To paraphrase Charles Dickens, the Miramonte lacrosse season was the worst of times and the best of times. The Matadors began the season with a 3-7 record, scoring 7.6 goals per game and giving up 7.7 goals per game. They would go on to win 10 of their next 11 games, averaging 11.3 goals per game and only giving up 3.7 goals per game.

    Though the team certainly played better in the second half of the season, there were other reasons for the team’s slow start, according to assistant coach Thomas Duffy. “This was a tale of two seasons. We started with two starters recovering from an off-season injury or surgery. We then lost our starting midfielder and unquestioned leader, Derek Youn, to a severe ankle sprain the night before our first game. Derek was a four-year starter and three-year co-captain, so losing him early was huge for us. At various points we had six our 10 starters out with injuries or illness.”

    The coaching staff also played a major role in Miramonte’s turnaround. With head coach Jake Azevedo periodically being called away for his job as a firefighter, new assistant coach Drew Virk brought a wealth of lacrosse experience to the program.

    Virk, who played lacrosse at the University of Maryland and coached a number of years in college, introduced new offensive and defensive concepts that elevated the team. “Drew was critical to our success this season,” Duffy said. “He brought his playing and coaching experience to the team and once they fully adjusted to his systems and the team got healthy, everything began to click.”

    After spring break, Miramonte was able to get everybody healthy and were able to evolve and concluded the league season with a 6-1 record, earning them the third seed in the Division 2 NCS tournament.

    The Matadors would go on to defeat Sonoma Valley 16-5, Piedmont 7-6, University 7-4, and top seeded Terra Linda 13-4 in the championship. Miramonte had lost to Piedmont and Terra Linda early in the season, 7-6 and 6-3 respectively, which made those victories all the more satisfying. 

    The championship marked a historic breakthrough for the program. In Azevedo’s first three seasons, Miramonte was eliminated in the second round each year. This season, however, the Matadors captured both their first NCS semifinal win and the program’s first-ever NCS championship. 

    “Jake and I came in together in 2022, just after the COVID years and all of the starters on this year’s team, except for Derek Youn who started as a freshman, began on the JV team in 2023. They all grew through the program and to see them go from playing junior varsity to winning the championship made for an emotional post-season banquet.”

    The leaders on offense were sophomore Trey Murphy 57G, 21A, juniors E.J. Ho 29G, 36A, and Bowden Blakely 27G, 12A and seniors Youn 23G, 6A, and David Roman 26G, 5A. Thomas had 5 goals, Youn 4 goals, Ho 2 goals and Blakely and Roman each had 1 goal in the Terra Linda game.

    Murphy was chosen as the team’s offensive MVP. “Trey was our stalwart on offense despite missing some games with an injury,” Duffy said. “With his great speed and shot placements, he had 12 games of 4 goals or more and scored in every game he played.”

    David Roman, who also played on the Miramonte football team, won the Team MVP at the team banquet. “David was the glue that held the team together from start to finish,” Duffy said. “He was a classic two-way middie (offensive and defensive midfielder), being fourth on the team in goals scored, second in caused turnovers and third in ground balls. Without David, none of this would have happened.”

    The defense was equally responsible for the team’s success as evidenced in the victory over Piedmont. With Youn out early with an ankle sprain, E.J. Ho scored the go-ahead goal halfway through the fourth period and the defense stepped up, shutting out Piedmont the rest of the game.

    The defense was led by seniors, co-captain Charlie Hwang and Andy Su, and junior Sam Gugel. “They were a phenomenal defensive unit that really came together,” Duffy said. “Charlie was first on the team in caused turnovers and second for ground balls. Sam was third on the team in caused turnovers and ground balls and Andy was the calming force on the inside.”

    Junior goalie Bowie Hillstrom was a unanimous choice for all-league goalie. “Bowie saved 75% of the shots in the championship game, many of which were on the doorstep. He is very athletic and makes himself big between the pipes which was a real key for his success.”

    With the team graduating 10 seniors, Duffy remains optimistic about the team’s future, “It’s fair to say that we’re going to lose a lot with graduation but we have a large junior class and Trey Murphy returning.”