Spring sports are underway and we checked in around the city with girls’ lacrosse as Moore League action begins this week.
Wilson is at Lakewood today and enters the season as the reigning Moore League champion and with that comes a familiar reality. Every opponent on the schedule will have a circle around their game against the Bruins.
“It’s always hard to repeat as champions,” Wilson coach Vic Escoto said. “We’ve been lucky to have won league three of the last four years. One year we shared it with Downey, but last year we won it outright. Once you win it, everyone plays a little bit harder when they go up against the champs.”
If there is a formula for sustaining success, it often begins with experience. Wilson has plenty of it.
The Bruins return 12 seniors with nine that are expected to start. The group has grown together over four seasons, many arriving on campus already seasoned by club lacrosse.
“This year we actually have a great group of seniors returning,” Escoto said. “When they came in four years ago, they all played club. We’ve been so fortunate to coach this group.”
The foundation starts in the back.
“It starts with Emerson May,” Escoto said. “She’s a four-year varsity starter and last year’s Moore League Player of the Year. She anchors our defense.”
May headlines a defensive unit that also includes Laila Rodriguez, Lucy Smith and Ryan Sorensen, the latter a multi-sport athlete who joins the team from soccer. Their presence gives Wilson a veteran spine capable of controlling tempo and limiting high percentage looks.
In the midfield, Sofia Stronger and Megan Ligenza provide two-way stability, while attackers Mia Romero and Amelia Nulty lead a unit expected to produce consistently. The continuity has allowed Escoto to build not just around talent, but chemistry.
That continuity extends to the sideline as well.
Escoto added longtime boys coach Sal Cipolla to his staff this season. Cipolla brings decades of experience and will help shape the Bruins’ offensive identity.
“He’s bringing years and years of knowledge and is heading a lot of our offensive schemes,” Escoto said. “I’m super excited and grateful to have him.”
After another competitive campaign that saw Millikan girls lacrosse finish near the top of the league standings, coach Marlene Boyd believes her program is ready to take the next step. While the Rams placed third last season, Boyd emphasized that the results don’t fully capture the growth her team showed.
“Last year there was fight and improvement, considering we finally beat Downey and there was a possibility of being tied for second,” Boyd said. “So, there was some improvement there.”
Heading into the new season, the goals are clear. The Rams want to push deeper into the postseason and challenge the league’s perennial powers.
“This year, it’s the same thing,” Boyd said. “Mainly the girls have been talking about getting at least to the second round in playoffs. They would, of course, love to come in, if not league champions, at least come in second in league.”
Millikan’s optimism is fueled by a large and experienced senior class. Boyd noted that she has 14 seniors this season, many of whom have been part of the program since her first year as head coach.
“It’s kind of emotional, because these were my freshmen that started with me,” Boyd said. “The time went by really quick.”
Among the key returners are seniors Nicola Helen and Alana Deegan, both four-year contributors, along with Seven Gutierrez and Bryn Miller. Emily Linares is also expected to play a major role.
“Emily is in a special situation,” Boyd explained. “She’s a junior, but she will be graduating early, so I’m counting her as one of my seniors.”
Boyd reflected on how far her players have come, especially considering that Deegan was the only athlete who began her career on varsity as a freshman.
“To see their development and growt,” Boyd said. “The progression everyone has made over the last four years has been really impressive.”
As for the Moore League landscape, Boyd expects familiar challenges. Wilson and Downey remain strong, while other programs continue to rebuild amid participation and coaching turnover across Southern California.
“I think it will be similar to what it has been in the past,” Boyd said. “I’m hoping to see some growth in lacrosse in Moore League. There are programs across Southern California that are losing JV programs or potentially not being able to carry a varsity program.”
Despite the uncertainty, Boyd remains focused on her team’s internal mindset rather than external expectations.
“I think we’re all under the ‘why not this team?’” Boyd said. “Why not this group? This group should be the group that takes the program the farthest that it’s gone.”
For Millikan, the approach remains simple: keep improving, one step at a time.
“We’re very optimistic going into the season,” Boyd said. “We always take the small victories. Even if it’s a little bit, that’s all we’re looking for.”
After finishing fourth in the Moore League with a 3-7 record last season, Long Beach Poly enters the new year focused on growth, leadership and raising its competitive standard.
Coach Nasa Tan believes last year’s playoff appearance created momentum the program intends to build on.
“Last season’s fourth place finish and playoff appearance gave us a strong foundation to build on,” Tan said. “We expect the Moore League to be extremely competitive this year so our focus is on raising our level of play and learning to execute during high pressure moments.”
Poly will lean into its core principles as it integrates several new contributors into the lineup.
“We have a lot of new faces this season so I’m really looking forward to seeing this team grow together,” Tan said. “Our identity has always and will always be built on our attitude and effort.”
That emphasis on controllables has defined the Jackrabbits’ approach in recent seasons and remains central as they look to climb the league standings.
Leadership will be anchored by senior Olive Chang, who Tan expects to set the tone defensively.
“We expect strong leadership on our defensive end by senior Olive Chang who sets the tone every practice with her work ethic and dedication to the team,” Tan said.
On the offensive side, junior Kalia Sysavathly is expected to play a key role in guiding the attack and maintaining composure in critical stretches.
“We are also looking for Sysavathly (Junior) to help lead on our offensive end,” Tan said. “Together they represent the standard we want for our program.”
With a competitive Moore League ahead, Poly’s progress may hinge on how quickly its new pieces gel and how consistently it can match the attitude and effort that Tan believes define the program.
Compton is entering the season with a unique mix of seasoned players and talented newcomers and coach Leann Rosales is excited about the potential.
“This year our freshmen coming in are super talented with already, like, at least three years minimum of experience,” Rosales said.
For the first time, Compton is welcoming a pipeline of incoming players with prior lacrosse experience, giving the program a strong foundation for the future.
Among the freshmen expected to make an immediate impact are Giovanni Deavonne Pack and Valeria Valera Acha.
“We have a good mix of girls that are brand new and wanting to try the sport. And they’ve picked it up super quick too,” Rosales said. “The teamwork between all the girls has been really awesome, and they’re very welcoming to the new people too, and the freshmen also.”
Returners will provide stability and leadership. Sophomore Kady Ponce has impressed her coach with her growth and focus.
“This year she’s so locked in and her skills have just improved so much, and she’s just been playing all year round,” Rosales said.
Ponce is expected to anchor the attack line and contribute significantly to the team’s scoring. Freshman Emily Galindo will see time in midfield and attack, while Pack will play midfield, and Valeria Acha will strengthen the attack line.
“She’s going to play middy mostly, but she’ll be on attack as well,” Rosales said of Galindo, emphasizing the versatility of the young roster.
On defense, senior Joss Bonaparte returns after missing last season due to injury.
“She’s super excited to be back. So she’s definitely just taking it all in, but she’s definitely a defender too,” Rosales said. Her experience is expected to anchor the defensive line and provide guidance to younger players.
Rosales highlighted the importance of team chemistry heading into the season.
“This year should be a really good one for sure. A lot of team chemistry too, which is really nice,” she said. The combination of experienced seniors, dedicated sophomores, and skilled freshmen has created a positive and supportive environment.
Looking ahead to league play, Rosales is cautiously optimistic.
“This year, we should make it to at least top three,” Rosales said. “Definitely looking forward to just seeing it all come together and just seeing all the work that they’ve been doing all year. Just tying it all together and seeing how everyone plays.”
Lakewood enters the new season with momentum, experience under coach Fernando Viramontes, who confirmed this will be his last year coaching lacrosse.
“I’ve given Lakewood lacrosse four years,” Viramontes said. “And I think it’s time for me to focus on other things on campus.”
With a new assistant coach in Amaya Villescas, Viramontes is excited to have another voice on the sidelines to connect with the team.
“This is the first year I have a female coach assisting me,” Viramontes said. “Having someone that knows the game and understands it really well is going to help us on the field and for sure off the field.”
Amaya, who graduated not long ago from Downey, is already a familiar face to many of Lakewood’s players and that familiarity has helped establish trust and intensity early in the season.
“I’ve seen a big difference in the girls in the last three weeks since Coach Maya has been with them,” Viramontes said.
On the field, the Lancers return a core group of experienced players after finishing just one win shy of a playoff berth last season. Viramontes emphasized defense as a major point of emphasis, especially with a new goalie stepping into the role.
“Our defensive side is going to have to be firing on all cylinders,” he said.
Leading that unit is defensive captain Izzy Gutierrez, while the midfield group has shown significant growth, including Bella Torres and Nori Vivao, the latter entering her third year in the program.
“Nori was second on our team in goals last year,” Viramontes said. “Hopefully she takes a big step this year as a junior.”
With experience, chemistry, and leadership returning, the expectations are clear.
“We’re knocking on the door,” Viramontes said. “We just have to kick it open now.”
