Dos Pueblos boys lacrosse moved into sole possession of first place in the Channel League with an 18-6 win over Cate on Tuesday at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
The first quarter was tightly contested at 5-2, but the Chargers quickly took over and outscored the Rams 13-4 across the final three quarters of play.
Cal Denier’s success in the faceoffs (20-for-25) once again set the table for strong offensive looks for Dos Pueblos.
“Once Cal won the draws, the offense was extremely patient, working the ball around and milking the clock before finding the back of the net,” Chargers coach Lucas Martinez said.
The duo of Orion Prewarski (4 goals, 4 assists) and Daniel Finneran (4 goals, 6 assists) led the way for Dos Pueblos, while Gus Miller turned in a strong all-around performance with three goals, five ground balls and two assists.
“After a slow first quarter, our guys really responded to the tough, physical play that Cate was showing us,” Martinez said. “Those guys are the reigning league champs and we knew they were gonna be tough.
“Our guys hustled in the middle of the field, harassed Cate on their clears and kept the ball on our offensive end for most of the game. When we control the tempo and the pace of the game like we did tonight, we’re a tough team to beat.”
As for Cate, Elliott Murray Osborn led the team with four goals while Cody Mast, Johny Foster and Quincy Thorne all chipped in one goal apiece.
“We knew DP would bring the energy today, and we simply weren’t ready to match it,” Rams coach Troy Shapiro said. “Each of us, coaches included, walked off the field knowing that we could have done more to prepare for this game – more practice with the little things, better prep for our systems, and better focus to finish the critical 50-50 plays.”
Dos Pueblos is now 7-2 overall and 4-0 in league action while Cate is 4-2 overall and 3-1 against league opponents.
