Girls lacrosse: Redwood flexes control against Marin Academy
Redwood High junior Lucy Jeffers seized control from the start of Tuesday’s non-league matchup against Marin Academy, setting the tone as the Giants brought an unrelenting pressure during the heat of an early spring day Tuesday in Larkspur.
Jeffers won five draws and, with the Giants in control, their offense was clicking during a four-goal run that held up for a 12-6 victory over the visiting Wildcats.
“We have to do all the little things really well,” said Redwood coach Lauren Yee, whose squad reached the North Coast Section Division I final last season, losing 14-8 to San Ramon Valley in the title game. “We have to win the ground ball battle. We have to win the draw controls, and we just have to capitalize on the mistakes that are made by other players. We want to feel in control and be the decision makers.”
Redwood sophomore Phoebe Miller scored back-to-back goals to open the game, before junior Lucy Miller and Presley Pewitt scored to give the Giants a 4-0 lead with 3 minutes, 40 seconds left in the first quarter.
Lucy Miller led the Giants with five goals and two assists, while Phoebe Miller finished with three goals and an assist. Sophomore Claire Johnson netted a pair of goals to go with an assist, and Jeffers rounded out the scoring for Redwood (7-2).
“Claire Johnson played a massive role for us last year and was our motor in the MCAL championships,” Yee said. “We were down two players at that point and we leaned on her as a freshman. She’s been huge now as a sophomore. She’s got that experience and even more confidence after last season.”
The Giants were coming off Thursday’s 12-5 victory over Branson to open league play, after a pair of grueling losses to powerhouses St. Ignatius and Sacred Heart Prep. Redwood, which hosts MCAL foe Archie Williams on Thursday, has another big non-league matchup Friday against San Ramon Valley, which beat Marin Academy 16-7 on March 14.
“This season has been a bit of a roller coaster,” Yee said. “We’ve had some good quarters and some bad quarters and some okay quarters. We’re really trying to find that consistency. The great thing is, we have a ton of talent this year, and it’s just about finding the right pieces and putting them together.”
Marin Academy (6-2) was riding a three-game streak heading into Tuesday’s tilt, with wins over San Marin, Head Royce and California.
Senior midfielder Steph Zola got the Wildcats on the scoreboard in the first on her way to a three-goal afternoon. Senior Cece Dickinson, junior Elsa Anderson and freshman Tessa Urban also scored for Marin Academy.
“The kids made good decisions,” Marin Academy coach Cori Conner said. “We took care of the ball. I don’t think we had any challenges, any turnovers when we were transitioning to our offensive end. In this game, we had a hard time winning possession off the draw control. And, typically, draws win games.”
During a game of wild swings in momentum, the Wildcats were able to put together a couple of runs to challenge the Giants, but still never cut the gap to closer than three goals. A penalty shot goal by Dickinson and a goal from Zola had Marin Academy rolling. Marin Academy was starting to win balls, with Sadie Goodenough claiming five wins and Anderson three.
“The possession was something we tried to adjust, and it started to work as we got into the second half,” Conner said. “But lacrosse is a game of momentum, and we just didn’t get the momentum in our favor long enough.”
Redwood continued to find the back of the net, using its strategic passing game to create opportunities for Johnson, who scored twice in less than two minutes in the third period. Back-to-back goals from Anderson and Zola, then a goal Urban again closed the gap, with Redwood leading 9-6 with 30 seconds left in the third.
A goal from Jeffers to close out the third and two goals from Lucy Miller in the fourth closed out the scoring.
For the seniors on Marin Academy’s rosters, this might have been their last opportunity to get a win against Redwood, with a 0-3 record against the Giants the past three seasons.
“We’d like to get a rematch with Redwood in the playoffs,” said Conner, whose team is three years removed from its 2022 NCS D-II championship.