The San Diego State Aztecs stepped onto the field on Saturday to face their toughest opponent of the season: the No. 7 Florida Gators. Facing stands of Scarlet and Black side-by-side with a sea of blue and orange, the Aztecs came into the game 2-10 compared to the Gators’ formidable 10-2 record.
The Gators made their mark early, scoring 12 goals in the first half and putting up 23 shots compared to the Aztecs’ seven. The Aztecs’ lone goal from the half was thanks to sophomore midfielder Keira Doyle-Odenach, who scored unassisted only 30 seconds into the quarter.
“The mindset [going into the game] was fight for what you want,” head coach Kylie White said. “And I think that mentality didn’t show up until we tested the waters a little bit to see what the other team was going to do.”
Despite the 12-1 deficit, the Aztecs were able to turn it around in the second half. In the last minute of the third quarter, junior midfielder Molly Jacobson fired in SDSU’s second goal, sparing them from another scoreless quarter.
Four goals started the final quarter for the Aztecs, scored by Lilah Turley, Tatum Neach, Mia Maechtel and Tate Stokesberry. The hometown heroes managed to outscore the Florida Gators, holding them to just three goals in the period.
The 18-6 finish left the Aztecs disappointed, but hungry for more. Here are three takeaways from the game.
1. Confidence is key
Like Coach White said, having the mindset to fight and the confidence to focus on their own game was the piece the Aztecs were looking for. Without it, especially early in the game, the Gators dominated the draw (controlling 12 of the first half’s 14) and the ground balls (5 to 1).
“Some energy and some fire and some belief,” White said of what helped the Aztecs begin to flip the script. “Confidence is a big piece, and energy and the controllables.”
The control showcased itself in the third quarter. After conceding another early goal to the Florida offense, the Aztecs’ defense held them scoreless until the last five minutes of the period. The Gators found the net a total of three times in the third, but Jacobson’s shot ended the quarter with a reasonable tally of 3-1.
2. Starting off strong can go a long way
Where can some of that confidence come from? A strong start.
In lacrosse, controlling the draw and making noise early in every period can make or break the outcome. Letting the Gators rack up such a lead put the Aztecs on the back foot and gave them a lot more work than they would’ve wanted in the second half.
In contrast, the Aztecs’ best and final quarter started with a win on the draw and an immediate shot by Maechtel. Although the shot went wide, it set the tone for the quarter and a few minutes later, Turley set off the four-goal streak.
“I’m super proud that they were able to make it closer in that second half, but you can’t wait for 30 minutes to go by,” White said.
3. The skills are there
The fourth quarter made it especially clear that the Aztecs were lacking more in confidence than they were in skill, outperforming the Gators and coming out on top with four goals to three.
“I don’t think it was a skill thing,” White said. “As we stepped off the field, most of it was disappointment in that we didn’t step on the field and compete from the first whistle.”
One standout was freshman midfielder Lilah Turley. Turley had an impressive performance in Saturday’s match, not only scoring on one of her two shots on goal, but also causing four turnovers and controlling three of the draws. The freshman has started all 13 games, totaling 13 goals and 3 assists.
The Aztecs still have three games to improve their now 2-11 record, and are home again on April 18 to take on Arizona State at 1:00 p.m.
