San Diego State’s women’s lacrosse team defeated the Pomona Pitzer Stage Hens in an exhibition game Friday.
The exhibition provided an excellent display of young Aztec talent while setting the tone for the upcoming season.
The Aztecs performed in every aspect, but it was the offense that turned the most heads. Offensively they took shots on the goal with efficiency and frequency, while also spreading the love to several different players. The standout however, was sophomore Frankie Garcia, who guided the offense all night long. Defensively the Aztecs came to play as well, defending the goal with physicality while also hustling downfield to prevent scoring opportunities from ever arising.
When asked how the exhibition victory set the tone for the season going forward, head coach Kylee White put it simply when she stated “The tone that’s being set is, we’re here, we’re about to change the way people see San Diego State lacrosse.”
More dominant victories like this one would most definitely give SDSU some credibility on a national scale. The win certainly inspired confidence in the team moving forward, but the most telling part of the night was the younger talent that was able to get minutes in the game.
Coach White mentioned that the young talent getting in-game reps “was not a surprise.” The praise for the young stars continued when White revealed that “the younger players are actually setting the tone for the upperclassmen.”
High praise indeed for a group that just arrived on campus five months ago. But White asserts that they are built for it, making the point that “you wouldn’t have known that they were freshmen out there.”
Coach White and the Aztecs look to start their regular season with the same energy next week, against Detroit Mercy on Feb. 7. If they show up looking anything like how they did in the exhibition, it should be a very fun season.