Nine Metro Conference teams qualified for this year’s San Diego Section boys and girls lacrosse playoffs.
Two of them will make history on Saturday when they pair up for the San Diego Section Division III girls championship at Scripps Ranch High School.
It’s the first time that two South County schools will meet for the division title.
It’s validation for the sport locally as three area teams advanced to Tuesday’s division semifinal playoffs.
Top-seeded Castle Park edged fourth-seeded Mater Dei Catholic, 6-5, in a match-up at Montgomery High School while third-seeded San Ysidro upset second-seeded Rancho Buena Vista, 8-6, in a road pairing.
It’s special validation for the Castle Park program headed by Chris Kryjewski that has striven to carry the torch for the sport among the Metro Conference’s smaller members.
“Our program is very excited to be holding the No. 1 seed in the Division III playoffs after earning the No. 9 seed in 2023,” Kryjewski said. “The players and coaches worked extremely hard to hold this position. It means a lot to us as this will be the final year of playing in our home stadium with the remodel about to start.
“The girls’ grit and fight have been displayed and they are very eager seize the opportunities that are in front of them. This team has been challenged in all facets of the game, life, and the classroom portion of the game.”
Photos by Phillip Brents
The Lady Trojans (14-9) led, 4-2, at halftime but the Lady Crusaders (13-8) held possession for most of the third quarter, scoring three unanswered goals to lead 5-4. But Castle Park responded on goals by senior Princess Tacla and junior Xiclali Ramirez to regain the lead at 6-5.
The tense fourth quarter was scoreless as Castle Park held possession for most of the period.
CP junior goalkeeper Vicky Trujillo was credited with 10 saves while Ramirez and junior Kelly Liang led the defensive effort with four ground balls each.
Ramirez and Tacla each scored twice in the game while senior Arleth Ortega and sophomore Leilani Roche each scored single goals.
Madelyn Burgon had two goals for Mater Dei Catholic while Alyssa Mechling, Francesca Haley and Sophia White each scored one goal.
Castle Park defeated ninth-seeded Mission Bay, 10-4, in the quarterfinals behind five goals from Roche while San Ysidro eliminated 11th-seeded Monte Vista, 8-5.
In 22 games, Roche has racked up 118 points on 103 goals and 15 assists.
Mater Dei Catholic (13-8) eliminated fifth-seeded West Hills, 11-6, in the quarterfinals.
“It’s our best finish in the playoffs,’ MDC coach Rachel Doyle said. “We showed fight but came up short. We showed we deserved to be here. We’re excited for next year.”
San Ysidro finished runner-up in last year’s Division III final to El Capitan.
By the numbers
- Eighth-seeded Eastlake defeated ninth-seeded El Capitan, 12-5, in a first-round Division II girls contest but lost, 17-8, to top-seeded University City in the quarterfinals while sixth-seeded Bonita Vista ended its season with a 9-7 loss to 11th-seeded Monte Vista in a first-round Division III pairing.
On the boys side:
- Seventh-seeded Eastlake defeated 10th-seeded Mt. Carmel, 18-3, in a Division II first-round match while 11th-seeded Bonita Vista lost, 11-5, to sixth-seeded San Dieguito Academy.
*In the Division III tier, eighth-seeded Mater Dei Catholic routed ninth-seeded Preuss UCSD, 12-3, in the opening round while sixth-seeded Olympian topped 11th-seeded Clairemont, 7-2. In the ensuing quarterfinals, top-seeded West Hills eliminated Mater Dei Catholic, 13-4, while third-seeded Foothills Christian sidelined Olympian, 12-4.
