For the fifth season in a row, the West Ranch Wildcats girls’ lacrosse team is claiming the Foothill League title.
After a dominant 20-2 road victory over the Hart Hawks on Wednesday at Hart High School, the Wildcats (10-6, 5-0) are at least co-champions of the league. They can make it an undefeated league campaign and an outright title with a win over Saugus at home next Wednesday.
“It’s five years where we’ve been able to hang our name on the banner in the gym, which is really important to us,” said West Ranch head coach Leesa Chelminiak. “But, you know, the girls this year, our theme for the year has been ‘undeniable,’ because we truly believe we are undeniably the champions. We don’t think we deserve a co-title. We have so much respect for all the girls in the valley, but they really want that title.”
Sophomore Grace Manning led the way on Wednesday with 10 goals, including eight in the first half. She’s proven to be just as valuable to the Wildcats as junior Lauren Lamb, the reigning Foothill League Player of the Year.
Chelminiak said that while Manning is producing at a similar level to Lamb, who scored one goal on Wednesday, it’s Lamb who is relied on to be the team’s leader on the field.
“They both have their qualities,” Chelminiak said. “Lauren’s leadership is beyond anything I’ve ever coached before. She has the ability to motivate players that maybe are going through a tough time. Grace is, I mean, she’s just a cool kid. She’s just a fun kid to coach. Her energy is great, she’s positive. But again, they just both bring different things.”
Sophomore Raquel Olmos added two goals, and senior Ella Thompson and junior Sofia Forbes had a goal each.
The Hawks (0-9, 0-4) have had an uneven campaign following a midseason coaching swap that saw Craig Jaffe, a longtime coach in the Santa Clarita Valley and an assistant coach for the Hart girls’ soccer team, take over the team in early March.
“I just love coaching and wanted the girls to have a fun season,” Jaffe said.
Chelminiak credited the Hart girls for sticking with the season despite things not going the Hawks’ way.
“I’m really proud of the Hart girls,” Chelminiak said. “They’ve had a really tough year, and they have all still come out here every day and given everything they have, and they look great out there.”
Seniors Alyssa Davis and Vivian Vega, who recently committed to play collegiately at Concordia University, each scored once for Hart.
The Wildcats have their sights set on taking another year of success into the postseason. They’ve outscored their league opponents 107-35, but Chelminiak said it’ll take even more to contend with some of the teams that have given West Ranch some trouble so far.
West Ranch lost to Crescenta Valley (15-5), ranked eighth in the CIF Southern Section’s latest rankings released on Monday, on the road on Thursday, 22-12. The Wildcats were 30th in those rankings.
But Chelminiak thinks her squad has improved since a few rough losses in the early part of the season and is more ready now to compete in the playoffs.
“It is a different animal, that’s a good way to put it, but we’re ready for it,” Chelminiak said. “And I think our team has grown a lot since the beginning of the season. We’ve done a lot of growth as a group that I’m really excited to see how much better we’re gonna be compared to the first part of the year.”
Hart is set to close out its season with two games against Valencia, the first at home on Saturday and then on the road Wednesday.
