Sometimes the true test of a team’s character is how it responds in times of adversity. After three consecutive losses, the San Diego State women’s lacrosse team found itself in a hole and needed to climb back out before beginning a seven-game road trip to close out the regular season.

SDSU did just that on Tuesday in its final home game, defeating Fresno State 15-8. It was the team’s first-ever Mountain Pacific Sports Federation win.

Although the Aztecs (3-5, 1-3 MPSF) initially fell behind 2-0, they rallied back with six unanswered goals and carried the momentum through the rest of the game. SDSU head coach Kylee White was very pleased with the performance of her players, and was happy to snap the losing streak before heading into the road trip.

“We won all the 50-50 battles today,” White said. “We played good team defense and we pieced together a full game. It was a great team effort.”

SDSU was led by sophomore attacker Meris Walsh, who finished the game with five goals. Walsh has emerged as a dominant scorer for the Aztecs, as she leads the team with 28 goals through eight games.

“Meris is so fast out there, and she is always a threat to score,” White said. “She is driven and always wants to create scoring opportunities for this team.”

White also highlighted the play of sophomore midfielder Christina Ricciardulli, who led the team with six draw controls on Tuesday.

“Christina is doing so much for this team,” White said. “People always talk about goals, but she does a lot of the little things for us. She is a catalyst on the field and really helped us maintain our momentum throughout the game.”

SDSU will now take a trip to Pennsylvania, where it will face three different teams in six days. The Aztecs will begin by playing La Salle University at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in Philadelphia. They will also play Lafayette College in Easton on Wednesday and Saint Francis University in Loretto next Friday.