In a tense back-and-forth battle, girls’ varsity lacrosse fell just short of victory in a 12-11 overtime loss to Hillsdale High School on Wednesday, April 9. Despite the defeat, the game was a testament to the team’s effort and resilience.
“This was a good loss,” assistant coach Alexandra Gray said. “Our girls put 100% of their effort on the field, and it didn’t go our way, but we’ll get them next time.”
Junior midfielder and co-captain Haleh Ansari led the offense with a dominant eight-goal performance, making her presence known from the start.
By the third quarter, the team had rallied from an early deficit to tie the game at 9-9, powered by strong execution on both offense and defense. Junior Avery Speight scored twice against the Knights, giving the team their first lead at 10-9, and then again at 11-10.
“Avery scored twice which was really awesome, especially as someone who was just playing defense earlier in the season and is now starting to play more mid, which is really cool to see her out there shooting and scoring,” Gray said.
But Hillsdale answered with a late goal in the final minute of the fourth quarter, forcing the game into overtime.
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Defender Ella Wang sprints up the field after forcing a turnover, scanning for teammates to pass during a fast break against Hillsdale.
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Midfielder Miranda Sibley controls the ball, pushing up the field during the second quarter.
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Midfielder Haleh Ansari secures the draw control.
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Defender Avery Speight scoops up a ground ball and looks upfield to pass to Ansari.
“I feel like we’re both trying to stop them early before they get all the way to the goal, because most of their goals are on fast breaks because they are a very skilled, fast team,” junior midfielder Adelle Farris said.
In sudden-death overtime, Hillsdale ultimately sealed the win with a game-winning goal. Even in a heartbreaking loss, Gray was encouraged by the team’s growth.
“We implemented a new defense. It’s a zone with a backer and so it looked really really good but we can certainly practice it to make sure the girls are feeling even more comfortable with it,” Gray said. “When it comes to attack, our shots, we have several shots just missing the cage. And so that’s definitely one area that we can work on in practice.”
With eyes still set on qualifying for the Central Coast Section playoffs, the team remains focused on long-term improvement and development.
“It’s obviously not all about winning,” Gray said. “I want to end the season feeling like we really improved as a team, and feeling like we put it all out on the field every single game,” Gray said.
