The562’s season previews for the 2022-23 school year are sponsored by Vertical Raise, the official team fundraising partner of The562.
As one of the newest sports in the Moore League, girls’ lacrosse is taking a step forward in 2023. There were just four teams competing in the league last season, but that number has now expanded to six, welcoming in squads from Compton High and Downey High.
The returning core of the league–Lakewood, Millikan, Poly, and Wilson–now has a year of experience under their belts, and the Bruins will look to defend their league title against opponents new and old.
Wilson head coach Vic Escoto is looking to keep things humming after the Bruins went unbeaten in league play a year ago. He’s excited about the group he has coming back and has no plans to let that trophy change hands this spring.
“No one will outwork us on the field,” Escoto proclaimed. “Our hearts and our minds are 100 percent committed to success and getting better everyday. I can’t wait to get our Moore League play going.”
Senior Cyan Fellows will be a key player for the Bruins, anchoring their defense. Fellows started every game for Wilson last season, and has committed to play for Pacific University in Oregon. Senior Eleni Voulgaris brings her hard-nosed style from the soccer pitch to the much more contact-friendly lacrosse field, where she’ll play midfield.
Grace Lewis and Kendall Bostre project as the top attackers for the Bruins this season, who will have promising freshman Emerson May in goal. She’s one of the standouts for a big freshman class that will try to lay the groundwork for an early Moore League dynasty at Wilson.
Over at Millikan, head coach Marlene Boyd has an experienced group of returners led by a core of seven seniors.
“I am fortunate to be working with a group of players that have a great deal of talent,” said Boyd. “I am confident in our returning players since most of them have been playing together for a while now and they have a wealth of lacrosse IQ.”
Seniors Sydnie Stout and Nataly Ramirez, along with junior Angelique Rios will anchor the Rams defensively. On the attack, look out for seniors Karina Barone and Erin Tighe, plus the sophomore trio of Madi Hamm, Kate Fast and Samarah Perez. The Rams were the second place team in league last year before reaching the Division 3 quarterfinals, and will look to build on that success in 2023.
Long Beach Poly graduated a large senior class after last season, meaning new players will need to step up this season. Leslie Saito Waddles is back as head coach for the Jackrabbits, and has a crop of exciting talent to work with.
Seniors Althea Alguel and Malia Waddles are senior midfielders who’ve played lacrosse since freshman year, bringing valuable leadership to the Poly lineup. Malia is Coach Saito Waddles’ daughter, and the younger sister of Alison Waddles, who was a trailblazer for girls’ lacrosse in the LBUSD when she was recruited to play at the University of Redlands in 2018.
Junior Kaitlyn Kuch Ly is a quality player on both ends of the field, just like sophomore Caitlyn Jung, who moved over to lacrosse after soccer season. Junior Emily Molina and sophomore Zoie Hodges are both back for their second year in the sport and have shown great leadership in mentoring younger players so far. The Jackrabbits open the Moore League season with a big game at Wilson on March 7.
Lakewood has a new head coach in Fernando Viramontes, a Millikan alum who is also an assistant coach with the Lancers’ football program. He’s got a very young team this season looking to build off last year’s debut season for lacrosse at Lakewood.
“My expectation for this upcoming season is to get better everyday and make the game fun for all the girls,” said Viramontes. “We want to establish a winning culture on and off the field. Coming from football, I think building a family culture is important, and if we do that the wins will take care of themselves.”
Sophomore Kimberly Nava has shown good IQ and leadership abilities playing in the midfield and defense. She’s joined in those positions by Jaylah Fuailetolo, who also plays volleyball for the Lancers. Sophomore Leslie Gonzalez will play in midfield and on the attack, and is a returner with valuable experience and a strong work ethic. Other key attackers for the Lancers are freshman Sianelei Purcell (also a volleyball player) and sophomore Brianna Del Orbe.
Downey High replaces Ellen Ochoa in the Moore League for lacrosse this season, adding a new school into the mix. Downey used to be a full-fledged member of the Moore League, but has never won a league title on the girls’ side.
Finally, Compton is adding both boys’ and girls’ lacrosse this season, and will host their home games at Roosevelt Middle School while the Compton High campus remains under construction.
The Moore League girls’ lacrosse season gets underway on March 7 with Poly visiting Wilson and Lakewood playing at Millikan.
