Coming off of Tuesday’s history-setting win against Monta Vista, the 10th-seeded Lynbrook Vikings lost to the second-seeded Saint Francis Lancers 23-8 Saturday morning in the quarterfinals of Central Coast Section Division I play.
Freshman Cade Curry led Saint Francis (13-15) with five goals. Rishabh Hedge paced Lynbrook (21-5) with three goals.
The Lancers were able to take the lead early and keep the Vikings pressured and in a constant game of catch-up throughout the match.
Facing off against the strong and experienced Lancer offense, the Vikings struggled to prevent the Lancers from driving down the pool and getting into position with expert and accurate passing, allowing them to out-score Lynbrook 4-2 in the first quarter.
The Vikings were able to fight back during the second quarter with more communication among the players and by using more strategic passing plays to get into better scoring position. The Vikings were able to narrow their deficit down to 10-7 by the end of the half.
Though the scene was set for Lynbrook to have another come-from-behind victory reminiscent of the Monta Vista game, the Lancers pulled away as they outscored Lynbrook 13-1 in the second half to advance to the CCS semifinals.
Despite the season-ending loss for Lynbrook, Coach Jerome Chung remained positive about the team’s season overall and showed confidence for future seasons.
“I'm just so proud of the way we played today. I mean for us to go this far it definitely wasn't expected, but it definitely showed how far we've come, but how much further we have to go," Chung said. "It was a good game for us, Saint Francis is historically one of the best teams in our section and I thought we showed up well today.”
The loss capped off a successful season for Lynbrook, which became the first SCVAL-El Camino team to win a CCS playoff game.
“I just want to continue playing at a high level, we'll eventually get there," Chung said. "I believe in our kids and we'll be okay."
The Lancers will meet Menlo-Atherton Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Serra High in the semifinals.
