The Carlmont varsity girls lacrosse team lost to the Sequoia Ravens with a score of 15-7 at Carlmont High School on Wednesday, May 1. Despite the loss, the team celebrated the last game of the season with senior night.
“Senior night is always a lot of fun and the energy is always great to see and a fun way to wrap up the season,” said senior goalie Leila Velez.
The game started quickly, with the Ravens catching the Scots off guard and securing an early possession of the ball, leading to a goal within the first twenty seconds of the game. Although the Scots fought for control, the Ravens outmaneuvered and dodged away, keeping the ball from the prying Scots.
“We were expecting a competitive game. We know it’s their senior night, and we know it’s our last game, so we expected to have a good game,” said Sequoia junior midfield Megan Elgaaen.
The Ravens continued their momentum against the Scots, leaving the middle of the first quarter at 3-0. The Scots failed to gain control and possession of the ball, allowing the Ravens to maintain their growing lead.
“I love the passion that our players have. They came out and were committed to improving themselves, and they played really strong,” said head coach Chris Coulter.
In the second quarter, the Scots came back with some success. They scored two shots early on, giving them a fighting chance in the game. With minimal success on possessions and movement off the ball from the Scots, the score went to 8-4 for the Ravens.
Shortly after a goal from junior Samantha Leavitt, the Scots were pressured by the Ravens, forcing their fate into the hands of their goalie, who managed to block the shot and regain possession for the Scots. Trying to capitalize on the possession of the ball resulted in difficulty with the Ravens’ tightly-knit defense.
The Scots successfully picked up ground balls and made dashes for the goal, often having to reevaluate whether to take the shot with a difficult angle to the goal. Possessions from midfield Audrey Wong and midfield Isabella Rice gave opportunities for the Scots to reattempt shots.
“In today’s game, we made a lot better passes and communicated a lot better than in the past,” Coulter said.
Both teams fought hard in the third quarter with fast breaks and cuts from both teams. The Ravens kept their lead at 10-4 with their strong defense that relied on communication and awareness of the Scots. The Ravens continued their pressure, but with a successful cut to the goal from Leavitt, the Scots ended the third quarter trailing 10-5.
Entering into the fourth and final quarter of the game, the Scots gave it their all and scored two successful goals, bringing the score to 11-7. With four minutes left, it wasn’t enough for the Scots to make a complete comeback, and the Ravens quickly took back control of the game with fast cuts and crease shots that ended the game at 15-7.
Coulter still considers the game a success, with the bleachers packed with family and friends.
“Going into the game, we wanted to build on some stuff, and even though we have some injuries right now, we wanted to keep it fun and have a good senior night,” Coulter said.
Reflecting on her last high school game, Velez feels the same way.
“I’m grateful for this team and how much we’ve grown together, and I’m very excited to see how they do next season with new players,” Velez said.
