Perfection was not the goal.
Striving for another Marmonte League title and a deep postseason run, Lauren Reed and the Royal High girls lacrosse team tried to keep it out of their minds this spring.
“We did not mention it much at practice,” Reed said. “We were afraid of jinxing it.”
But as wins were strung together in succession, an unbeaten regular season became the reality the Highlanders had to face.
“There was definitely some pressure that came along with that,” admitted Reed.
Led by their senior midfielder, Royal swept through the Marmonte League at 12-0, defending their league championship without a blight and entered the postseason 16-0.
“We went into every game not thinking of our undefeated record,” Reed said. “We went into games thinking everyone could beat us. That was a great mentality to have.
“If you go into a game cocky, that can result into a loss.”
Powered by Reed, who had 77 goals, 24 assists, 101 points and won 57% of her draws, Royal was the last undefeated lacrosse team in the CIF-Southern Section, girls or boys.
“You could see Lauren’s improvement in her junior and senior years,” Royal coach Cathe Utterback said. “The difference was her drive in offense. She would score on her drives almost every time, she would dominate the (8-meter arc) and was really good in transition.”
Even in the face of unrelenting defensive attention.
“She was doubled teamed the whole second half of our season, and especially in postseason,” Utterback said. “They knew she was our go-to (player).”
With the graduation of fellow attacking star Amanda Borg, Reed carried more of the offensive burden as a senior, leading an attack that included junior Kate Clouser, sophomore Annabelle Isaacs and senior Sammy Kern.
“Amanda was a great part of our team,” Reed said. “We took on that burden of her leaving. … Obviously, people come and people go and we have to adjust to that. The team this year adjusted well and was very compatible with our skill sets.”
Reed had a season-high seven goals and two assists in a key 21-14 league win over second-place Newbury Park on March 12.
“It was fun to watch,” Utterback said.
Reed, who is The Star’s Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year honor for the second straight season, found the net six times in wins over Village Christian on Feb. 17, Agoura on April 15 and Oak Park on April 17.
She had a season-high 12 points — four goals and eight assists — in a 14-10 win over rival Simi Valley on March 13.
“My role changed,” Reed said. “And I’m not talking about lacrosse. … I took more of a leadership role in trying to make sure our team was at its best.”
Reed had three goals and two assists in a 12-8 win over Santa Monica and three goals and three assists in a 9-7 win at San Juan Hills as Royal piled up 18 straight wins and reached the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinals.
“I was really proud of the way we approached for each game and prepared for it,” Utterback said.
But the run ended with a 11-5 loss to eventual champion El Segundo in the quarterfinals, when a one-goal game at the half got away from the Highlanders during a rough third quarter.
“We played our hardest,” Reed said. “We left it all out there.”
Reed completed a glittering four-year career that included 276 goals, 108 assists and 384 points.
“Lauren was a force,” said Utterback. “She consistently prioritized team success over her own. … It’s going to be a big loss because of the dominant player that she was.”
Despite her talent and consistent production, Reed opted to forgo a potential competitive collegiate career.
“I did not decide to go that rout,” Reed said.
She plans to join the club team at the University of Miami.
“My lacrosse career is not over yet,” Reed said. “When I made the decision and I saw the team there, I definitely decided I wanted to play on it.”
The Star’s All-County Girls 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: Lauren Reed repeats as The Star’s Girls 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
