Photos by Owen Pence
On Friday night, the girls’ lacrosse team won a back-and-forth game against the Los Altos Eagles in the pouring rain, ending with a final score of 12-8.
Coming out of the gate, each team struggled to control the slippery ball as errant passes prevented sustained offensive possessions. However, after senior Charlotte Fisher swept across the middle and buried the night’s first goal five minutes into the quarter, both teams settled in offensively. While the Eagles responded with two quick goals, Fisher netted three consecutive goals to end the quarter, giving the Bears a 3-2 lead at the break.
On her early success, Fisher said, “I could tell pretty quickly that I could beat my defender one-on-one, and the goalie was pretty weak on shots in the bottom corners. So I just kept dodging on my defender and shooting the ball low in the first quarter.”
The Bears continued to generate quality opportunities to begin the second quarter. However, a couple of big saves from the Los Altos goalie and shots off the post prevented them from turning these opportunities into goals. It was not until sophomore Ellie Dillon curled around the goal and finished a one-on-one with the goalie that M-A got its first goal of the second quarter. Senior captain Shea Dekshenieks finished the quarter dashing down the field and scoring on a fast break, giving the Bears a 6-5 lead at halftime.
Los Altos started the second half hot. Three straight goals gave the Eagles an 8-6 lead halfway through the third quarter. However, a few impressive saves by sophomore goalie Mae Kuhnihiro gave M-A all of the necessary momentum. The Bears ended the quarter with a beautiful cut and goal by junior Annabella Cutcliff as well as a fast break goal by Fisher on the ensuing play.
With the game tied 8-8 beginning the final quarter, each team searched desperately for the go-ahead goal. However, strong defense by the Bears stifled every play Los Altos ran on offense. The Bears offense also struggled to find success to begin the quarter. However, with four minutes remaining, Deksheneiks gave M-A the pivotal goal after picking off a pass by the goalie, breaking the ankles of her defender and finishing on an open net. She then sealed the game on the next possession with a powerful step-down shot on a free position.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Bears stormed the field into a mosh pit with their goalie.
Reflecting on the game, Dekshenieks said, “It is great that we won because we have a ton of new players this year, and we are still learning how to play to our strengths together.”
Kuhnihiro added, “I am so proud of how we were able to hang in there and ultimately win this one. After winning our first two games, we feel really confident going into the rest of our non-conference play.”
The Bears play next Friday against Woodside on Coach Parks Field.
