San Diego State women’s lacrosse ended a six-game losing streak by defeating Fresno State 16-15 on April 20 at the Aztec Lacrosse Field.
SDSU (9-7, 1-1) rallied for a comeback after Fresno State (7-6, 0-2) scored six of the first seven points in the opening half.
The Aztecs’ defense would hold the Bulldogs to two draw-controls in the final 30 minutes, which helped propel the offense to end the game on a 12-3 run and earn their first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference win.
Head coach Kylee White said the team’s effort on both sides of the ball was the key to their success.
“We felt very good today doing things together,” White said. “There was just more energy all over the field, from the sideline to the people on the field that made the difference.”
Prior to the game, San Diego State honored the 2019 senior class as family and friends of nine players gathered around the field to commemorate their four years of play for the program.
White said that it was extra special to get the victory for the seniors.
“I love this group. They have been incredible leaders and teammates,” she said. “I think that was our main focus for today. Play like our seniors. They give everything they have every time they step on the field.”
Senior midfielder Harlowe Steele scored a hat-trick along with a career-high 10 draw controls, which ranks second on the school’s single game record books. Steele leads the team in scoring this season with 44 goals in all competitions.
Steele said all the seniors were proud of the team’s mental toughness on the field.
“It means a lot to us,” she said. “I think it’s just a tribute to how much our team cares about us and how much the seniors care about the team as a whole.”
Senior midfielder Jill Haight was involved all over the field for the Aztecs, as she finished with two goals and a personal best four assists while posting a season high seven draw controls.
Haight said at halftime that coach White re-energized the team by telling them to move past the first half and focus on playing their style of lacrosse.
“Our gameplan the whole time was just to play our game,” Haight said. “So she just reminded us that if we play our game, we are going to come out on top.”
In just a few days the Scarlet and Black will meet the Bulldogs again, but this time for a chance to advance and compete in the conference championship game on the line.
White said the team had to regain some confidence after going through a second half slump this season.
“We needed a win. We weren’t thinking about next week at all,” White said. “We just needed to start playing our game again and get that energy back because we hadn’t had a good game in far too long.”
SDSU faces Fresno State on Friday, April 26 as the number two seed in the semifinals of the MPSF championships in Davis, Calif.
