Skalstad and Kiszely set program records in 21-13 win over Stetson

Saturday, February 22

Fresno, CA

12:00 PM PT

Fresno State

2-1

Stetson

1-1

Stetson

Fresno State

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Skalstad and Kiszely set program records in 21-13 win over Stetson

2/22/2020 5:50:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Photo Gallery (Keith Kountz)Photo Gallery

By: Savannah Stoeckle / Communications Assistant

FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State lacrosse team had yet another record-breaking performance, defeating Stetson 21-13 in its home opener at the Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs improve to 2-1 on the season with the win.

"Our team was really excited to kick it off at home and play how we know we can," said interim head coach Kara Concheck. "We knew we had to stay composed under pressure and come out strong, and stay strong for 60 minutes. That is definitely something that was one of our goals. We proved today that we can definitely score at will."

Fresno State continued its balanced offensive efforts with eight goal-scorers in the win. The Bulldogs were led by sophomore attacker Sydney Skalstad who doubled her single-game career high and netted eight goals on Saturday. Senior midfielder Kayla Galet and junior attacker Megan Walaitis both accounted for hat tricks while senior Tiffiny Wallace and junior Hannah Krats added two goals each. Marina Mayo, Lauren Kiszely and Jordyn Pandolfo added one goal apiece to round out scoring for Fresno State.

The Bulldogs had 10 assists for the second consecutive game. The team was again led by Kiszely who dished six for a career-high. Wallace added four assists to boost the offense to the win.

Skalstad and Kiszely both inked their names in the Fresno State record book in the win on Saturday as the attacker's eight goals is the most scored in a single-game in program history and six assists from Kiszely is also the most a Bulldog has had in a single game.

In the cage, Laurel Maunder had nine saves as Stetson was limited to only 24 total shots.

How it happened
Fresno State opened up scoring with the first three goals from Galet, Krats and Mayo coming in the first three minutes of play time. The Bulldogs earned the opening draw and Galet scored the first goal on the assist from Wallace within the first 40 seconds of the game. Stetson got on the board for the first time with 26:11 left on the clock. It wasn't long before the 'Dogs would score again as Pandolfo won the opening draw, and Kiszely found Skalstad for the first time of the afternoon to put the Bulldogs up 4-1 with 25:51 left in the opening half.

Stetson would score one on a free position shot to cut the Bulldog lead to 4-2 before Fresno State exploded on a 8-0 run over the following 10 minutes of clock time to take a 12-2 lead and force a running clock with 12:08 to go. Stetson's Riley Reagan ended the Bulldog run, but Skalstad answered back just 60 seconds later.

The 'Dogs and Hatters traded goals just before the half and Fresno State took a 14-4 lead into the halftime intermission. At the break, the 'Dogs led in shots (22-9), ground balls (14-9) and draw controls (12-7).

Stetson found its groove in the second half, opening the period with three unanswered goals from three different Hatters. The Bulldogs added a pair of goals to cut the run, but Stetson responded with another three goals to cut the Bulldog lead to 16-10. The Hatters won the first eight draw controls of the second half to give them the offensive advantage in the half.

Three goals from the Bulldogs, sparked by a Kiszely to Skalstad offensive play, gave them a 19-10 lead with 9:07 remaining in the game. Kiszely's assist on the run-starting goal with 18:37 left in the game marked the program's record for most assists by a Bulldog in a single game. Five minutes of clock time went by before Stetson scored a goal following a save and successful clear. That goal would lead to another 3-0 run for the Hatters, but Fresno State kept its lead and kept firing at the goal.

With time winding down to the final minutes, Mayo grabbed the draw after a Hatter goal and the Bulldogs worked their offense as Wallace found Skalstad for her record-setting eighth goal in the contest. Wallace scored again, bringing the game to 21-13 with just 40 seconds remaining on the clock.

Up Next
The Bulldogs travel to Tempe, Arizona to face Marquette in a neutral site meeting on Feb. 29 before competing against Arizona State on Mar. 2.

Quotables
Interim Head Coach Kara Concheck…
On the difference in the first half and second half…
"That is definitely something that we talked about at halftime, and it is something any coach would talk about. Especially when there is a huge margin like we had. We expected Stetson to come out strong and we needed to exceed that. We didn't necessarily do that and it is really important that we start both halves very strong."

On Sydney Skalstad…
"Sydney is so hard to guard from not only her size, but her ability to finish under pressure. She gets knocked around quite a bit and she is able to handle the pressure and finish strong. We are really happy for her. She knows that it was definitely a team effort in her getting able to finish."

On the offense…
"We really did a good job at sharing the wealth. We had 10 assists on 21 goals and that is something we have been dominating in these past three games. We are being able to highlight all of our offensive threats on the field and let them contribute. It was a great team win. Everyone is contributing, and that is what we want."

On Lauren Kiszely…
"One of our goals is to highlight all of our players' strengths. We have a ton of offensive threats, but being able to mesh and work as a unit is great. We know LK [Kiszely] is such a strong feeder, and no matter if she is being pressured or not, she is able to handle whatever is being thrown at her. She stays confident and composed, she can dictate the offense. It has been awesome to watch her grow that way. Having 11 assists in the last two games is unparalleled."

Notables

Fresno State scored its third most goals in a game (21) in the program's history. The Bulldogs' 21 goals is the most scored at home in the history of the program.
Fresno State's 31 points is fifth most in the program's history.
Sydney Skalstad becomes the program's leader in single game goals (10).
Lauren Kiszely becomes the program's leader in single game assists (6).
Jordyn Pandolfo had a career-high five ground balls.
Skalstad has 15 goals this season. She now has 48 career goals as a sophomore and is 11th in career goals at Fresno State.
Kiszely now has 29 career assists (12 in 2020) and breaks her way into the top five in career assists at Fresno State.

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