Dos Pueblos boys lacrosse came out on top in a defensive battle with San Clemente, winning 7-5 on Friday at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
The non-league contest was a matchup of highly-ranked squads, as the Chargers currently sit as the No. 15 team in CIF Southern Section while San Clemente is No. 14.
“I told the boys this was one of the wins I’m most proud of in a long time,” Dos Pueblos head coach Lucas Martinez said. “When a really talented team comes in, it gives you a chance to see what you’re made of. We hustled to the 50/50 balls, showed a ton of grit and toughness in the middle of the field, scored the tough shots and made the big saves all night.
“It’s really all you can ask for as a coach. San Clemente is a very good program and they have very good players, so to show them that we can not only play at but exceed their level of intensity was a really great thing.”
After eight scoreless minutes to begin the game, the Chargers got on the board with a goal from Jack Finneran to take a 1-0 lead into the second quarter.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair as the two sides exchanged goals. Dos Pueblos received goals from Dan Finneran, Jack Finneran and Orion Prewarski to regain the lead at 4-3 heading into halftime.
The Chargers controlled the clock to begin the second half, holding San Clemente scoreless in the third quarter while scoring two goals of their own. Dos Pueblos led 6-3 with one quarter to play.
Cal Denier made the difference down the stretch for the Chargers, going 12-for-15 on faceoffs to give his team crucial possessions and ultimately walk away with the 7-5 win.
Dos Pueblos goalie Danny Perez was the focal point of a suffocating Charger defense, recording 18 saves while allowing just five goals for an impressive 78% save percentage.
“I am especially proud of the way Danny played in the cage,” Martinez said. “He has turned himself into the best goalie in this part of California, in my opinion, and it’s 100% from his hard work and dedication to his team and teammates.”
The defensive tandem of Andrew Forsland, Mitchell Maskerey, Jackson Sillers and Makai Callis made things difficult for San Clemente as well.
Dos Pueblos now heads into the final week of the regular season with a perfect record of 16-0.