Rivalry games are meant to be special and Tuesday’s showdown between the girls lacrosse teams of Mira Costa and Redondo became another for the record books.
Riding a 25-game winning streak in Bay League competition, three-time defending league champion Redondo was more than ready to extend its run. Visiting Mira Costa had other plans.
Remi Nemeroff scored three goals to propel Mira Costa (7-2, 5-0) to a 9-6 win marking the first time since 2009 that the Mustangs had defeated the Sea Hawks.
Taylor Pool and Lia Sepanek each added two goals and Kim Koltun and Lexi Kurugian scored once in the victory.
Redondo (3-4, 3-1) tried its best to shake off the disappointment when the team lost star midfielder Allison Kotzbach to a knee injury early in the game. Micayla Kotzbach did her best to overcome the absence of her sister by scoring three goals and goalkeeper Heather Czech recorded nine saves but it wasn’t enough for the host team.
Emily Field, Caitlyn Lowkeen and Ariel Mistuloff scored one goal apiece for the Sea Hawks who will seek to avenge the loss when they travel to Mira Costa for a 6 p.m. rematch on Tuesday.
Mira Costa rebounded Wednesday routing Downey 20-4 at home behind Sepanek’s seven goals. Pool and Kurugian each scored three goals for the Mustangs.
Redondo throttled host Culver City 18-1 Wednesday. Maddie Farmer scored four goals and Hailey Newman added three for the Sea Hawks who return home Friday to face Beverly Hills at 5:30 p.m.
In the LAX Power rankings Palos Verdes is listed at No. 15, Mira Costa is ranked No. 25 and Redondo is No. 27 in the CIF Southern Section.
Boys Lacrosse
Mira Costa (6-3, 4-0) held off host Downey 13-9 Wednesday with Dakota Randall leading the charge with four goals and five assists. Chris O’Brien recorded four goals and two assists and Austin Hafdell added two goals for the Mustangs.
The win sets up a showdown on Friday when Mira Costa travels to face Bay League frontrunner Palos Verdes in a 3 p.m. contest. Palos Verdes is ranked No. 2 in the LAX Power CIf Southern Section rankings while Mira Costa holds the No. 18 spot.
In a non-league contest, the Mustangs will host Castle View of Colorado Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Redondo (2-3, 2-1) is ranked No. 40 in the LAX Power rankings and squeeked by visiting Culver City Wednesday when Harrison Faecher scored with 1:30 left to give the Sea Hawks a 12-11 victory.
Eddie Clites and Robert De Boer scored three goals each for the Sea Hawks who will play road games at Beverly Hills on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and at Peninsula on Monday at 4 p.m. before hosting Downey in a 6 p.m. game on Wednesday.
