Lamorinda Girls Lacrosse Teams Finding Success

All three Lamorinda teams sit in the top four spots of the DFAL girls' lacrosse standings. Acalanes (7-5, 6-0 DFAL) is currently in first place while Miramonte (5-6 overall, 5-2 DFAL) is in second place and Campolindo is fourth.

On April 14, Campo hosted defending NCS Division II Champion Acalanes. The Dons defeated the Cougars 18-13 in a hotly contested match and continue their undefeated streak in league play.

The match was in virtual gridlock for the first half. It was early in the second half, however, that the Dons went on a 7-1 run and pushed the score to 15-8, a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

The second half was punctuated by a strong performance from Dons' junior Sophia Ross. She scored six of her team-leading eight goals in the half. Seniors Caroline Newman and Ellie Higgins were also key factors. Newman scored four first-half goals and Higgins added four goals of her own.

The Cougars also had an encouraging second-half Tuesday. Senior Mary Hildeburn and sophomore Rebecca Hull starred. Hildeburn scored all four of her goals in the second half. Hull, who was Campo's player of the game, scored four goals too, along with a number of key assists.

Acalanes assistant coach Laura Harris credited the second-half surge to the team's strong mental and emotional makeup. "The girls were able to become very focused on the common goal. Not just to win but how they were going to play as a unit."

Harris said the team is not focused on NCS now. "If we worry about NCS right now, it may take some of the fun away, and that's the last thing we want to do," Harris explained. The Dons will likely head into NCS a strong favorite.

Overall, the Campo's girls' lacrosse program is on the up-and-up. They're young and already have more wins in 2015 than they did in all of 2014. The Cougars were down three starters and didn't make a single substitution Tuesday, and were quite proud to give the Dons team a fight.

"It was a great game. There's nothing to be bummed about," explained Coach Jessica Hoffschneider cheerfully. "Tonight we rose to the level of the other team."

The Miramonte Mats challenged themselves with a tough preseason schedule, playing local powerhouses like Monte Vista, San Ramon Valley and Carondelet. They lost all three games, although it was a clerical error that sealed their fate against Monte Vista - the Mats' junior varsity team ended up playing Monte Vista's varsity for the first half.

"Anyone who watched our 16-8 loss against SRV can attest to the fact that we look like a brand new team," said head coach Devon Combe. "I have all the confidence in the world in this team's ability to be an incredibly fierce competitor come playoffs!"

The tough schedule appears to be paying dividends. The team is 5-2 in DFAL play and Combe sees a profound "commitment and intensity" from her girls on a day-to-day basis. Standouts Caroline Tague and Lauren Ramirez lead the team - although it's an impressive group of freshman will form the core of a team that should be strong for years to come.



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