The sight was all too common for Capistrano Valley’s opponents.
It would start with Cougars senior Riley Eggeman winning the draw.
She would follow that by taking the ball and utilizing her speed to race past opponents all the way down field. Eggeman would then finish the play by zipping the ball past the other team’s goalie for a score.
Such a simple approach, but at the same time so dominating. No matter the opponent, the results were always the same.
Eggeman essentially put on a season-long clinic, as she scored 99 goals, handed out 40 assists, picked up 88 ground balls, won 207 draws.
The fantastic all-around effort led the Cougars to a 17-1 record and secured Eggeman the Register’s girls lacrosse player of the year honor. She earned the same award in 2013.
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“After last season, watching her progress, I didn’t really know how far she could go,” Capistrano Valley coach Ryan Gustafson said. “Like I told her at our banquet, the sky is the limit with her. She’s got a drive that I really haven’t seen out of a lot of high school athletes.”
Eggeman, who signed to play lacrosse with the University of Denver, was one of the main reasons – if not the sole reason – the Cougars won the Sea View League, and were undefeated until their loss to Beckman in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals.
As great players often do, Eggeman saved her best for the biggest games. She scored six goals and had two assists in the semifinal loss.
In three playoff games, she totaled 23 goals and 12 assists. In a regular-season matchup with Los Alamitos, which won its sixth consecutive county and section titles this year, Eggeman scored five goals in an 8-7 victory.
“I enjoy assisting more than I do scoring,” Eggeman said. “I want my team to go far, so if it’s helping them, I will score for them.”
Fellow senior captain Courtney Smith has played with Eggeman since sixth grade. While her scoring exploits have been well noted, Smith was quick to point out Eggeman’s overall growth.
“She’s always been very athletic, but starting her sophomore year, she came in and became able to run the whole team, (as) the essential player,” Smith said.
“She went more from being the fastest girl on the field to the all-around best girl.”
And along the way, Eggeman lifted her team and herself to the county’s highest level.
Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com
