Plus, scores from around the Foothill League in boys’ and girls’ lacrosse
After a loss to Village Christian on Saturday, the West Ranch girls’ lacrosse team bounced back with a 12-8 win at home over the visiting Saugus Centurions on Wednesday and remained unbeaten in Foothill League play with a 4-0 record.
“That was a team effort and about the only thing I can say,” West Ranch head coach Leesa Chelminiak said. “The first time we played Saugus this season, we came together as a team, and nobody played for themselves.”
Chelminiak added after the game that the Wildcats (12-1, 4-0) have been bitten by the injury bug, and there were a few players who were ruled out for the season.
Junior captain Grace Manning, who’s committed to the Navy, was one of the players who were ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury, according to Chelminiak.
She added that although the team losing Manning really brought the team morale down, the Wildcats responded to the adversity to get the win at home over Saugus (11-3, 2-2).
“Today, they decided there was nothing that was going to hold them back, and they were going to go out, and they were going to win,” she said.
In the first quarter, the Wildcats took a 4-1 lead after back-to-back goals from Raquel Olmos. And by the end of the first half, the Wildcats extended their lead to 9-4.
In the third quarter, the Centurions rallied and cut the Wildcats’ lead by three goals after the Saugus offense bagged three goals in the frame.
After the game, Chelminiak said even when the Centurions were fighting back, her Wildcats fought back and never gave the game up.
“We had quite a bit of turnover just from being offsides, which was something that we were able to bridge in the timeout and figure out,” she said. “But those are going to happen, and the fact that we had that happen, we just continued looking forward to the next play.”
The Wildcats remain in first place in the Foothill League standings and will play again after the spring break on Tuesday, April 14, on the road against Orange Lutheran.
With the downtime, Chelminiak is looking forward to getting rest and getting her team healthy.
“We’re at the point where we can use the week off,” she said. “Not just for the mental break, but also just for the physical break. It’s been a really tough last few weeks with us physically taking a few injuries … So,we’re looking forward to the break, but once we come back, we’ve got some great games.”
As for Saugus, the Centurions dropped to 2-2 in Foothill League play but remained in second place in the Foothill League standings.
The Centurions will look to bounce back in their next match on Wednesday, April 15, at home against the Hart Hawks.
After Wednesday’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Girls’ Lacrosse
Valencia 7, Hart 6: The Valencia Vikings (9-7, 1-3) secured the narrow road win over the Hart Hawks (6-9, 1-3).
For Valencia, junior Ava Reyes led the team in scoring with four goals with Gianna Castro ending the day with a goal of her own and one assist.
The Vikings play again on Wednesday, April 15, at home against the West Ranch Wildcats while the Hawks look to rebound on the road against the Saugus Centurions.
Boys’ Lacrosse
Valencia 16, Castaic 5: The Valencia Vikings (4-7, 3-4) secured the home win over the Castaic Coyotes (0-9, 0-6).
The Vikings are in third place in the Foothill League standings and play again on Wednesday, April 15, on the road against the West Ranch Wildcats.
As for Castaic, the Coyotes dropped their sixth league game of the season and will look to bounce back on Wednesday, April 15, at home against the Saugus Centurions.
Saugus 21, Hart 2: The Saugus Centurions (15-1, 6-0) recorded a home win over the visiting Hart Hawks (5-6, 2-5) and remained in first place in the Foothill League standings.
The Centurions will look to continue their recent momentum with a road matchup against the Castaic Coyotes on Wednesday, April 15.
The Hawks play their final league match on April 22 at home against the Castaic Coyotes.
Photos below from the Wildcats’s win over Saugus:
Lauren Lamb (31) celebrate a goal during Wednesday’s game against Saugus at West Ranch High School on April 1, 2026. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal
