Wednesday, May 10, 2023

LJ b lax 7, Del Norte 6 - CIF 1st round

Vikings' Logan MacLean (29), a junior, tries a shot
with half a minute left in the cliffhanger Tues., May 9.
La Jolla hung on to defeat Del Norte, 7-6,
in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs.
(Photos by Ed Piper)


By Ed Piper

Del Norte, the higher seed playing at home, scored two quick goals with 2:59 left to close what had been a La Jolla three-goal lead to 7-6. The one-goal margin was nerve-wracking, as the Vikings wanted to survive the final minute and a half and run out the clock.

Coach Adam Morawski, hired only three days before the first game back in mid-March, rebuilt the Vikings' squad around sophomores, mainly, with only a trio of seniors and five juniors on the roster. They played just nine games in the regular season. And here they were leading a game in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs Tues., May 9.

La Jolla, seeded ninth, held on to beat the Nighthawks, the eighth seed, and take home the 7-6 win and a second-round match-up at St. Augustine Fri., May 12.

Sophomore Wyatt Olmert (3, left) of La Jolla
defended by Del Norte's Emilio Verastegui
in waning minutes.


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