SDSU LACROSSE COMES UP SHORT AT OREGON 11-9

Senior Vickie Porter leads Aztecs with hat trick

Source: goaztecs.com

Photo:  Vickie Porter courtesy goaztecs.com

February 11, 2017 (Eugene, Ore.) - The visiting San Diego State lacrosse team came up short for the second game in a row, falling to Oregon by an 11-9 count in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference opener for both teams on Saturday at Papé Field.

The Aztecs trailed by four goals on two occasions in the second half, but were unable to pull within two the rest of the way, slipping to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in MPSF play, while the Ducks remain unbeaten on the year at 2-0 and 1-0 in  league action.

SDSU was led by senior Vicki Porter (Poway, Calif.), who finished with three goals on the afternoon, while fellow classmate Kayla Deitz (Simsbury, Conn.), sophomore Natalie Peel (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and freshman Taylor Sullivan (Annapolis, Md.) recorded two strikes apiece. The Aztecs also received a sizeable contribution from Morgan Taylor (San Ramon, Calif.), another freshman who finished with four ground balls, two draw controls and two caused turnovers, while senior Alex Watson (Davidson, Md.) handed out a pair of assists.

The first half was a defensive battle as the two teams combined for six goals. After Oregon jumped in front on a goal by Mariah Gatti with 2:39 elapsed, SDSU got the equalizer just over a minute later when Sullivan converted a free position shot.

However, the Ducks responded with a three straight tallies, capped by Shannon Williams’ goal with 2:23 left in the first half to give the host school a 4-1 advantage it would not relinquish. With just 26 seconds remaining in the period, SDSU broke its offensive drought, as Sullivan notched her second score of the day.

The two sides turned up the offensive intensity in the second half with seven goals each, but the Aztecs found themselves in pursuit mode the rest of the way. Oregon built a trio of four-goal leads, including a 10-6 advantage on Williams’ fourth and final strike of the contest with 8:46 remaining.

The Aztecs climbed back into contention over the next minute-and-a-half, netting an unassisted goal by Porter with 7:51 to go, while Deitz found the back of the cage on a free position shot at the 6:10 mark. However, the Ducks reclaimed a three-goal cushion at 11-8 following Julia Taylor’s tally with 2:16 lefy. SDSU closed out the scoring with Porter third goal at the 1:41 mark, but the Aztecs were unable to get off another shot.

SDSU outshot the Oregon 30-28 for the contest, but the Ducks owned a 19-16 margin in attempts on net. In addition, the Ducks maintained a 14-8 advantage in draw controls and a 23-21 edge in ground balls, including a 16-11 spread in the first half. In addition, the Aztecs were 12-for-13 in clear attempts, while UO went 10-13.

Senior goalkeeper Katrina Reeves (Granite Bay, Calif.) played all 60 minutes for the Scarlet and Black, making eight saves, while her opposite number Becca Katzen had seven stops for the Ducks.

San Diego State returns to action next Saturday, Feb. 18, when it plays host to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in an exhibition game at Aztec Lacrosse Field, starting at 2 p.m. PT.

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