Chase Macleod has always aspired to score goals.
As he has studied his craft, the Oaks Christian School attackman has learned that preparation and confidence are important.
But timing is paramount.
“You can’t go in with a mindset that, ‘This is going to happen,’ ” Macleod said. “Lacrosse is such a dynamic game. You can’t just force a shot. You have to be looking to shoot, but you have to be a feeder first.”
As Macleod and his teammates worked through a difficult regular season, they began to see the possibilities as the Oaks Christian boys lacrosse team prepared for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.
“We had been saying all year, we want to succeed in the postseason whatever division we’re in,” Macleod said. “We knew we could make a run in (Division 2) and we always thought we could win it, if we were in Division 3. Being the No. 1 seed helped.”
Macleod had a hand in 31 goals in four playoff games as the Lions won the CIF-SS Division 3 championship.
“I knew it was all going to come together,” Macleod said. “We had a goal. We had to achieve it.”
The Marmonte League Most Valuable Player and the CIF-SS Division 3 Player of the Year had 69 goals and 46 assists for 115 points, including 20 goals and 11 assists in four postseason games. For his accomplishments, Macleod has earned the The Star’s Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year honor.
“I’ve coached a lot of really good players,” said Oaks Christian coach Sean Lindsay, a former two-time All-American at Syracuse. “Chase is right up there. … He really was that awesome this year.”
The Chapman University commit had seven goals and three assists in the 16-11 win over Dana Point in the CIF-SS Division 3 championship game.
He also had four goals and three assists in the semifinal win over Placentia-El Dorado, four goals and two assists in the quarterfinal win over Newbury Park, and five goals and three assists in the second-round victory over Long Beach Wilson.
“I wouldn’t ask for anything more,” Macleod said. “It’s all I wanted. I wanted to be a key piece of the team. It was never a burden.”
The 11-3 quarterfinal win over Newbury Park was memorable. The red-hot Panthers had recently snapped Westlake’s 33-game Marmonte League winning streak. Macleod had played his first two seasons at Newbury Park before transferring to Oaks Christian as a junior.
“It was fun getting to play the Newbury Park boys again,” Macleod said. “That playoff game was intense. I love all those guys because I know them all, but as teams we did not like each other. We had a really close game early in the season and that sparked a rivalry.”
Macleod grew up in Newbury Park looking up to his older brother Connor, a long-stick defender who graduated from Oaks Christian in 2017.
“My brother was the main one who inspired me to play,” Macleod said. “I got to watch him.”
While he played soccer, baseball, football and basketball growing up, he fell in love with lacrosse.
“I just fell in love with how the game is both physical and has that smoothness that a sport like basketball has,” Macleod said. “I was always pretty fast, so I always liked using my speed and liked delivering a hit. That was really fun, rattling people.”
As Oaks Christian adjusted to injuries and ineligibilities throughout the regular season, when it finished second in the Marmonte League to Westlake, Macleod was the steady force.
“We had a lot of injuries,” Lindsay said. “He was so consistent all season. It was shocking to me, honestly. Some teams tried to shut him off, but were still able to get him the ball through him being the hard worker he is.”
Lindsay entered the season expecting a big senior season from his sniper.
“I noticed it,” Lindsay said. “Chase was showing signs of being able to carry a team. He was doing things that great players do.”
He even challenged Macleod to show he was worthy of the Marmonte League MVP honors.
“That is your goal,” Lindsay told Macleod before the season. “That is your standard.”
Macleod rose to the challenge. The coach would often show up early to practice to discover the team’s star attackman was already on the field working on his skills.
“He just does the things that you need to do to be able to be great throughout the course of the season,” Lindsay said. “It’s a testament to his character and hard work.”
Macleod was building up the well of confidence from which he drew during a difficult regular season.
“If you’re not confident in your game, you’re going to be too tight,” Macleod said. “You’re not going to be efficient.
“These last couple years, I’ve been building my confidence. When you tell yourself you can score and you just do, you feel amazing.”
The Star’s All-County Boys Lacrosse Second Team
Joe Curley covers lacrosse for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter/X, Instagram/Threads, Facebook, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Chase Macleod is The Star’s Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year
Reporting by Joe Curley, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Joe Curley, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
