When a first-year program begins competing in NCAA Division I athletics, immediate success is tough to achieve.

Even with a young team consisting of mostly freshmen, the San Diego State women’s lacrosse team had high standards and entered its inaugural season with the goal of having a winning record.

SDSU ended its season on Sunday after falling to Stanford in a back-and-forth battle; although the Aztecs did not achieve their primary goal, SDSU head coach Kylee White was still pleased with how the season turned out.

“I am very proud of the way the girls played this season,” White said. “We never treated them as a young team and they showed a lot of maturity. They fought hard every game.”

SDSU finished with a record of 5-10, including 2-5 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play. The Aztecs placed sixth overall in the conference, but did not qualify for the conference tournament, which takes the top four teams.

Although other teams in the conference still have games remaining, SDSU is currently well represented among the MPSF statistical leaders.

Sophomore attacker Meris Walsh was an offensive force throughout the season, and finished third in the conference with 3.13 goals per game.

In addition, sophomore midfielder Christina Ricciardulli placed third in the conference with 2.07 ground balls per game and freshman goalkeeper Sammy Slattery finished third with 8.87 saves per game.

As for the future, White is very excited for what lies ahead. She plans to add more talent by bringing in new recruits and is working on finalizing the schedule for the next season.

Two future opponents White highlighted are USC and Marquette; two well-known sports schools, which will be competing in their own inaugural lacrosse seasons next year.

White also noted the possibility of SDSU’s first-ever televised game next season, as the Aztecs could potentially be featured on NBC Sports.

“We definitely want to have a winning record next season and make the conference tournament,” White said. “We have a lot to improve on, but I can’t wait to watch us grow as a team.”