Junior goalie Stella Lawler anchored a strong defensive effort to lead Dos Pueblos girls lacrosse to a 9-7 win over Paloma Valley in the second round of the CIF-SS Div. 3 playoffs on Thursday at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
Lawler racked up 15 saves, senior Reagan Arnold netted four goals and the Chargers kept the feisty Wildcats in check all game to earn their first playoff win since 2021 and punch their ticket to the CIF-SS Div. 3 Quarterfinals.
“This is definitely one of the more physical teams that we’ve played this year, and we rose to the occasion and matched them in their physicality,” Dos Pueblos head coach Dan Feldhaus said. “Me and the coaches were very impressed and happy with how they responded to what they were faced with.”
Dos Pueblos will host Glendale on Tuesday at Scott O’Leary Stadium at 5 p.m.
“We’re just super hyped, especially the seniors,” Lawler said of the playoff win. “This is their last season and being able to go to CIF is just so important to them.
“I think that’s what the whole team is really striving for is for the seniors… [The quarterfinal game] is just going to be so fun.”
Both sides started fast, beginning with Paloma Valley’s Gianna Bailey scoring in the opening minute on a free shot.
Dos Pueblos responded just 40 seconds later when Eloise Shea fed Reagan Arnold in the middle of the defense, who slotted her shot into the back of the net to tie it up 1-1.
That 1-1 tie held for a chunk of the opening quarter thanks to saves by Stella Lawler on four consecutive Wildcat shots, the first of which was her 100th save of the season.
However, Paloma Valley broke through once again at the 4:45 mark on Bailey’s second free-shot goal of the quarter to take a 2-1 lead.
The Chargers answered in a hurry once again, as less than a minute later Chloe Gotsis found a cutting Sophie Dent for the score and a 2-2 tie.
They then took the lead with 1:45 left in the first off a turnover, as Shea once again hit Arnold for the goal and the 3-2 advantage, which held through the end of the quarter.
The Wildcats opened up the second-quarter scoring with a game-tying goal by Grace Lennox one minute in. The two sides then went quiet offensively for most of the quarter, with Lawler coming away with four clutch saves, including two on free shots.
“It’s all about confidence, it’s all about keeping communication within your team. It’s so important to keep that positive mindset,” Lawler said of the keys to her big performance.
“I think throughout my career, I’ve (used) the goldfish mindset where you just forget what just happened, like the last goal that went in.”
Dos Pueblos broke the tie with 4:56 left in the half when Arnold took her defender 1-on-1, snuck past her and fired a shot past the goalkeeper for the 4-3 lead.
Linnea Clapinski then took over to end the half, scoring on a free shot and following that up with an impressive individual effort to charge through the defense and score, giving the Chargers a 6-3 halftime advantage.
The Chargers kept the momentum out of halftime with a free-shot goal by Gotsis, but Paloma Valley answered with a free-shot goal of its own courtesy of Lacie Lomenick to make it 7-4.
After two more saves from Lawler, including one on a free shot, Dos Pueblos extended its lead to 8-4 when Dent made a running shot while moving to her left.
“Stella had an amazing game. She has been playing strong for us all season, and it showed in today’s game,” Feldhaus said. “In 15 saves, a lot of those were 8-meter shots off the penalty and she stopped so many of them.
“But also credit to the defense in front of her… [Paloma Valley] had a girl that scored a lot of goals for them (in the regular season), and our defense neutralized her and did a good job shutting her down.”
Bailey netted her third goal of the day for the Wildcats on a free shot in the final minute of the third to cut the Charger advantage to 8-5 with one quarter to play.
Paloma Valley’s Crystal Kron scored the first goal of the fourth, but Dos Pueblos got it right back 30 seconds later when Arnold wrapped around the back of the net and scored her team-high fourth goal of the game to take a 9-6 lead with 8:03 on the clock.
The Chargers controlled the pace of play throughout the fourth quarter, thanks in part to strong faceoff play along with several big defensive stops from Lawler and company.
“I think one of the factors that won us the game was in the circle,” Feldhaus said. “Linnea Clapinski and Eloise (Shea) and (Sophie) Dent controlled the circle. We won a lot of those draws and that made a difference in our possession.”
The Wildcats cut the Dos Pueblos lead down to two with a goal from Lomenick with 2:52 remaining, but both defenses tightened up down the stretch to give the Chargers the 9-7 victory.
“As a whole, my team just played so beautifully,” Lawler said. “We were all so in sync, and it was just so beautiful.”
