Arabella Mattison moves the ball forward for Heritage. (Photo by Action Captures Media)
The Heritage High School girls lacrosse team defeated Ivy League foe Liberty High School 11-10 on Thursday night.
After clawing their way back into the game, scoring three goals in the second half to cut the lead to one, Liberty’s Bison could not score the tying goal late. Multiple yellow cards given to the Patriots gave the Bison a myriad of opportunities and they had the numbers advantage for most of the final minutes, but Heritage held on.
The Patriots defense held strong and a crucial save by goalie Adrienne Pruitt on a free position shot was the defining moment as time wound down. With possession in the final seconds, Liberty could not get a shot off and Heritage escaped with a very tight victory as their players stormed the field.
Coach Michael Mattison commented on the importance of such a close victory.
“Games like this will help in the long run of teaching the team the importance of the little things,” he said. “Every ground ball, pass, or shot could be a deciding factor later on. Close games also teach the importance of composure, and how to handle pressure, both physically and mentally.”
Heritage took control of the game early, living in Liberty’s defensive half. This sustained pressure led to a free position shot which Arabella Mattison buried to give Heritage the early 1-0 lead. Not long after, the Patriots made it two after another free position shot was converted.
The Bison, sensing the game getting a bit out of hand, called a timeout to regroup. This regroup worked, as Liberty began to get into the flow of the game and generate some great scoring chances. Heritage goalkeeper Rylee Remenar stood tall, though, making multiple crucial saves to keep the game at 2-0 for Heritage.
Liberty got on the scoreboard soon after, which was immediately followed by a Heritage goal as well. The next three minutes continued on this trend as Liberty would score and Heritage would respond immediately after.
Spearheaded by another big save from Remenar, Heritage began to dominate again. As the game went on, Heritage scored 5 unanswered goals, with Mattison scoring 2 of those 5.
Mattison and Jynessa Amaya each finished the game with 3 goals, while Alexis Domenigoni and Emma Baker scored 2 goals each.
After another timeout, Liberty once again responded. Sora Beck and Kimora Williams each scored goal. Beck and Williams both had strong performances, scoring 5 and 2 goals, respectively. Victoria Ramos tallied 2 goals as well for the Bison.
“I was most impressed with how the team played in the first half. They played with speed and put pressure on Liberty offensively. They did a good job with ground balls and played good defense,” said Mattison.
The early parts of the second half went along similarly to the first, with both teams unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities. The Patriots eventually opened up the scoring before Liberty started to fight back again. Two Liberty goals brought the Bison to within 4 heading into the final minutes.
“Liberty is a quality opponent. They are well-coached and have some talented players, so we know we are always in for a tough 48 minutes,” said Mattison.
Heritage takes the field again looking to make it three straight wins Friday at Chaparral, while Liberty aims to get back into the win column on Saturday at home against Simi Valley.
Madilyn Montero controls the ball against the defense of Liberty’s Victoria Vasquez. (Photo by Action Captures Media)
Reese Harvey moves the ball forward for Liberty as Jennifer Zavala (10) defends. (Photo by Action Captures Media)
Ella Rugh prepares to catch the ball for Liberty. (Photo by Action Captures Media)
Victoria Ramos celebrates a goal. (Photo by Action Captures Media)
Heritage’s Madelyn Carreon competes for the ball. (Photo by Action Captures Media)
