There’s no better microcosm for the Los Alamitos girls lacrosse team’s season than its game against Beckman on Wednesday.
In the county title game, the Griffins fell behind, 2-0, early in the first half, which was somewhat representative of Los Alamitos’ 8-6 start to this season.
As soon as the Griffins fell behind, they responded with an all-out assault on offense. Los Alamitos scored nine consecutive goals on its way to a 14-5 victory against Beckman, bringing the school its sixth county championship in a row.
That dominating stretch of play is what landed the Griffins a spot in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Huntington Beach High, but it also symbolizes how far they’ve come as a team.
“I think in the beginning of the season a lot of new things happened for us,” senior Grace Schmidt-Beck said. “We just had to realize, no matter what happened, it’s the players that matter, and it’s Los Alamitos coming together and playing our game. Not getting worried by outside factors.”
Los Alamitos (14-6), aiming for its sixth consecutive section title, is led by Schmidt-Beck, Caitlin Derry, Haley Fessenden and Jenny Lange, who have kept up the program’s tradition of strong postseason play.
Those championship expectations and facing some of Northern California’s best teams, including Amador Valley of Pleasanton, Carondelet of Concord, and St. Ignatius Prep of San Francisco, might have been a little overwhelming early on.
This season “has had its challenges,” Griffins coach Emily Mukai said. “For this group, there was a lot of expectations and a lot of pressure, and they struggled with it at times. But they were definitely able to come out and work through it and push past it.”
The Griffins have won six games in a row by a combined 59 goals, giving them a lot of confidence going into the section title game.
Los Alamitos was supposed to face Agoura (18-1) in the final, but Agoura withdrew from the game Friday night. Agoura will be replaced by Oak Park, which lost in the North Division final, 20-19, on Wednesday.
Agoura’s coach said his team withdrew because many of its players had other commitments Saturday.
Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com
