Cate Girls Lacrosse Prevails in Hard-Fought CIF Quarterfinals

May 8, 2024

Cate’s Unified Defense and Offense Secure Semifinals Berth

Maia Holmes had 5 goals.

Sanai Edwards had 19 saves.

Cate Girls Lacrosse beat Orange-Lutheran in the CIF quarterfinals today in Orange County.  The team came out strong, jumping on a two-goal lead by Maia Holmes ’26 in the first two minutes.  Although we struggled with the draw, Cate could ” take care of the little things” and “control the controllables.” After that, O-Lu decided to faceguard Maia. Cate countered the faceguard by creating strong cuts and space for other players.  Sophia then had a crease roll and a quick stick goal to finish the quarter 4-1. The game was not a cakewalk.  O-Lu continued to press us and try to outrun us in the midfield. However, with our strong defense, they struggled to get into the 8m(refers to space within 8 meters of the goal).  Today, Cate’s defense was well-coordinated, and the communication was vital.  Led by seniors Sophie Alijani, Riley Pan, Shannon Murray, and Mel Davidson,  the defensive slides and 8m crashes looked well-rehearsed.

Other game highlights included a quick stick goal by Riley Pan ’24 on a transition and Sanai Edwards ’25 stepping up with 19 saves.  It was an excellent day for Cate girls lacrosse.  We seem to play better on the road.  One player commented, “We have fewer distractions when we are on the road.  All we want to do is focus on the win.”  Let’s hope that continues as we head to Temecula on Thursday for the CIF SS semi-finals. I enjoyed seeing a team begin to believe that we have the ability and the team chemistry to go all the way. I am proud of their play, tremendous growth, and confidence on the field today.

Thank you to the parents and Mary Foster, who made it to the game.  There is nothing like having a lacrosse alum be there to cheer us on.

Statistics:
Sanai Edwards ’25: 19 saves
Riley Pan ’24: 2 goals, 3 draws
Lucy Guilbert-Neal ’25: 1 goal, 1 assist
Sophia Ospina ’25: 2 goals
Sam Jimenez ’25: 2 assists
Maia Holmes ’26: 5 goals
Missing 2 goals
Halftime score: 6-5