San Diego State lacrosse entered the second half of its final regular season home game against Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference rival UC Davis stuck in a 6-6 stalemate.
After a back-and-forth affair to start the second half, junior midfielder Jill Haight slipped her way past two UC Davis defenders to score what was then a crucial goal to give SDSU a 9-8 advantage with 16:30 left to play.
However, the Aggies offense became too much for SDSU to handle.
UC Davis (6-5, 1-0 MPSF) scored seven unanswered goals to close out the game, defeating the Aztecs (8-6, 0-1 MPSF) by a score of 15-9 in both team’s first conference game of the season on April 8.
Head coach Kylee White said that the Aztecs simply weren’t able to prevent a comeback by a relentless Aggies side.
“(Davis) have always been a determined, aggressive team that never gives up and I wasn’t surprised at all to see the run at the end,” White said. “They play a full 60 minutes. I think they are an emotional team too, where they went with momentum and we just didn’t step up and stop them.”
The Aztecs had already stormed back from a 4-0 deficit in the first half, using a 5-1 scoring run to pull into a tie as the game reached the halftime break.
During their second-half comeback the Aggies relied on three main goalscorers, with junior midfielder Taylor Cuenin, sophomore attacker Amanda Outcalt, and freshman midfielder Mar Alvear scoring six of the team’s last seven goals.
Cuenin and Outcalt led Davis with four goals each in the contest, while Alvear scored twice.
SDSU was led on offense by Haight and fellow junior midfielder Harlowe Steele, the team’s top goal scorers with two scores each.
Despite the loss, Haight said that Steele and herself were successful in front of the net thanks to the team’s offensive game plan.
“Running the offense that we set into place, that’s how we finished the shots we needed to today,” Haight said.
The Aztecs were without first-choice goalkeeper, redshirt sophomore Katy Sharretts, who was ruled out for the match with a concussion.
Sophomore Amanda Stapp oversaw goalkeeper duties and played a full 60 minutes, tallying eight saves and four ground balls.
Prior to Sunday’s contest, senior midfielders Elizabeth Rourke and Mackenzie Lech were honored during a Senior Day ceremony.
“It’s kind of bittersweet, and it’s just nice to see how far (Lech) and I have come over the past four years,” Rourke said. “It’s just nice to see that we have people on the team having our backs. I know that they’re ready to do the same on their (senior) year.”
Rourke started as an attacker against the Aggies, and she scored an unassisted goal with 2:32 left in the first half for her 12th strike on the season.
Lech did her part by causing four turnovers, and both Rourke and Lech collected three ground balls each.
Rourke said she was glad that she could help her team on offense on Senior Day.
“I think it was pretty cool to do that, but it’s really nice to set other people up for their goals too and make an impact all over the offensive field,” Rourke said. “I don’t really think about it as a big thing, but I know I’ll look back and really appreciate it.”
SDSU will next travel to Los Angeles to face No. 16 University of Southern California on April 13, as part of a three-game road trip to end the regular season.
White says the Aztecs need to improve different aspects of their game in preparation for their road trip.
“We need to play with a lot more heart, grit, and consistency if we’re going to compete in the remaining three games,” White said. “I think coaches, players — we all need to just assess our roles right now and what we’re doing.”
