Vista Murrieta claims D3 title in 2OT
As his team prepared for overtime in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship match, Vista Murrieta boys lacrosse coach Even Daarstad reminded his players to trust each another.
“This has been a tightknit group all year long, and I knew if they believed in themselves, we would find a way to finish and get that victory,” Daarstad said about his words of encouragement to his players.
Tyler Clanton scored the winning goal during the second minute of the second overtime period to lift the Broncos to a 9-8 victory over Crescenta Valley on Saturday afternoon at Downey High School.
Vista Murrieta (20-4) is just the second Inland lacrosse program to capture a section title, joining last year’s Norco boys team that also won the Southern Section’s Division 3 title.
“I am just so proud of these boys for the commitment and all of the hard work they have made to make this happen,” Daarstad said. “It sets a foundation and new legacy for the program.”
The match was tied at 2 after the first quarter, but Vista Murrieta scored three unanswered goals in the second period to take control. The Broncos had a 7-4 lead after three quarters.
Crescenta Valley (19-3) scored three consecutive goals in the fourth quarter to draw level, and the teams traded the next two goals of the match to set up the decisive overtime period.
“We didn’t panic even though that lead was gone,” Daarstad said. “We remained confident and believed we were capable of winning. They just needed to trust in all of those things that got us here in the first place. If they did that, I knew they would finish it.”
Neither team scored in the first four minutes of overtime and they changed sides. Clanton gained control of the ball following a turnover, made a run forward and fired the winning shot into the net.
“There was no play drawn up,” Daarstad said. “That was just the boys making a play on their own.”
Daarstad said Tristan Hunter had several big saves in the match, including a few in overtime.
“He made big stops and gave us the opportunity to score that winning goal,” Daarstad said.
Daarstad said attacker Luke Kisch (80 goals, 40 assists) and midfielders Tanner Ennis and Clanton have spearheaded the offense this season, while Connor Hellman has been the defensive leader.
Daarstad hopes this victory can provide a boost for his program and others in the region.
“One of the biggest goals is to grow the sport and get more kids involved,” Daarstad said.