Lauren Elliott scored four goals and Reagan Arnold added a hat trick to lead Dos Pueblos girls lacrosse to an 11-3 Channel League win at San Marcos Thursday.
And Chargers goalie Maddie Nees was praised by both coaches for her difference-making efforts. Most of the first half was even, with Dos Pueblos scoring three straight goals in taking a 5-2 halftime lead.
“For that first half effort I’m going to commend my players for competing with Dos Pueblos as early on in the game we were outshooting them,” said San Marcos coach Paul Ramsey. “But then there was Maddie Nees in the way of everything.
“It’s a totally different feeling and composure level for us if we solve her early on and put in a few more goals instead of being tied for so long. Unfortunately we had to start chasing the game and playing catchup, and in that tight situation, we didn’t run our offense the best we could.”
Dos Pueblos coach Anais Jimenez said, “Maddie Nees did an amazing job in goal with 13 saves. As a team we had 14 ground balls that helped us keep possession.”
Royals goalie Megan Taylor had 12 saves, facing point-blank shots.
“Megan kept us in the game early and then made some more saves in the second half,” Ramsey said. “I’m really proud of her for that and her leadership.”
The Chargers’ Avery Ball contributed two goals and Hannah Martin and Mia Termond scoring one each.
The win was the Chargers’ Channel League opener. They are 3-4 overall. San Marcos is now 5-4 and 1-1 in league play.
Both teams are idle until after spring break. On Tuesday, April 4, the Royals will host Santa Barbara and the Chargers will host Thacher.
“The whole team played an amazing game and kept very positive energy the whole time,” Jimenez said. “We can’t wait for the rest of league play once we come back from spring break.”