San Marcos girls lacrosse cruised to a 15-3 victory over crosstown rival Cate on Thursday in Carpinteria.
The Royals jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening quarter and never looked back, outscoring the Rams 10-3 across the final three quarters en route to the win.
The score remained at 0-0 for the first five minutes of the game, but San Marcos’ Victoria Aldana broke the seal with an unassisted goal to open the floodgates.
“The pace was frenetic early, but the ball wasn’t finding the open girl for a while, and then it did,” San Marcos head coach Paul Ramsey said.
“I continue to be impressed by these girls. Maybe a slow start for five minutes, but then clicking on everything the rest of the way.”
Josephine Grossman poured in a game-high seven goals to continue her standout season, while Aldana ended the day with three goals and two assists.
Five other Royals found the back of the net, while Taylee Jones scored one goal and dished out three assists.
“We’re getting so balanced that other teams can’t really pick who they’re going to defend,” Ramsey said. “Add in the effort and enthusiasm from everyone, and we’re a really good team right now.”
The Rams managed just nine shots on goal, with San Marcos’ Carly Grant collecting six saves. Cate goalie Chelsea Newlove also tallied six saves of her own.
San Marcos (7-3, 2-0 Channel League) will host Newbury Park for a non-league matchup on Monday at Warkentin Stadium. Cate (0-3, 0-2 CL) will be on the road against Dos Pueblos on Tuesday.
Dos Pueblos 13, Thacher 6
The Chargers defended their home field with a Channel League win over Thacher on Thursday.
After a tight first quarter that ended with both teams tied 2-2, Dos Pueblos outscored Thacher 5-0 in the second to pull away for a 7-2 halftime lead.
The Chargers added on six more goals in the second half to pull away for the victory.
Linnea Clapinski netted seven goals for Dos Pueblos, while Hannah Dawes, Natasha Huie and Shelby Moccardini each scored twice.
Defensively, Stella Lawler had a strong day in the cage and ended with eight saves.
“The DP defense led the way for our team today,” Charger head coach Dan Feldhaus said. “The defense was able to slow down Thatcher’s driving attackers, and when they were able to get off shots, Stella Lawler was a wall between the pipes today.”
Dos Pueblos will host Cate on Tuesday at 6 p.m.