San Diego State lacrosse started off their season with an exhibition victory against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 20-6, on Feb. 2 at the Aztec Lacrosse Field.
SDSU never tailed and led by as many as 16 points while defensively forcing 12 turnovers during the regular season tune-up.
Head coach Kylie White said she was pleased with how well the team defended.
“All 12 players took part in getting the ball back,” White said. “I think that was the best thing of the whole game.”
The Aztecs had a total of five players score multiple goals. Senior attacker Kirstie Greenlaw led the way for SDSU with four goals while redshirt sophomore Lexi Tan had three.
Junior midfielder Taylor Sullivan, who scored twice, said she was happy to be back on the field.
“It was nice to play an actual game again,” she said.
Sullivan said the team did well on both sides of the field and properly executed White’s gameplan.
“I think we focused on getting the draw in the beginning,” Sullivan said. “We had to make sure we moved the ball quickly while looking for the cuts and drives.”
Most of the game was played in wet and windy conditions. Senior midfielder Harlowe Steele said despite the weather it did not change the outcome and playing style for the Aztecs.
“We can play in all types of weather,” Steele said. “We always say the clouds make us run faster.”
Indeed, the weather appeared to be no issue for the Aztecs, who played their last game over nine months ago. Since their previous match only two players from the MPSF championship winning team graduated.
Although much of the veteran presence remained in the locker room, a few new faces joined the squad. Both Cailin Young and Caitlin Jones made their collegiate debuts.
White said she was pleased with the performance from both players.
“I think they really played well for their first college game,” White said. “Just how they stepped up and finished was amazing.”
The Aztecs ended up having a 42-to-13 advantage in shot counts against the Athenas. The away team appeared to constantly have their backs against the wall.
White said how leading up to the match the team’s focus would be on gaining the ball back after every score.
“I think we’ve been really stressing that our defense starts as soon as we lose possession of the ball,” she said.
Although the Athenas found themselves in an early deficit, they managed to score a few goals during the second period. White felt the team had plenty of room for improvement defensively.
“I was a little disappointed with the transition goals that we allowed,” White said. “It’s just a lot of the basics that could use some cleaning up.”
The Aztecs will get their season officially underway when they travel to face both Oregon and University of California, Berkeley in Las Vegas, Nev.
SDSU will be back at home on Feb. 22 when they will play against University of Southern California at the Aztec Lacrosse Field.
