Champions keep their nerve. Even when the tide is against them.
So when Oaks Christian School girls lacrosse team allowed the first three goals of its first sectional final on Friday, May 16, in Orange, it never blinked.
Sophia Vasquez scored five goals and Elizabeth Hilbert had four goals and seven draw controls as the Lions pulled even with and away from top-seed Trabuco Hills for a 15-9 win in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 championship at El Modena High’s Fred Kelly Stadium.
“We were just slow coming out of the gate,” said Oaks Christian coach Courtney Lindsay. “That could be a multitude of reasons. But we never panicked.”
Julia Forsyth finished with four goals, an assist and three draw controls and Elizabeth Forsyth had a goal, an assist and two ground balls as the Lions scored nine straight goals to take control, building a commanding 9-3 third-quarter lead.
Goaltender Torrey Chang, protected by the defense of Kayleigh McDonald, Addie Davis, Brynn Ruesga, Reese Henrich and Leighton Spruill, didn’t allow a goal for nearly 25 minutes of play.
“We adjusted a little bit,” Lindsay said. “We jumped into a zone defense a little bit to kind of throw them off their groove a little bit.
“Once we started winning the draws, and started getting it down on their side, I knew we weren’t going to have a problem.”
After falling into a 3-0 hole, the Lions scored six straight goals to take a 6-3 halftime lead.
“They tried to slow down our fast breaks, which is something we do really well,” Lindsay said. “They obviously had watched our film. They had six girls back on defense. Normally you only have four.”
One year after the Oaks Christian boys lacrosse team won its first section title, the Oaks Christian girls team matched the feat.
Oaks Christian (11-7) finished fourth in the Marmonte League but found its form in the postseason, beating La Canada, Westridge, Dos Pueblos, and Trabuco Hills for the title.
“We hit our peak at the right time,” Lindsay said. “You want to hit your peak going into playoffs and that’s what we did.
“From top to bottom, it’s been a good team unit. Everyone gets along really well. It’s just a good vibe all around.”
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 and Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oaks Christian girls lacrosse survives a slow start to win its first CIF-SS championship
Reporting by Joe Curley, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
