On Apr. 8, the Lady Barons lacrosse team beat the Hilltop Lancers in a competitive home match at Bonita Vista High School with a score of 12–7. The win marked BVH’s first victory over Hilltop and the Lancers’ third consecutive loss.
“As we progressed in the game, we learned to work with each other and to achieve what we wanted as a team,” senior and midfielder Charlene Mares (12) said. “I was a little nervous going into the match based on statistics but once we got on the field, we hit it off immediately.”
The first quarter contained both teams seeking early goals, with each team scoring and canceling out each other’s points. The pattern was as follows; within the first few seconds of the match, Hilltop scored, with Bonita responding right after. This intense competition led to a tight score of 4–4 after the duration of the first twelve minutes of the match.
“The first quarter was very challenging because it would be one goal, then the other. [Our team] would have a hard time settling,” junior and attacker Samantha Ramirez (8) said. “[It was so intense] that we had to call a timeout and talk about everything [from strategy to our mindset]. So when we got back on the field, we did much better.”
Tensions were similar in the second quarter with neither team scoring for the first half of the period. Yet with two minutes left in the quarter, BVH broke from this stalemate with Mares scoring. Hilltop later responded with another goal, as it seemed that the Lancers were gaining the same momentum. In a trance, BVH fired back with junior and midfielder Mila Sias (14) making a 40-yard run and scoring, giving BVH a 7–5 lead.
“I just think that we had more organized plays and let ourselves be more confident on defense,” Mares said. “We just wanted to get that head start and we did.”
After adjusting their strategy, the third quarter went completely in BVH’s favor. In one of the first plays of the period, senior and attack Ella Roberts (11) gained momentum and scored two goals. Following this was Mares, junior and attack Maritza Valenzuela (6) and sophomore and midfielder Kamila Arroyave (19) scoring a goal each shortly after, dominating the pitch with a score of 11–5. Hilltop attempted to gain an advantage, barely holding onto a thread, scoring only one goal. Bonita clearly had the upper hand with a score of 11–6.
“I thought it was really stressful, but I knew we got it because we have been progressing throughout the game,” Sias said. “I knew that our team could push through the next few minutes.”
During this momentum, the Lady Barons dealt with an injury. On the 30-yard line near their goal, Sias ran down and passed the ball as her leg started cramping on the pitch and she fell to the ground in pain. Fortunately, with the aid of other players and sports medicine interns, she was able to go back into the game during the fourth quarter.
“I honestly felt so relieved that Mila was able to get back and keep playing. She is one of our most vital players on the team,” goalkeeper and sophomore Callie Hicks (24) said. “She is a warrior.”
The fourth quarter began and energy was still prevalent on the pitch from both teams. For the first six minutes of the period, no team was able to score. Breaking this gridlock however, Hilltop scored two goals, bringing the score to 11–7 and inching closer to the Lady Barons. BVH fought back, with Valenzuela scoring another goal in a score of 12–7 with the Lady Barons ending the match and securing another win.
“It does not matter if you are down, just keep on trying and be strong,” Hicks said.
The Lady Barons will play next in an away match against Mar Vista on Monday at 3:30p.m.
