San Marcos girls lacrosse pulled away in the second half to earn a 15-8 win over Cate on Thursday in Carpinteria.
The Royals, who are 7-0 in Channel League play, now hold a three-game lead over the second-place Rams (4-3) with three league games to go.
“It was a little more difficult in the first half than we wanted with Cate starting off playing tough on offense in the second quarter,” San Marcos head coach Paul Ramsey said.
“We really responded coming out of halftime to take the game from them in the third quarter with great composure and some stellar defense.”
San Marcos got out to a strong start, leading 4-1 after the first quarter. However, Cate battled back with five goals in the second to cut the Royals’ lead to 7-6 at halftime.
The Royals came out of the break on fire, pouring in four goals while holding the Rams scoreless in the third quarter to expand the lead to 11-6.
The third-quarter charge was led by two goals from Sadi Adams and one apiece from Gigi Mills and Josephine Grossman.
San Marcos continued to hold the momentum in the fourth quarter, fending off any comeback effort en route to the 15-8 win.
“We had a tremendous second half to get that win, and our composure and execution is what did it,” Ramsey said. “I’m really proud of the team for picking themselves up from a disappointing second quarter and really can’t say enough about the teamwork from everyone.”
Liv Plourde, Victoria Aldana and Adams all scored four goals for the Royals. Aldana chipped in five assists to reach 100 total points on the season, while Plourde scored her 100th career goal.
As for the Rams, Lucy Guilbert-Neal led the way with three goals, while Sophia Ospina, Posie Hexner, Maia Holmes, Carmen Lack and Lauren Hubbs netted one goal apiece. Goalie Chelsea Newlove racked up 12 saves.
“We were incredibly proud of the teams’ efforts,” Cate head coach Renee Mack said. “The score does not accurately reflect how close the game really was on the field.”
The San Marcos defense was led by Jocelyn Duncan, Sophia Llewellyn, Maddie Medina and Mia Richmond. Briar Sorenson and Carly Grant split the goalie duties.
The Royals will host Thacher for Senior Night on Tuesday at 6 p.m., while the Rams will welcome Nordhoff to Carpinteria.
Dos Pueblos 18, Thacher 7
The Chargers got out to a fast start and never looked back en route to a Channel League win over the Toads on Thursday at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
Dos Pueblos poured in seven goals in the opening quarter to build a commanding 7-1 lead heading into the second. From there, the Chargers continued to add insurance goals and pull away for the win.
Linnea Clapinski scored team-high and personal-best seven goals in the win to go along with four draw controls. Meanwhile, Reagan Arnold tallied six goals and three assists in the win.
Eloise Shea scored four times and Chloe Gotsis dished out five assists to help facilitate the offense. Defensively, Stella Lawler collected nine saves.
“We have made a couple of changes to our lineup and the way we defend the ball, and it is paying off,” Dos Pueblos head coach Dan Feldhaus said. “Our team is playing well and we are motivated to keep riding this momentum into next week as we host both Santa Barbara and San Marcos.”
The Chargers (7-8, 4-3 Channel League) will host the Dons on Tuesday at 6 p.m. for Senior Night.