper Taylor Suplee, giving the Aztecs their first lead of the game.

Sophomore midfielder Mandy Brockamp scored the Panthers’ seventh goal of the game before halftime, ending a very chippy and dramatic second period.

Loescher and Jones both led their teams with three goals.

The Panther’s outshot the Aztecs 19-11 and picked up nine more ground balls than SDSU.

The Scarlet and Black were a perfect five-for-five on free position attempts, while High Point was one-for-two.

The Aztecs had a four-goal hot start in the third period before Rosselli put out the fire with her goal.

At the 3:18 mark of the third, Waddell set up Betts, who shot it past Suplee to make it 12-8 Aztecs.

Balsama, who rushed behind the net with defenders on her, made a nifty pass to a wide-open Christos out front in which she buried to make it 13-8.

High Point scored one more goal by the end of third, and the Aztecs led by four.

Toner, who came off the bench making a huge impact on the field, made an acrobatic goal as she was falling over Panther defenders to start the fourth period.

The Scarlet and Black continued to attack High Point offensively. Balsama got her first goal of the game in transition then Jones scored her sixth goal of the game on a free position attempt. The Panthers took a timeout as the Aztecs led 16-9.

SDSU got one more goal before defeating High Point 17-9 and capturing their third win of the season. 

“We like Snapdragon I guess,” White said postgame. “The girls came in with excitement for both games and it carried all four quarters today.”

Horan was a brick wall in the second half only giving up two goals and finishing with 13 saves.

“She came off the field and I was like ‘that must be one of your best games’,” White said about Horan. “She was standing on her head for us tonight and that just fired everyone up.”

High Point, who came into the game No. 1 in ground balls per game, finished with four more than SDSU (24-20).

Draw controls have not favored the Scarlet and Black this season before their first game at Snapdragon Stadium. Jones, who slightly leads the team in draw controls, has been one of the most reliable on the draw and she said she could not be as successful without team communication.

“It is all thanks to my teammates,” Jones said postgame. “Cailin Young is the one telling me which side to go on and they come with me, they have my backs, I have their backs and we are going together.”

The Aztecs outdrew High Point 20-10 and outshot them 31-30.

Jones and Toner combined for 10 of SDSU’s 17 goals and combined for 11 points.

White has emphasized that success comes when the team is connected and communicative. Toner, who had her best game of the season, touched on the importance of that against the Panthers.

“I think the connection with passes and moving around a lot got us to the goal and got us to finish,” Toner said postgame. “I think most of our goals were assisted too which was awesome.”

Seven of the 17 goals scored were assisted; two assists by Balsama and one each amongst five different players.

The Aztecs head back to the Aztec Lacrosse Field to take on Villanova (4-1) for the first time in program history on Wednesday, March 8.

About the Contributor
Adam Correa, Senior Staff Writer
Adam is a senior at San Diego State University studying journalism and media studies. This is his second year with The Daily Aztec. He loves watching sports, reading, and going to the gym in his free time. He mainly writes for the sports section, but also loves doing on-camera reporting and multimedia content. He previously was the assistant sports editor and blog editor for The Telescope newspaper at Palomar College. In the summer of 2022, he did an internship with Thesocialtalks digital newspaper, where he wrote for the latest news, opinion, and sports section. When he graduates from San Diego State University, he wants to be a sports writer for a popular newspaper organization or a sports reporter for a tv station.
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SDSU women’s lacrosse goes 2-0 at Snapdragon Stadium