Monte Vista Girls' Lacrosse Squad Too Much for Acalanes

For a split second in the first half, it seemed like the Monte Vista girls' lacrosse match against Lafayette's Acalanes high could be a nail biter.

Then the Mustangs went on a stampede on their home field in Danville Friday night, closing out the first half on a 10-0 run en route to a 15-5 win.

"They played as a team today," said Monte Vista head coach Dearborn Ramos. "Our focus is defensive rides. They played without fouling and that's big for us because we always foul."

The Mustangs (3-0) were the more physical team on the field and at the net. Their toughness showed early and often.

Paige Southmayd scored Monte Vista's first goal 54 seconds into the game. The Dons would respond with a goal of their own less than a minute later, but it was all Mustangs after that. They scored four goals in ten minutes, started by Lauren Goerz's first goal of the night to break the game's only tie to 2-1. Goerz finished with four goals on the night. Maddie Mulford also notched four goals, including three straight in the middle of the first half.

"I thought we had some fire with them in the beginning of the game," said Goerz. "We had a groove going during the beginning of the game and that carried."

Ramos thought that Goerz accomplished her defensive goals and that she played offense under-the-radar.

"She's my secret weapon," Ramos said. "She knows how to get to the back of the net. She's building her confidence."

Catherine Doerr, Taylor James, and Taylor Holleschau each had a pair of goals, and Christina Coffin chipped in one goal.

Monte Vista will host the Poway Titans of Southern California, Saturday at 1 p.m. The Mustangs lost a close match with the Titans last year, and Ramos hopes her team will again keep it close.

"We have yet to win against a So-Cal team," said Ramos. "I just want to be competitive. We're going to give them a run for their money."