Womens lacrosse team looks to finish strong
By Hector Trujillo
The Scripps Ranch High School womens lacrosse team wraps up an impressive turnaround from 2023 as it enters its final three matches starting on Wednesday, April 24, at home versus La Jolla High School.
The Lady Falcons already matched their win total for last season as of April 8 after defeating the La Jolla High on the road 14-13 in a game that came down to overtime.
“We’ve done some things very well and incorporated a lot of new faces,” said Scripps Ranch head coach Michele Uhlfelder.
Among the standout performers so far this season are Dahlen Vilbrandt, Norah Lutz, McKenna Durkin and senior Isabella Wenstrand, who is a new addition to the roster after transferring from High Tech High.
Despite opening the season with a road loss to San Marcos High, the Lady Falcons were able to bounce back with back to back wins over Poway High and La Jolla Country Day before faltering at Torrey Pines High on March 14. Scripps Ranch then proceeded to win four of its next five games starting with a dominating 21-2 home victory over San Dieguito Academy along with wins versus La Costa Canyon, Santa Fe Christian and the previously mentioned victory against La Jolla. The only defeat during that impressive span came on March 20 against Coronado High.
“We are emphasizing more movement into our offense,” Uhlfelder said. “I think defensively we’re getting back to a style that we’ve adapted from in the past. We’ve definitely made some adjustments with a lot of new faces to integrate.”
After the rematch against La Jolla, Scripps Ranch will take on Cathedral Catholic at home on April 29 and close the regular season on the road against Patrick Henry on May 1, with the goal of getting a good seeding come playoff time.
“I’m expecting our skills to sharpen, and I’m expecting our offensive and defensive teamwork to build and grow,” Uhlfelder said. “The competition this season has brought out the best in us, especially when you play teams twice.”
The Lady Falcons hope to make a deep run this postseason after losing in the first round last season to Torrey Pines.