Josef Bae leads the Liberty boys lacrosse team with 69 goals. (Photo by Action Captures Media)
The Liberty High boys lacrosse team has made the CIF-SS playoffs for the first time, and the Bison will put their 10-7 record on the line in a Division 3 match at Beckman High (11-8) in Irvine Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Liberty is the only boys lacrosse team in Menifee to qualify for the playoffs. The Bison are led by Josef Bae (69 goals, 7 assists), Noah Ayala (39 goals 10 assists), and Carter Lauritzen (27 goals, 7 assists). Goaltender Jeffrey Cotton has allowed only 29 goals in 232 minutes and has a 6-0 record.
In the girls lacrosse playoffs, three Menifee teams qualified. In Division 3, Liberty (6-9) will play at Paloma Valley (16-3) in a battle of local teams. Paloma Valley won 15 straight games before losing a 14-9 decision to nonleague foe Chaparral in the last game of the regular season. The Wildcats won the Ivy League title with a 12-0 record.
In another Division 3 girls game, Heritage (10-8) will play at Valencia (9-9). The Patriots are led by Arabella Mattison (47 goals, 5 assists).
Riley Beltran is one of the top players for the Paloma Valley girls lacrosse team. (Photo by Action Captures Media)
