San Marcos rallied to within five goals with 15 minutes to go, but Royal responded with six unanswered goals and came away with a 17-6 CIF-SS Division 2 playoff game Saturday in Simi Valley.
Senior goalie Shana Friedenberg had nine saves for San Marcos while Royal counterpart Madison Nutter had seven saves. Senior Meiya Sidney led San Marcos with three goals.
The Royals grabbed some momentum when senior Meiya Sidney snagged a rebound of her own shot and scored on the put-back to come within 11-6. The Highlanders won the draw, holding the ball for three minutes on offense and then scored to make it 12-6.
Royal senior Lauren Petraca led her team with six goals, including five in the last 18 minutes of play.
“That’s a strong D2 team and a likely semifinal participant,” said San Marcos coach Paul Ramsey. “We were outmatched in the midfield but fought hard the entire time.
“I’m proud of our effort and the future is bright here for our program.”.
San Marcos returns 17 of the 20 players on their varsity roster and 28 of their JV and Frosh-Soph players.
San Marcos finishes 5-9 for the year. Royal is 11-2.