SAN DIEGO – The Aztec lacrosse team (1-2) is back on the road this weekend for a pair of road games against Pac-12 opponents. On Friday morning at 10 a.m. PT, SDSU will play at Arizona State (0-2) and then fly to Oregon for a Sunday afternoon showdown in Eugene against the Ducks (1-2). Both games will be streamed.
Aztec Tidbits
• The Aztecs split their two games in Northern California last weekend, winning 15-6 at Cal on Friday before losing a tight one at UC Davis 16-13 Sunday afternoon.
• Against Cal, the Aztecs finished the game on an 8-1 run and outshot the Golden Bears 38-27 and 29-17 in shots on goal.
• At UC Davis, the Aztecs trailed just 10-9 in the third quarter before the Aggies scored five unanswered goals. The teams each had 29 shots on goal.
• SDSU was 18-for-18 in clears against UC Davis.
• Deanna Balsama led the Aztecs in scoring in both games, scoring five at Cal and then six, which tied her career-high set while at George Mason, at UC Davis. Balsama became just the sixth Aztec all-time to score six or more goals in a game.
• Balsama has 14 goals on the year, averaging 4.7 per game, the ninth most in the nation. She is also third in the country in shots per game (9.0) and fifth in shots on goal per game (4.7).
• Julie Lytle, who also is in her first year with SDSU after transferring (Rutgers), tied a school record with seven ground balls at UC Davis Sunday. Lytle also scored a career-high five goals at UC Davis on Sunday.
• Horan, who is in her first year as SDSU's starting keeper, has 34 saves on the year, the 12th most in the nation. She set a career-high in saves in back-to-back games, collecting 11 at Cal and then 13 at UC Davis. She is tied with Lytle for the team-lead with eight ground balls.
• Brook Waddell (Wilsonville, Ore.) leads the team with three assists.
• Cailin Young has a team-high 12 draw controls.
• The Aztecs are in the midst of five straight road games. Their home opener is March 12 against Princeton.
Opponent Notebook (Arizona State)
The Sun Devils are 0-2 on the year… They lost at No. 11 Michigan (11-9) and at No. 5 Northwestern (16-8) last weekend… They went 10-6 last year with a 5-4 record in the Pac-12 to set program records for total wins and conference wins… They were picked to finish third in the Pac-12 this season… Through two games, Katie Brodsky leads ASU with five goals… Emily Glagolev has a team-high six points and four assists… Goalkeeper Katie Vahle has allowed 27 goals and made 17 saves… Head coach Tim McCormack (third season) was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year last season… The Aztecs are 2-3 all-time against the Sun Devils and suffered two losses to them last year: 23-10 in the season opener and 20-11 April 25… SDSU is 0-2 all-time at Arizona State.
Opponent Notebook (Oregon)
The Ducks are 1-2 on the year… They opened the year with a 14-11 win over George Mason at home and then lost at Mercer 15-12 and at Kennesaw State 14-13 last week… They went 3-9 last year and 2-4 in the Pac-12… The Ducks have already had three players record a hat trick: Shonly Wallace, Hanna Hilcoff and Lillian Stump… Hilcoff has scored multiple goals in 19 of her 22 career games… Head coach Chelsea Hoffman (4th year) came to Oregon after a successful four-year stint as Stanford's offensive coordinator… The Aztecs lead the all-time series 6-3 and have won the last three games. SDSU is 2-2 all-time against the Ducks in Eugene.
Season Preview Tidbits
• The Aztecs will be competing as an independent in 2022. The three-team MPSF folded after Fresno State cut its lacrosse program following the 2021 season.
• SDSU will play a challenging schedule in 2022, playing away from their home field 10 times and facing five teams ranked in the IWLCA preseason poll: No. 4 Northwestern, No. 14 Denver, No. 15 Princeton, No. 16 Drexel and No. 17 Rutgers.
• Key returners for the Aztecs include Bailey Brown, a 2021 All-MPSF selection who had 32 points and 26 goals, Cailin Young, 10 goals in 2021 on a .435 shot percentage and Camdyn O'Donnell, 11 points on six goals and five assists.
• The Aztecs will have to fill the shoes of goalkeeper Katy Sharretts, SDSU's all-time leader in saves. As well as Emily Resnick, who led the team in points (46) and assists (23) last year, and Lexi Tan, who scored a team-high 29 goals.
• Brown and Young along with Shelby Hook and Sam Horan will be the team captains this season.
• SDSU has 10 newcomers (seven freshmen and three transfers), and head coach Kylee White is expecting immediate contributors from transfers Julia Lytle (Rutgers) and Deanna Balsama (George Mason). As a team captain, Lytle made 16 starts for Scarlet Knights last year and collected 13 points and caused 12 turnovers. Balsama was the 2019 A-10 Rookie of the Year and totaled 98 goals and 40 assists in her three years at George Mason.
• Head coach Kylee White (11th season), the only head coach in program history received a five-year contract extension in the fall.
Aztecs Set for a Pair of Pac-12 Road Games
